Two weeks ago, the Nepali government decidedly banned the massively popular battle royale game, PlayerUnknown’s Battleground (PUBG). The reason given was the most common one, being its impact on children. Now, it looks like the country’s Supreme Court has had a change of heart and is reversing the ban.
The Himalayan Times reports that a petition was filed against the ruling, arguing that playing the game was part of their freedom of expression. For context, press freedom and freedom of expression are guaranteed by the Nepalese Constitution.
And since banning PUBG infringes on that right, the government would have to prove that the ban is just, fair and reasonable. Ultimately, the Supreme Court concluded that the banning of PUBG was not reasonable. Understandable, since the Nepal Telecommunications Authority said there were no reports of incidents linked to PUBG, despite the ban made on grounds of it being violent.
For now, it’s not known if the overturning of the ban has taken effect. On a somewhat related note, here’s to hoping that something similar will happen in Iraq.
(Source: The Himalayan Times via SlashGear)
