Journalists Under Attack

We consume news from around the world daily, whether on television, radio, social media, or in newspapers. This is all possible because of the hard work of journalists. They work day and night tirelessly to gather, analyse, interpret, fact-check, and publish news. However, if we look at today's scenario, the crimes against journalists are increasing day by day. They are getting death threats, harassed, intimidated, and, in the worst case, murdered just for stating the truth.

Impunity for crimes against journalists means a failure by states to bring compensation for abuses against journalists. We live in a democratic nation, and it is our right to speak freely. Democracy also depends on journalists' ability to speak truth, investigate abuses, and strengthen public debate. Impunity for crimes against journalists is a global threat, and Nepal is no exception. It is a threat to freedom of expression and open societies.

According to UNESCO, 82 journalists and media workers have been killed globally since 2018 to date. Most of these cases will see little justice. Of the 930 killings recorded between 2012 and 2016, only 10 per cent have been resolved and seen genuine justice. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) noted that 2024 and 2025 were consecutive years with record-high killings, marking a persistent, dangerous climate for press freedom.

The case of impunity for crimes against journalists in Nepal is increasing day by day. The Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) recorded 139 incidents of press freedom violations in 2025, involving over 218 journalists and 31 media houses, marking a sharp increase from 60 incidents in 2024 and 58 in 2023. Additionally, two journalists died under suspicious circumstances in 2025. Suresh Rajak was brutally attacked and burnt during a protest on March 28, and freelancer Suresh Bhul was killed by a mob in November 2024.

The justice was never served to those journalists. When an offender walks freely and faces no consequences, it really makes us question our justice system and laws and policies made for journalists. Such an incident creates fear among new journalists, and they become afraid to publish the truth, which eventually leads to the limitation of the public's right to information.

Many international organisations, like the United Nations, have taken major steps to prevent this issue. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed November 2 as the ‘International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists’ in a general assembly resolution.

Nepal's position on the Press Freedom Index has declined, ranking 90th position among 180 countries. This is a clear result of harassment, intimidation, crimes, and murder against journalists. If our government had taken a major step and the perpetrator had been punished, maybe our position might have been slightly better.

The majority of crimes against journalists occur with the intention to suppress their voice and silence them. They are abused into silence for exposing state corruption, human rights abuses, and organised crime. Similarly, women journalists are harassed just for existing as women. They face discrimination, sexual violence and harassment, online gender based abuse, and other forms of abuse.

In Nepal, the state has guaranteed protection of journalists through laws like the Working Journalists Act 1995 (benefits/rights) and the Right to Information Act 2007. But in reality, these laws only exist on paper. Institutions like Nepal Press Institute must take necessary action if any journalist faces any sort of harassment. News publication houses must ensure the identity of journalists remains confidential in case of high risk. Proper investigations must be conducted for crimes against journalists, and the offender must be held accountable.