State of media during emegency (King Gyanendra's rule)

Gyanendra,who became king in June after the royal family massacre,declared a state of emergency on 26 November.Prior to the declaration,police in Kathmandu raided the offices of three newspapers-Janadesh weekly,Janadisha daily and Dishabodh monthly and seized press materials and stationery from the publication houses.The plain clothes policemen also arrested a total of nine editors,journalists and media workers from the newspaper's offices on charges of being closely associated with the underground Maoist Party.
With the declaration of an "emergency",on 29 November,the police arrested 38 journalists and media workers in the western town of butwal while they were attending reception organized by High-tech publication Pvt.Ltd,which publishes the daily Jangharsha.All but one of the 38 journalists arrested were released on 3 December.The whereabouts of the consultant editor of Janasangharsha,Basanta Pokhrel is still unknown.The police raided Nawajyoti offset press and Bahumukhi Chhapakhana and seized press materials in Chitwan.The police also raided the office of the weekly Chure sandesh in Chitwan and arrested journalists from Siraha and Surkhet on 29 November.
On 28 November,the police and army seized copies of the Kathmandu Post in Kathmandu,which published a picture of a Maoist rebel,entitled "Back to Killing Field",in its Midweek post edition.The police also seized other magazines,such as the Naulo bihani and Dishabodh,which allegedly glorified Maoists.
In order to control the media activities during the state of emergency,the government issued a proclamation outlining 13 rules regarding the publication of information.They also formed a"special cell" to monitor articles in newspapers and posted items on the web related to security matters.The government asked the media to only publish new items on the "police and armed police"after verification by a spokesperson from the ministry of Home affairs.Similarly,the defense Ministry issued a statement that newspapers should not publish articles on the activities of the military without verification by the De fence Ministry.
Perhaps the most positive development that year was a supreme court ruling in favour of the right of private radio stations to broadcast their own new programmes.On 16 January,the Nepalese government restricted the nation's 11 private FM radio stations,preventing them from broadcasting independent news bulletins.Authorities also occurred them of sensationalising stories and broadcasting news without verification.
Nepal's information's and communications Minister issued a directive stating that radio stations will only be allowed to broadcast news supplied by state-authorized sources.Furthermore,in order to be considered for authorization,reports from radio stations would have to be submitted to the ministry at least one week prior to their broadcast.Finally,the directive requested that private radio stations appoint boards of directors of at least three persons,including one individual from the information and communication ministry.
Even though the broadcasting licenses had previously provided for these restrictions,the authorities had not applied them.However,on 26 July,the supreme court declared the government's directive on Nepal's private radio stations illegal,stating it was against the constitutional provision related to the "right to freedom" and the "right to information".
The assault on the Nepalese press had been immense and deeply troubling.More than two weeks after King Gyanendra cut of all communication in the country and imposed total media censorship,many of the drastic measures affecting Nepal's journalists remained in place.A program of military-enforced censorship that began on February 1 had not been lifted and hundreds of journalists who couldn't report the news face layoffs.Communications had been restored with the disturbing caveat that security forces may monitor and cut them off at will.And several journalists remained in detention,including Bishnu Nisthuri,the General Secretary of the Federation Of Nepalese journalists.
Threats to the press leave all citizens at increased risk of abuse by security forces.The media crackdown had been most severe in rural areas,which are the primary site of conflict between the army and Maoist rebels.
Independent FM radio stations had been banned from reporting the news and were limited to broadcasting entertainment programming.Hundreds of broadcast journalists faced layoffs,and the survival of local radio in Nepal.More than 40 outlets were primary source of news to people in districts over the country.
The king's orders had banned all media from broadcasting of publishing negative commentary on the king's activities or indirectly or directly criticizing the security forces in any way that could "affect morale".Anyone who disobeyed those orders would be placed under immediate house arrest,according to state media.
For a period of days following the February 1 declaration,security forces were stationed at the nation's major media houses.Military officers vetted news articles and editorials and imposed the king's new censorship guidelines by threat of force.Though the physical presence of military battalions in media offices in Kathmandu has diminished,media outlets remained under military surveillance and censorship.Security forces continued to enter newspaper and magazine offices at will.Security forces had entered the offices of weeklies Chhalphal,Deshantar and Dristi to censor their content.
Print publications outside the capital were at even greater risk.Because of the disruption in communications,specific information on conditions in the provinces was limited.Many newspapers in the districts had closed completely-some under orders if security forces-or had drastically reduced their staff size.
In the midwestern city of nepalgunj,the military rounded up newspaper editors to issue an order banning them from publishing any on information in civilian deaths by security forces.The 12 point guidelines also banned them from publishing information on political parties pr quoting news about Maoists from foreign media and required them to submit publications to the government of monitoring.
The media was prohibited from reporting on a February 1 student protest in Pokhara,where police shot one student and detained and beat 58 others,many of them severely.Mobile phone lines across the country remained down and the king had authorized security personnel to monitor or ban the use of telephone,radio,fax,TV,e-mail or any other from the electronic media as they see fit.
On February14,security forces ordered Nepal Telecommunications to cut off telephone lines in eastern Nepal's Sarlahi district,isolating thousands of people and disrupting all flow of information in that area.Security forces had also targeted FNJ President Tara Nath Dahal visiting his home and threatening his wife and children.The offices of FNJ remain under military surveillance.
On February 13,security forces arrested two journalists in Chitwan district for unknown reasons.The status of reporters Narayan Adhikari,with the state owned Rastriya Samachar Samiti news agency and Basanta Parajuli of the daily Gorkhapatra was unknown.On February 15,security forces arrested D.R Panta,local correspondent of Kantipur publications in the district of Dadeldhura.Both the people of Nepal and country's international reputation was harmed by dismantling Nepal's communication infrastructure and shutting down the press.