Journalists' Federation Chair Sharma Criticizes Government for Suppressing Voices

Surkhet. Nirmala Sharma, central chairperson of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, has stated that the government led by the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) is focused on suppressing the voices of the citizens. Speaking at the 'Voices of the Voiceless' session organized on Sunday as part of the second edition of the Karnali Daughter Conference, which began in Birendranagar on Saturday, Sharma said that the current government is continuing its efforts to curb the media. Sharma stated that the government's decision not to provide government advertisements to private media outlets is against freedom of expression. Sharma claimed that the Federation is protesting the government's recent activities and that democracy cannot be strengthened by suppressing citizens' voices. She said, 'In some cases, in the process of amending laws, the state has been suppressing journalists and curtailing freedom of expression, activities that the current government, along with previous governments, has been carrying out. We are still protesting against that.' She also stated that suppressing citizens' voices is unacceptable to the Federation under any circumstances.