YouTuber-journo held for criticising Nepal PM, released after protests

Kathmandu, April 12: A journalist, who was arrested on charges of using abusive language against Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah ‘Balen’ on his youtube channel, was on Sunday released following criticism and objection by Gen Z activists.
Roshan Pokharel, who ran the YouTube channel ‘Hades,’ was arrested on Thursday. in Panchthar district in eastern Nepal. He is from Falgunananda Rural Municipality in that district.
A spokesperson at Panchthar District Police Office said that after four days in police custody, Pokharel was released on personal guarantee with the condition to be present before the police as and when required.
Gen Z activists Tanuja Pandey and spokesperson of Gen Z movement Nepal Bijaya Shah, among many others, raised serious objection to Pokharel’s arrest and demanded his immediate release.
It is objectionable to arrest individuals solely on the basis of expression, they said in a statement. “Protect freedom of expression, do not move towards authoritarianism,” the statement mentioned.
PM Shah, popular as ‘Balen’ was himself a YouTuber before joining politics. The former Kathmandu mayor and now the prime minister had gained immense popularity through rap songs on his YouTube channel that usually hit the existing system in Nepal portraying social anomalies, exposing corruption and political mismanagement.
Balen and his RSP formed the government in March after decimating the traditional parties in the first general elections since last year’s violent Gen Z protests that sought generational change and corruption-free regime with a ban on social media becoming the trigger for the country-wide demonstrations. (PTI)