Saturday, 13 September 2025
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** From Nepal, a familiar warning
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It’s been a week of political violence and while many might still be glued to news about the murder of Charlie Kirk (my response here ([link removed]) ), I want to turn attention to another unfolding crisis – the growing war on digital freedoms. This week that war flared dramatically in Nepal.

The story moved fast. Thousands of people, mostly young, took to the streets at the start of the week to protest the government’s decision to ban 26 social media platforms. Scores of unarmed protesters were killed and government buildings torched. The prime minister and other officials then resigned. The social media bans were lifted. Writing for Index from the country this week, Gary Wornell spoke of his horror and sadness at what unfolded. “The Nepal I had known as my second home for the last 13 years would never be,” he said. His piece ([link removed]) [link removed] both a good explainer and a deeply emotional witness account.

The government tried to justify the bans as necessary to tackle fake news, hate speech and platform accountability. The youth saw it differently, and called it censorship, plain and simple. We agree, not least because we’ve heard this line before, many times. Across South Asia (and for that matter the world) governments use the pretext of "online safety" to roll back digital rights and, by extension, civil liberties.

In India, we’ve closely tracked how Narendra Modi’s government has tightened control over digital platforms through legislative and regulatory measures, often under the guise of combating fake news or protecting national unity and security. The ruling party has also benefitted from the mob veto, where right-wing groups and influencers have lodged a blizzard of police complaints about errant social media posts. These have resulted in prominent individuals, such as commentator Dr Medusa and journalist (and Index award winner) Mohammed Zubair, being charged ([link removed]) with sedition. In Pakistan a bill was passed in January that gives the government sweeping controls on social media. Users can now be sent to prison for spreading disinformation. Sri Lanka’s Online Safety Act allows the government to take down content critical of it to apparently protect national security
interests. Bangladesh has the Digital Security Act, which has been criticised for its breadth. I’ll park the UK’s Online Safety Act but we have concerns about that too, as we’ve frequently highlighted.

Not all legislation is cynical or censorious. Several voices from our South Asia network reminded us this week that digital spaces are indeed being used to incite hate and violence. The amplification of hateful content against the Rohingya in Myanmar on Facebook is a tragic example. But here’s a distinction: recognising and responding to harm is not the same as justifying an authoritarian response. Even those most concerned with digital hate in South Asia condemned Nepal’s actions.

The fury has died down in Nepal. Still, as the above pattern shows, it’s unlikely this woeful chapter will be the end of government attempts to shut down digital discourse.


Jemimah Steinfeld

CEO, Index on Censorship


** More from Index
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From Belarus to Saudi Arabia: The week in free expression ([link removed])

A round-up of the key stories covering censorship and free expression from the past seven days ([link removed])

Gen Z movement sparks political change in Nepal ([link removed])

The shutdown of social media platforms tried to silence a generation ([link removed])

Charlie Kirk’s murder: Use words to counter speech you don’t like, not bullets ([link removed])

People may disagree with the views of the right-wing influencer but his death must be condemned ([link removed])

What the US closure of global media means for freedom of speech in Asia ([link removed])

The defunding of USAID has had a catastrophic impact on Radio Free Asia and others ([link removed])

The Noel Clarke judgment was a victory but should also be a warning ([link removed])

Embedded within Clarke’s legal action was a new threat to public interest reporting ([link removed])

Tanzania’s election by elimination ([link removed])

Opposition is being silenced as the country prepares to go to the polls next month ([link removed])

Open letter to the United States Government regarding journalist visas ([link removed])

Index joins EBU in urging the authorities not to restrict visas for foreign press ([link removed])

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** Truth, trust and tricksters in the age of AI
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As AI rapidly transforms society, how do we operate in the mirror world of AI and identify the truth tellers from the tricksters?

Join us for a panel discussion with Kenneth Cukier (deputy executive editor, The Economist), Timandra Harkness (writer, broadcaster and presenter) and

Dr Eduardo Alonso (professor of Artificial Intelligence/director of the AI Research Centre (CitAI) City St George's).
REGISTER ([link removed])


** From Belarus to Saudi Arabia: The week in free expression ([link removed])
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** >> BELARUS: ([link removed]) 52 political prisoners freed after visit by US delegation ([link removed])
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** >> KENYA: ([link removed]) Spyware installed on Kenyan filmmakers’ phones in police custody ([link removed])
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** >> BELGIUM: ([link removed].) Festival axes orchestra over concerns about Israeli conductor ([link removed].)
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** >> SAUDI ARABIA: ([link removed]) Jalal Labbad executed for participating in peaceful protest ([link removed])
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** >> TURKEY: ([link removed]) Reporter faces up to 15 years in prison ([link removed])
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** >> NORTH KOREA: ([link removed]) Authorities executing people for watching foreign films ([link removed])
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** Flashback
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Fear and loathing in Belarus ([link removed])

by Larysa Shchyrakova ([link removed])

Volume 50, Issue ([link removed]) 1

“In Belarus, the practice of preventive detentions is often used. Many times before the street protests began there were several police cars parked outside my house. When this happens, I have three options: leave the house and be immediately detained by the police; not leave the house and not get to the demonstration, which I have to cover; or try to run away from the police.”

Yesterday, 52 political prisoners were released from Belarus. Many had already completed their sentencing and all were immediately subjected to forced deportation. None deserved the years they spent behind bars. Of the 52 were journalist Larysa Shchyrakova and blogger Mikola Dziadok - both of whom had connections to Index. In honour of their release and to highlight the oppression they have faced, this week we are sharing a piece written by Shchyrakova. Read the story here. ([link removed])


** Support our work
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The world is becoming more authoritarian and our work calling out human rights abuses and promoting freedom of expression in countries such as Nepal, the USA, Tanzania and the UK has never been more important.

By supporting Index on Censorship today, you can help us in our work with censored artists, jailed musicians, journalists under threat and dissidents facing torture or worse.

Please donate today ([link removed])

Photos by: (Burnt Federal Government) ZUMA Press, Inc./Alamy; (Larysa Shchyrakova) Stringer/Tass/PA Images

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