Report in The Kathmandu Post, July 24, 2023
Kantipur Publications Limited has clarified that the obstruction in the distribution of its newspapers Kantipur and The Kathmandu Post has violated citizens’ right to information and that such actions are thus legally punishable.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kantipur Publications Mahesh Swar, issuing a statement after the disruption in the distribution of the two dailies on Sunday, said that such acts violated the freedom of expression, the right to information and consumer rights enshrined in the constitution.
He said this challenge to free speech concerns not just Kantipur Publications but the Nepali press fraternity, the civil society, the political parties that believe in democracy and the Nepali people at large.
Swar stressed that the constitution of Nepal guarantees the right to expression and information as fundamental rights. Even the state cannot block the publication, transmission and distribution of electronic and print media under any pretext, he said.
“But unfortunately, Kantipur Publications has been forced to inform all concerned bodies and readers that the published copies of Kantipur and The Kathmandu Post have been seized and thrown away, torn, or dumped in one place, while the publication’s manpower that was ready to distribute the newspapers was physically threatened.”
The Publications said that confiscation of published copies of the two newspapers has caused irreparable damage to the physical property and reputation of the media house as well as the right to information of customers who have secured the information service by paying in advance.
The Publications also divulged the steps being taken to manage its human resource.
“Kantipur Publications respects all laws of the land. The country’s fragile economic situation has affected the whole Nepali media fraternity. In light of the continuous financial losses of the publishers in the past few years, staff reduction is a regular and natural process. But there is also no policy or plan to illegally dismiss any employee associated with the organisation,” the statement added. …..
https://kathmandupost.com/national/2023/07/24/kantipur-condemns-disruption-in-distribution-of-its-newspapers
