Nepal’s government has revoked its ban on 26 top social media platforms and messaging apps after a minimum of 19 fatalities and over 100 injuries from Monday’s clashes. Shortly after demonstrators opposing the ban marched towards Kathmandu’s parliament, the country’s communication and information minister revoked the social media shutdown. Thousands of Nepalese youths have lately participated in “Gen Z” protests, expressing dissatisfaction with the ban and the perceived inaction of the government against corruption and economic development. One student, Yujan Rajbhandari, stated that they were protesting against systemic corruption in Nepal. On Monday, protesters broke into the parliament complex, breached a barricade, and set an ambulance on fire. Police used force to manage the crowd, and a curfew was imposed in the capital.
Amnesty International reported that live ammunition was used against protesters, leading to deaths and severe injuries. The prime minister, KP Sharma Oli, expressed sadness over the violence and blamed “selfish centers” for the infiltration. The government has formed a committee to investigate the violence and provide relief to the affected families and injured individuals. Protesters displayed slogans advocating against corruption and the ban on social media, and some showed a flag from the Japanese manga series One Piece as a symbol of resistance against diminishing democratic freedoms, similar to recent protests in Indonesia.
Last month, the Nepalese government announced that social media companies would have seven days to register under new regulatory requirements, including designating officers for grievances and compliance. Meta’s Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Alphabet’s YouTube, China’s Tencent, Snapchat, and Pinterest missed this deadline and were subsequently blocked. The government claimed that social media users created fake IDs to spread hate speech, fake news, and commit fraud and other crimes. Popular online platforms have previously been blocked, with the messaging app Telegram banned in July. However, the government lifted a nine-month ban on TikTok in August last year after the platform agreed to follow Nepali rules. This article was also published with contributions from Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/09/nepal-protests-social-media-ban-lifted-gen-z-kathmandu
