*KATHMANDU – A man in Nepal was arrested for sharing a doctored image onFacebook showing Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s head superimposed on amonkey’s body, police said Wednesday.*
Homnath Sigdel, 44, was taken into custody on Tuesday for “sharing indecentphotos that targeted the prime minister”, senior police officer NarendraPrasad Uprety told AFP.
The offending image appeared on a Facebook group earlier this month and hasbeen shared more than 2,500 times.
Police said Sigdel had also posted a second photo of Oli’s head on a nakedhuman body.
Sigdel could face up to five years in jail and a 100,000 rupee ($900) fineif found guilty under a provision in the Electronic Transactions Act.
The arrest comes days after Nepal introduced a new criminal code thatincludes draconian laws that activists have warned could be used to silencecritics of the government.
The Communist-led government headed by Oli has shown increasing intoleranceof dissent since it took power at the beginning of the year.
In June it became embroiled in a standoff with a popular activist doctorwho was on hunger strike to protest against political interference in themedical sector.
In 2016, a Canadian working in Nepal was deported over a series of tweetsdeemed to “incite conflict” related to the country’s constitution. – APP/AFP