Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets Monday after the government blocked most social media platforms, including Facebook and YouTube.
KATHMANDU, Nepal — In an aggressive response to protests against a governmental restriction on social media usage, police in Kathmandu fired on demonstrators on Monday, resulting in the deaths of at least 10 individuals and injuring numerous others.
According to a report by Kantipur newspaper citing doctors, six fatalities occurred at Bir Hospital in Kathmandu. Additionally, two people died at the Civil Hospital and another two at KMC hospital, as confirmed by doctors who preferred to remain anonymous due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
The wounded were being treated at half a dozen hospitals in Kathmandu.
Enraged by the government’s directive to restrict access to prominent social media services such as Facebook, X, and YouTube for not complying with regulatory requirements, tens of thousands of demonstrators poured into the streets of Nepal’s capital on Monday.
The protesters breached barbed-wire barricades, compelled riot officers to retreat, and encircled the Parliament complex. Despite deploying tear gas and water cannons, the police found themselves overwhelmed and took refuge within the Parliament grounds before resorting to gunfire against the crowd.
As tensions continued to escalate, authorities imposed a curfew in the areas surrounding Parliament, the governmental secretariat, the presidential residence, and other significant parts of the city on Monday.
Chanting slogans like “End the social media ban, tackle corruption instead,” demonstrators waved national flags of red and blue. This rally was labeled the Gen Z protest, indicative of young individuals born approximately between 1995 and 2010.
About two dozen social network platforms that are widely used in Nepal were repeatedly given notices to register their companies officially in the country, the government said. Those which failed to register have been blocked since last week.
TikTok, Viber and three other platforms have registered and operate without interruption.
The move by the authorities came as the government sent a bill for a debate in Parliament that wants to ensure that social platforms are “properly managed, responsible and accountable.” It includes asking the companies to appoint a liaison office or point in the country.
The bill has been widely criticized as a tool for censorship and punishing government opponents who voice their protests online. Rights groups have called it an attempt by the government to curb freedom of expression and violate fundamental rights.
Nepal in 2023 banned video-sharing app 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. They include a ban of pornographic sites that was passed in 2018.
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