Kathmandu:Prime Minister’s press advisor and research expert Dipa Dahal has clarified that the Prime Minister, his secretariat, and the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers were not involved in the recent arrests of journalists.
According to National News Agency RSS, Dahal stated on social media that neither the Prime Minister nor his secretariat was aware of the arrests beforehand. Once the Prime Minister was informed, authorities were instructed to release the journalists and avoid making arrests by entering newsrooms.
Press Council Nepal, the state’s media regulatory body, has expressed serious concern over the incidents where journalists were apprehended by police officers in plain clothes at their newsrooms. In a press release, Council spokesperson Deepak Khanal emphasized the Council’s commitment to safeguarding press freedom and supporting professional journalism.
Additionally, the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has voiced its concerns regarding the arrests and raids on media houses, which were conducted solely based on the news reports published by these outlets.