Freedom Forum is happy to share a story of success for justice to working journalists. It heartily welcomes the Labor Court order that has asked the State-owned Radio Nepal to reinstate the three journalists who were sacked without prior information two years back.
Journalists Sunita Rawal, Prakash Bam and Chakra Kunwar were dismissed from Radio Nepal’s Province Broadcasting Center at Dipayal. Dipayal lies in Far-west Province of Nepal.
The case was sub judice in the Labour Court Kathmandu which delivered its verdict on August 26, 2021. The court has ordered the broadcasting center’s chief administrative officer Moti Bahadur Karki to reinstate three journalists back to their job along with promotion.
Freedom Forum had provided legal support to all three journalists in the struggle to get justice for these two years.
On August 18 2019, they were dismissed from their job without prior notice and any reason. All of sudden, they were called at the Radio Broadcasting Service Development Committee the next day and informed about their dismissal verbally – without any explanation.
It was tenth year of journalist Rawal’s service while two other journalists had worked there for three years when they were dismissed. They were dismissed by the Radio Nepal with apparent pressure by then Information and Communications Minister belonging to communist party, CPN-UML.
The dismissed journalists had even picketed the Radio Nepal central office in Singha Durbar, Kathmandu to press for the withdrawal of decision, but in vain.
However, FF assisted them fully to approach the court to reclaim their right.
The decision- though come late-has respected journalists’ rights and motivated entire media fraternity to carry out their profession more effectively and fearlessly. FF congratulates the working journalists who got victory.
Asked to respond on the court order, journalist Prakash Bam said, “We’ve got justice. It is the victory of entire working journalists in the country. It inspires other journalists to continue struggle for rights too.”
Similarly, Freedom Forum Executive Chief Taranath Dahal observed, “Expelling working journalists from their job is sheer violation of their right to work. It is a gross attack on freedom of expression and press freedom. The previous government led by CPN-UML had meted out injustice to the journalists. The court order is a huge relief to these three journalists and an inspiring story for others as well. FF is also inspired further to continue its advocacy for journalists’ rights and freedom of expression with this incident.”
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