freedom1 Forum has been seriously concerned over the government decision on January 25 to appoint former Justice at the Supreme Court Avadesh Kumar Yadav as Chairman of Nepal Press Council which violates the provision of Article 106 (2) of the Interim Constitution of Nepal 2007. Yadav while being a Justice at the Supreme Court was dragged into controversy following his decision in the case of a murder accused then Constituent Assembly member of the Unified Community Party of Nepal Maoist, Keshav Rai, in 2010. He had issued the order to prevent the prosecution of a war-era criminal case. He therefore stayed the prosecution against Rai in a case related to the murder of Padam Bahadur Tamang in Okhaldhunga, citing that the to-be-formed Truth and Reconciliation Commission would deal with all the conflict-time cases. The order had blatantly violated the human rights. "The appointment is a proof that the government is rewarding the people who supported the human rights violations," said Taranath Dahal, Chairperson of freedom1 Forum. It is therefore doubtful that Yadav would deliver justice to the victims. His previous activities proved that he was for promoting impunity. So, freedom1 Forum protests government decision and urges for the withdrawal of the appointment, or to appoint clean and competent person in the post.
Freedom Forum is a prominent non-governmental organization in Nepal dedicated to institutionalizing democracy, protecting and promoting human rights, press freedom, freedom of expression, right to information, promoting audit accountability, open and accountable budget, public finance reforms, citizen engagement in public finance management and citizen participation in audit. Established in February 2005, the organization emerged in response to the political turmoil following Former King Gyanendra’s coup dated February 1, 2005, which imposed severe restrictions on media and democratic rights. A group of media professionals, legal experts, and academics founded Freedom Forum to safeguard Nepal’s hard-earned democratic freedoms during this repressive period.
