Last August, the government banned social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp that were not registered in Nepal and did not follow the rules. Various people have expressed their views on the matter before the Commission of Inquiry. Who said what?
We use Google Cloud Translation Services. Google requires we provide the following disclaimer relating to use of this service:
This service may contain translations powered by Google. Google disclaims all warranties related to the translations, expressed or implied, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and noninfringement.
Various individuals have expressed their views before the Commission of Inquiry on the ban on 26 social media platforms imposed by the then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli-led government on Bhadra 19. Who said what?
The then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli:
The government decided on the regulation of social media, social media had to be regulated, right? Shouldn't it be accountable ? It has to be . Yes, that's why the decision was made .
Even after the incident of Bhadra 23, a government meeting was held in the evening.... It was decided to lift the ban on social media as per the demands of the Gen-G generation .
The then Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak:
Since the proposal to take a decision on social media in the Council of Ministers of the Government of Nepal was not from the Ministry of Home Affairs, there was no separate process of seeking opinions and suggestions from the security agencies on this matter
The then Minister of Communications and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung:
The Government of Nepal had repeatedly published public notices and urged social media platforms to be listed in the ministry, to designate a contact point, contact person in Nepal, and to come under the purview of government regulation . The decision to block social media was not based on personal impulse, but as an obligation to comply with court orders, directives, and the decisions of the Council of Ministers.
The then Inspector General of Police Chandrakuber Khapung:
Before the Nepal government took the decision to block social media, there was no formal consultation with the Nepal Police regarding the security challenges that could arise from it. However, after the ban was imposed, it was aware of the potential challenges.
Former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba:
I was at Budhanilkantha… my private residence, and that evening I was also present in Baluwatar and requested the then Prime Minister to lift the ban on social media.
Former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal:
In my understanding, the background to the movement is the growing public dissatisfaction and anger towards the government's working style. The ban on social media seems to have been the immediate cause of that.
Radhika Aryal, then Secretary, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology:
I would like to clarify that there was no direct ban imposed by the ministry on social media. The only regulatory decision was to make social media platforms in Nepal mandatory to be listed and to establish an official contact point as per the Directive on Regulating the Use of Social Media, 2080 and the Supreme Court order.
It was stipulated that platforms that did not list within the stipulated 7 days would be temporarily deactivated and reactivated as soon as they were listed. The legal basis for this decision was the Supreme Court's contempt of court order and the decision of the Council of Ministers dated Bhadra 9, 2082.
