Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) has said its attention has been drawn to remarks made by former minister Mahesh Basnet, a close ally of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, threatening editors affiliated to various media outlets at a public event.

At a gathering of youths in Butwal on January 26, Basnet had publicly threatened Kantipur daily editor-in-chief Sudhir Sharma, Ratopati editor-in-chief Om Sharma and ekagaj’s editor Hari Bahadur Thapa, saying that some media outlets had spread chaos in the name of democracy.

“This incident is a direct infringement on press freedom by a person who has been working in a responsible position as a minister,” reads the statement.

The federation strongly condemns the incident which discourages journalists and spreads psychological terror, the statement said.

The federation, the umbrella organisation of journalists in the country, also drew attention of the concerned parties not to repeat such acts and respect constitutional freedoms.