Prime Minister and Chairman of Maoist Center Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, CPN-UML Chairman KP Oli, and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) have voiced similar perspectives regarding the arrest of Kailash Sirohiya, the Chairman of Kantipur Media Group (KMG).
All three leaders have dismissed claims that Sirohiya’s arrest signals a threat to press freedom.
Speaking at a program in Jhapa, UML Chairman KP Oli commented on the controversy surrounding Sirohiya’s arrest, stating, “There is a lot of hue and cry going on. I don’t think that should be done.” Oli emphasized that the arrest should not be sensationalized, explaining that the case against Sirohiya is not about press freedom but a different matter altogether. “There may be issues of controversy, but it is not intended to imprison him for life. Sirohiya’s is a different case. It is not a matter of why this news was published or why this was said. The subject is different. There may be a criminal matter in that regard,” he elaborated.
Oli further questioned the narrative that democracy is at risk when a media house owner is arrested. “If the government sees that there is a need to investigate, then there is no need to raise unnecessary voice when someone is arrested, whether it is a minister or a prime minister. If a media person is arrested, how will democracy be in danger?” he asked. Oli also denied allegations that Sirohiya’s arrest was connected to news about cooperatives linked to Home Minister Lamichhane.
Prime Minister Dahal echoed similar sentiments in Kathmandu. Briefly speaking to journalists at Chandragiri after the ‘International Dialogue of Experts on Mountains, People, and Climate’, Dahal said, “I merely gave a nod to the court’s orders after it asked to proceed with the process. I don’t think it is necessary to make more noise.”
On Wednesday, RSP Spokesperson Mukul Dhakal issued a statement emphasizing that Sirohiya’s arrest was based on an investigation into accusations of forged citizenship, carried out with the permission of the Dhanusha District Court. The RSP’s statement underscored that no individual is above the law. “Recognition that everyone must follow the law, no matter how powerful they are, and it is feudal cowardice to say that no one should be touched,” the statement read.
The RSP maintained that Sirohiya’s arrest is not an issue of press freedom. “A person who runs a profitable private business and a hard-working journalist who writes news cannot be put in the same basket,” the statement clarified. It concluded with a call for justice and the maintenance of the rule of law, “Let justice be done. Let the message go to the people that the state should wake up if the media becomes a weapon of greed, terror, and bargaining. Finally, let the democratic rule of law prevail.”
The unified stance of these leaders suggests a collective agreement that the legal process should be allowed to proceed without unwarranted interference, reiterating the importance of rule of law and due process in the democratic framework.
23rd May 2024
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