According to Dr. Bikram Timilsina, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, all journalists arrested by Police on Friday have been released.
In a Facebook post on Friday night, the minister confirmed the release of all arrested journalists, emphasizing the government’s commitment to protecting media freedoms.
“Released. All arrested journalists have been released,” he posted. “Media freedom and responsible journalism are the fundamental principles of democracy.”
Journalists arrested from media premises
On Friday, police arrested several journalists, prompting strong reactions from media organizations.
The arrested journalists were Bishwamani Subedi of Nepal Press, Dhiraj Basnet of DNA Khabar, and Shobharaj Baral of Motivate News.
The arrests raised concerns because the journalists were taken into custody from their media premises.
Police raid another newsroom
Plain clothes police also raided the Naya Patrika newspaper office in Kathmandu, attempting to arrest correspondent Nawaraj Mainali.
They remained inside the building for more than two hours, telling him he had to go with them.
However, they left the building on Friday evening and told him to report to the Cyber Bureau on Saturday.
Unlike the three journalists who were arrested, Mainali was not taken from the newsroom.
Prime Minister orders release
News of the release came after Prime Minister Balendra Shah ordered the relevant authorities to release the arrested journalists.
According to Deepa Dahal, the Prime Minister’s press and research adviser, neither the Prime Minister nor his secretariat had any knowledge of the arrests.
“When we learned about this incident, we were very concerned. We have asked the authorities to release the journalists and not to enter any newsroom to arrest journalists,” she said.
Worries about media freedoms
The incident has sparked outrage from the Federation of Nepali Journalists, politicians and other organisations.
Removing journalists from their newsrooms is regarded as “state terror”, and they demanded that it stop at once.
Advocates of press freedom contend that any problems with the news should be addressed through the appropriate legal channels.
The incident has prompted debate about the relationship between the police and the media in Nepal.
Relief, yet questions remain about the police operation
Even though there is relief following the communication minister’s confirmation that the journalists have been released, questions about the police operation persist.
The government has made it clear that media freedom and responsible journalism are essential to democracy.
This latest incident underlines how important it is to protect journalism professionals and to ensure that any investigation into media organisations is carried out properly.