At least 19 people were killed and dozens injured in Nepal after demonstrations against a government prohibition of social media and corruption has led to clashes between demonstrators and security forces.
Thousands of people have respected a call for demonstrators describing themselves as a generation Z to come together near the Parliament in Kathmandu on the decision to ban platforms, including Facebook, X and Youtube, as well as for broader dissatisfaction with the government.
The Minister of Nepal for Communication, Prithvi Subba, said that the BBC police had to use the force – which included water cannons, batons and rubber bullets.
The government has said that social media platforms must be regulated to combat news, hatred speeches and online fraud.
But popular platforms such as Instagram have millions of users in Nepal, who rely on them for entertainment, news and business.
The demonstrators transported signs with slogans, including “enough it is enough” and “end to corruption”.
Some said they were protesting against what they called the government’s authoritarian attitude.
Many in Nepal think that corruption is endemic, the government is also confronted with criticisms for not having kept the promises of solving the country’s long -standing economic problems.
Sabana Budathoki told the BBC that the ban on social media was “just the reason” that they had gathered.
“Rather than [the] The ban on social media, I think everyone focuses on corruption, “she said, adding:” We want our country to come back-we came to stop corruption. »»
Another protester said that the ban was to “silence” their voice, so they came to “raise” their voice against this, that they will continue until he will bring a change.
While the rally moved to a limited area near the parliament, some demonstrators climbed on the wall.
Reuters
Kathmandu valley police spokesman Shekhar Khanal said that 17 people had been killed in the capital.
“L schools gases and water cannons were used after the demonstrators fled in the restricted area,” Khanal told the AFP news agency.
Ranjana Nepal, a hospital official who has received many injured, said that tear gas has also entered the hospital, making work for doctors difficult.
“I have never seen such a disturbing situation in the hospital,” she told AFP.
A spokesperson for the Kathmandu district office said that a curfew had been imposed in areas, including Parliament, after demonstrators had tried to enter.
Two were also killed in the eastern city of Itahari as he protested after the announcement of the curfew, said local police.
Nepal army spokesman Rajaram Basnet told the BBC that a small unit of soldiers had been deployed in the streets after the introduction of the curfew.
Last week, the authorities ordered the blocking of 26 social media platforms not to comply with a deadline to register for the Ministry of Nepal Communication and Information Technologies.
Since Friday, users have had difficulty accessing platforms, although some have used VPNs to get around the ban. So far, two platforms have been reactivated after registering with the ministry after the ban.
The government of Nepal argued that it does not prohibit social media, but tries to put them online with Nepalese law.
Getty images
Source link
#dead #protests #ban #social #media #Nepal
