United Nations, Sep 9 (IANS) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on the Nepal government and the protesters to hold peaceful discussions to resolve their differences that have led to clashes and the death of at least 19 people.

“Nepal enjoys, I think, a very vibrant democracy and active civic space, and I think it’s important that the government and those who are demonstrating meet and try to move on and discuss the issues in a peaceful manner, Guterres’ Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday.

“We are obviously following the situation with a lot of concern. It’s critical that the authorities, the government, protect and respect the rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression,” he said.

Tens of thousands of young people protesting against a ban on social media took to the streets on Monday and set fires while trying to storm the Parliament.

Police fired live ammunition and rubber bullets, and lobbed teargas against the protesters, leading to at least 19 deaths, according to reports.

According to reports, some of the 26 social media and messaging apps that had been banned resumed operations later on Monday.

The spokesperson for the Geneva-based Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ravina Shamdasani, said, “We have received several deeply worrying allegations of unnecessary or disproportionate use of force by security forces during protests.”

Noting that “Nepal enjoys a lively democracy and active civic space”, she said, “We urge reconsideration of measures to regulate social media to ensure they comply with Nepal’s human rights obligations”.

She called for “a prompt and transparent investigation” into allegations of police use of force.

Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli’s government on Thursday banned social media platforms messaging, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit, and WeChat, because, it said, they had not followed the new registration regulations.

The Supreme Court upheld the regulations that also require the appointment of a local contact person, which the government said were needed to combat misinformation.

–IANS

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