The government's decision met with protests of thousands of users.
-We are here to condemn social media blocking, but this is not the only reason-said 24-year-old student Yujan Rajbhandari, quoted by the AFP agency. He added that the demonstrators also condemn “institutionalized corruption in Nepal.” Another protesting, 20-year-old Iksham Tumrok, assessed that the prohibition reflects “authoritarian practices of the government and we want to change it.”
Police reaction to protesters
As the AFP said, during the Monday demonstration The police intervened when the protesters approached the parliament. – We used tear gas and water cannons, when the protesters entered the area of admission – police spokesman Shekhar Khanal said in an interview with AFP. He added that many people were injured on both sides.
The Nepal government imposed banned operations on 26 social platforms and messengers, In this Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, X and Reddit, accusing them of non -compliance with new regulations. According to the judgment of the Supreme Court, Nepal of 2023, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technologies ordered these companies to appoint a local representative and a person responsible for regulating content.
Recently, the ministry has announced that The platforms received a seven -day period for registration, in accordance with the court order, but did not meet the deadline. Then an order was issued to “deactivate” these platforms. Only five social platforms and messengers, including Tiktok, registered within the given time and avoided restrictions.
Accusations on the part of human rights organizations
The ban, which came into force on Thursday at midnight, met with criticism from organizations dealing with human rights and freedom of the press. They accuse Nepal's government of limiting freedom of speech. In a Sunday statement, the government denied any attempts to interfere in freedom of speech and assured that if the platforms submit a request for registration, then Their activities will be restored.
At the weekend, this ban caused confusion, striking the company and the key for Nepal, the tourism industry, which is largely based on social media – to promote and reach recipients both in the country and abroad. The ban also hit the private life of the Nepalesemany of which have families living outside the country, and use social media to contact loved ones.
