Youth protests force Nepal to reverse social media ban, 19 dead in violence

Nepal had rolled out an all-out social media ban, a policy decision that enraged thousands and triggered widespread protests in the country. The demonstrations on September 8 got violent and clashes between the police and protesters resulted in the death of at least 19 people, mostly in the capital city of Kathmandu.

The social media ban was later reversed by lawmakers. Local media reported that Nepal Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak resigned at a cabinet meeting in the evening following the massive uproar.

Batons, water cannons, rubber bullets and tear gas were used on the protesters, but human rights groups say live ammunition was fired. "We call on the authorities to respect and ensure the rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. All security forces must comply with the basic principles on the use of force and firearms by law enforcement officials," a statement from the United Nations read.

The protesters' anger was turning toward the government led by Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli, who is increasingly becoming unpopular.

'Oust KP Oli'

“We are here to protest because our youths and friends are getting killed, we are here to seek that justice is done and the present regime is ousted. K.P. Oli should be chased away,” said Narayan Acharya, who was among the protesters outside the battered wall of the parliament building Tuesday.

“We need to protest the killings of so many young ones and students aiming directly at their head by this Hitler-like K.P. Oli’s government. As long as this government in in power, the people like us will continue to suffer,” said Durganah Dahal, another protester. “They killed so many youths yesterday who had so much to look forward to, now they can easily kill us all. We protest until this government is finished.”

Several widely used social networks, including Facebook, X and YouTube were blocked in the Himalayan nation last week after failing to comply with a new requirement to register and submit to government oversight.

Monday's rallies against the ban swelled to tens of thousands of people in Kathmandu and crowds surrounded the Parliament building before police opened fire on the demonstrators.

Nepal in 2023 banned TikTok for disrupting “social harmony, goodwill and diffusing indecent materials.” The ban was lifted last year after TikTok’s executives pledged to comply with local laws, including a ban of pornographic sites that was passed in 2018.

Since the ban was announced, videos contrasting the struggles of ordinary Nepalis with the children of politicians flaunting luxury goods and expensive vacations have gone viral on TikTok, which is still operating.