The National Human Rights Commission has drawn the attention of the Nepal government to the rising incidents of intimidation against journalists during the lockdown and called for respecting their right to expression and press freedom.

Issuing a press statement on Saturday, the constitutional human rights watchdog said 22 journalists have either been arrested or threatened, attacked and mistreated in the course of information collection during the lockdown.

It has also said that the tendency of denying and hiding information to journalists by the people in the authority is increasing while the journalists have also been denied salaries from the media houses compelling them to look for other job options.

“The commission wants to draw the attention of the government to the incidents of intimidation against journalists and to ensure smooth flow of information while also ensuring that journalists are paid for their work,” reads the statement.

The commission has also sought short-, medium- and long-term plans to protect the journalists.

The national human rights watchdog has also drawn the government’s attention to the poor management of quarantine facilities across the country where around 167,000 people are currently housed. Out of 11 people who lost their lives due to Covid-19, nine were in quarantine facilities.