A pro-monarchy demonstration turned violent on Friday when protesters attacked the Annapurna Media Network (AMN) Tower in Kathmandu’s Tinkune with a coordinated wave of attacks, sounding an alarm about press freedom and journalist safety in Nepal.

The protest soon turned violent, with assailants throwing stones at the AMN building, breaking windows, and trying to burn down the building. The attack left the media house severely damaged and exposed journalists and staff members to severe danger.

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AMN, highly valued for its unbiased journalism, has been a respected source of news for a long time. The raid on its offices has created a general concern about growing threats to press freedom in Nepal. Apart from targeting the media compound, protesters vandalized and torched a number of commercial and residential buildings in the Tinkune neighborhood.

After the attack, AMN called on national and international communities to take prompt action to protect journalists and secure media institutions from such acts of violence. The network referred to the attack as a direct blow to democratic values and freedom of the press, calling on global media rights groups to denounce the violence.

“AMN remains committed to responsible journalism but emphasizes the imperative necessity of concerted action to protect press freedom in Nepal and avert future attacks on media outlets and corporate institutions,” the media outlet said.

The General Manager of Annapurna Media Network vehemently condemned the attack as an “act of terrorism.”

We condemn the violent and extreme acts against free media. We call on international and national communities to stand united with us in solidarity and also call on the government to adopt stern measures against the perpetrators,” he added.

The authorities remain silent on possible arrests over the incident, although pressure is increasingly being mounted against the government for taking action to counter the spate of attacks on Nepal’s media.