Nepal's president, Dr. Ram Baran Yadev at opening ceremony of the World Press Freedom Day in Kathmandu. Photo: IMS

Celebration of World Press Freedom Day 2009 took an unexpected turn in Nepal, as a governmental crisis unfolded, while the President of Nepal attended the inauguration ceremony in Kathmandu

More than 150 media practitioners from Nepal as well as media practitioners from a number of South Asian countries, invited by UNESCO and the Federation of Nepali Journalists, attended the inauguration ceremony in the center of Kathmandu on 3 May, which marks World Press Freedom Day.

Following the screening of a video on the visit in February 2009 of the International Media Mission to Nepal, in which members of the mission expressed deep concern over the deterioration of press freedom in Nepal, the ceremony was opened by the President of Nepal,  Dr. Ram Baran Yadav.

Against this backdrop, it was duly noted that the President in his speech, reaffirmed the government's committment to ensuring press freedom in Nepal.

Due to heavy rainfalls in the morning hours, a rally planned by the Federation of Nepali Journalists to take place in the center of Kathmandu was cancelled. This did not, however,  prevent many media representatives from all over Nepal to attend the ceremony in order to celebrate their profession and to make a stance for press freedom.

In the ceremony, leaders of the political parties spoke about press freedom, expressing their committment to a free and independent media. Particluar attention on the part of the media was devoted to the speech delivered by the leader of the Marxist-leninist party which forms the political arm of the maoists in Nepal. This was before rumour spread, that the Nepali Prime Minster had sacked the Chief of Armed forces, which lead to the current political crisis in the country.

As part of the ceremony, the President officially launched the report "A call to end violence and impunity" by the International Media Mission to Nepal.

In his speech, Dharmendra Jha, president of the Federation of Nepali Journalists highlighted the consequences if the working conditions for journalists in Nepal continue to worsen:

- As a journalist on the night shift of a daily newspaper, I have seen the number of investigative reports in the media drop down to a trickle. The stories on corruption have almost vanished. Does this mean we don't have corruption anymore in Nepal? I don't think so. What is happening is that reporters are afraid to srite about corruption because they are unsure about their own safety."