Nepal reverses social media ban as protests turn deadly

Nepal has created a dramatic U-Turn, the opposite is a Social media restrictions Last week, the nationwide “General Z” protests started after the decision last week, which was reported to have died at least five people.

The ban, which blocked the access to 26 platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X, was imposed after a directive on August 25 so that foreign social media agencies need to register their activities in Nepal and recruit local communication within seven days. When most platforms failed to comply with the deadline, the government had cut access last week.

At the end of Monday, Nepal’s Communication and Information Technology Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung told reporters that the government had canceled social media ban in response to people’s anger.

Thousands of people came on Monday, many of them flooded the streets across Nepal, a student of the school uniform, wanted to end social media blackout. Youth-led protests grew up in violent collision with security forces in several cases, resulting in At least 19 protesters died Local media reported, and more than 5 more were injured.

In a statement on Monday night, Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said that the protests were violent due to infiltration by certain elements, but the government did not oppose the new generation’s demands.

Co -international organizations UN And human rights groups such as Amnesty InternationalEarlier, the people had raised concerns over the ban and the government’s response to the people of the people.

“We urge the authorities to honor and confirm the right to freedom of expression and to expression,“ the United Nations High Commissioner’s Office on Human Rights D In a statement on Monday.

Fatal events derived from the Social Media Resistance imposed last week by the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology in Nepal, which blocked access to 26 platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X. The move followed a guide on August 25 so that foreign social media agencies needed to register their activities in Nepal and recruit local communications within seven days.

Some platforms, such as Tikatok and Rakuten Group, were not affected by the sanctions owned by the group because the government said they had already adhered to the guidelines and were registered locally.

Social media restrictions are part of the broad government effort to control digital platforms. Earlier this year, the Nepal government faced widespread outrage on its proposed social media bill, which is still pending for approval. The law includes the provision of imprisonment and the penalty for the terms “considered against national sovereignty or interest”. The proposal “the independence of the press and the digital expression threatened to severely undermine,” the International Federation of Journalists said.