Rafi Schwartz
Protests over political corruption and an ongoing effort to regulate social media have plunged Nepal into a state of civic unrest. Led predominantly by younger organizers and activists, demonstrations emerged as Nepal's government banned (and then returned) access to popular platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook and YouTube for failing to register their products under a new national law. At least 19 people were killed and dozens more injured amid protests in the Nepali capital of Kathmandu on Monday. More than simply a matter of access to apps, the Nepali protests have become a generational conflict over the region's future.
'Robust space for debate' faces 'censorship'
Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday in an unsuccessful effort to quell the disquiet. His critics accused his government of "trying to curtail freedom of expression" in a nation where free speech is "highly prized," said The New York Times. Nepal generally offers "robust space for debate," while similar freedoms have "shrunk" in neighboring countries. The government's social media regulatory effort, requiring that companies "appoint a liaison office or point in the country," has been "widely criticized as a tool for censorship and punishing government opponents who voice their protests online," The Associated Press said. Rights groups have similarly accused the Nepali government of working to "curb freedom of expression and violate fundamental rights" with this legislation.
The government has claimed it is not "banning social media" but trying to "bring them in line with Nepali law," said the BBC. That explanation has not been enough for many Nepalese, who "heeded a call by demonstrators describing themselves as Generation Z" to gather at the parliamentary building in Kathmandu on Monday. There, authorities used force including "water cannons, batons and firing rubber bullets," resulting in the day's double-digit fatalities, said the network.
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