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| Nepal Expels Canadian for Sowing ‘Discord’ on Twitter | Nepal Expels Canadian for Sowing ‘Discord’ on Twitter |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| KATHMANDU, Nepal — A Canadian man living in Nepal has two days to leave the country, the Nepalese immigration authorities said on Tuesday, after he was accused of posting a message on Twitter “aimed at spreading the social discord.” . | |
| The man, Robert Penner, was arrested on Monday at his office in the Lalitpur district, south of the capital, Kathmandu, on orders of the Department of Immigration, police and immigration officials said. He was held for a day before the department canceled his work visa and ordered him to leave the country. | |
| The department had received a complaint against Mr. Penner for “spreading unnecessary messages about Nepal,” said Kedar Neupane, the director general of the Department of Immigration. Mr. Neupane did not say who had initiated the complaint or which of Mr. Penner’s many social media posts about Nepalese politics were found to be offensive. | |
| “His working visa has been canceled after the charges against him were proven true,” Mr. Neupane said. | “His working visa has been canceled after the charges against him were proven true,” Mr. Neupane said. |
| Mr. Penner, who had lived in Nepal for more than two years, worked at a technology company and often wrote about the country’s political situation on Twitter. He used the platform to question recent government actions, including the arrest of a journalist and the newly passed constitution. In November, he wrote a blog post responding to critics of a Human Rights Watch report on violations in southern Nepal. | Mr. Penner, who had lived in Nepal for more than two years, worked at a technology company and often wrote about the country’s political situation on Twitter. He used the platform to question recent government actions, including the arrest of a journalist and the newly passed constitution. In November, he wrote a blog post responding to critics of a Human Rights Watch report on violations in southern Nepal. |
| On Tuesday, Mr. Penner took to Twitter again to provide updates on his arrest. | On Tuesday, Mr. Penner took to Twitter again to provide updates on his arrest. |
| Mr. Penner did not answer multiple calls for comment on Tuesday evening. | Mr. Penner did not answer multiple calls for comment on Tuesday evening. |
| Immigration officials defended the decision to expel Mr. Penner from the country. They said Nepalese immigration law had a provision for canceling the visa of any foreigner whose presence disrupts the peace and security of Nepal or affects the harmony between the people of Nepal. | Immigration officials defended the decision to expel Mr. Penner from the country. They said Nepalese immigration law had a provision for canceling the visa of any foreigner whose presence disrupts the peace and security of Nepal or affects the harmony between the people of Nepal. |
| “During the discussion with us, he agreed to leave the country,” Mr. Neupane said, adding that if Mr. Penner did not leave, “we may have to adopt other legal measures to implement our decision.” | “During the discussion with us, he agreed to leave the country,” Mr. Neupane said, adding that if Mr. Penner did not leave, “we may have to adopt other legal measures to implement our decision.” |
| Dipendra Jha, a Supreme Court lawyer who said he had spoken with immigration officials on Mr. Penner’s behalf, criticized the government’s action. | Dipendra Jha, a Supreme Court lawyer who said he had spoken with immigration officials on Mr. Penner’s behalf, criticized the government’s action. |
| “It is against the right to freedom of expression guaranteed by our constitution,” Mr. Jha said. “Social harmony cannot be disturbed when someone questions.” | “It is against the right to freedom of expression guaranteed by our constitution,” Mr. Jha said. “Social harmony cannot be disturbed when someone questions.” |
| According to his Twitter profile, Mr. Penner works as a scientist at Cloud Factory, an online company with an office in Nepal. |