International Commission of Jurists Issues Report Detailing Concerns Over Nepalese Ban on Media Freedoms

In a report called "Power to Silence: Nepal's New Media Ordinance", the International Commission of Jurists has detailed its concerns about the Nepalese government's newly passed restrictions against the media. After measuring the restrictions against rights guaranteed in the Nepalese constitution and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Nepal is a party, the ICJ made several recommendations, among which are the following: the government should consider decriminalizing defamation; imprisonment should never be an option for a media-related offense, and government should cease all proceedings against FM broadcast stations. The Nepalese Supreme Court has already ordered a temporary halt to the ban.