particularly targeted those critical of the NEPAL government and of the leaders of the ruling party. Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal In February, the Ministry of Communication Head of state: Bidya Devi Bhandari and Information Technology drafted social Head of government: Sher Bahadur Deuba (replaced media guidelines that would give the Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli in July) government sweeping powers to regulate social media content and criminalize users’ Federal legislation limiting the rights to activities, including the ability to hold people freedom of expression and privacy remained liable for liking, sharing and commenting on pending, while provincial governments posts. Several bills threatening the rights to drafted new bills threatening media freedom of expression and privacy remained freedom. Protesters were detained and pending in the federal parliament, and the security forces continued to use provincial governments in Bagmati, Gandaki unnecessary and excessive force to disperse and Lumbini provinces drafted bills that protests. The government failed to deliver would limit freedom of expression, especially justice, truth and reparations to victims of media freedom. the 1996-2006 conflict. Thousands died of In May, the Office of the Registrar of the Covid-19 amid a severe shortage of vital Supreme Court summoned two journalists, infrastructure and lack of an adequate pressuring them to divulge their sources and response by the government. Gender-based to apologize for reporting on an alleged discrimination continued in law and meeting between Prime Minister Oli and practice. The authorities failed to carry out Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana. credible and independent investigations In June, 20 civil society leaders were into several deaths in custody, mostly of arrested while peacefully protesting against people from marginalized communities. political interference in the Medical BACKGROUND Education Commission. In October, police detained 13 activists who Amid disputes within the ruling party, Prime were peacefully demanding impartial Minister Oli dissolved the lower house of the investigations into the death of one woman parliament in May. Calling it an and the disappearance of another in Banke “unconstitutional move”, in July the Supreme district. Ruby Khan, one of the protesters, Court reinstated the dissolved lower house was detained by police on trumped-up and ordered the appointment of Sher charges of “polygamy” before the Supreme Bahadur Deuba as the new prime minister. Court ordered her release. In October, unseasonal rainfall linked to Also in October, four men died when climate change led to floods and landslides, security forces opened fire to evict protesters resulting in more than 100 deaths and in Rupandehi district. displacing more than 1,100 families. The RIGHT TO TRUTH, JUSTICE AND rains affected farmers’ livelihoods and REPARATION threatened food security, destroying more than 325,000 tonnes of paddy crops, the The government continued to fail to deliver highest losses on record. The government’s truth, justice and reparations to tens of mitigation and relief support was inadequate. thousands of victims of crimes under FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND international law and other grave human ASSEMBLY rights violations committed during the 1996-2006 conflict. The Truth and The authorities continued to use the Reconciliation Commission and the Electronic Transactions Act 2006 to arbitrarily Commission of Investigation on Enforced detain individuals, including journalists. They Disappeared Persons, which had respectively Amnesty International Report 2021/22 268