Nepal’s government has lifted its ban on 26 prominent social media apps and messaging services after at least 19 people were killed and more than 100 injured in clashes on Monday.
The country’s communication and information minister announced the ban would be rolled back hours after demonstrators protesting against the block surged towards the parliament complex in the capital, Kathmandu.
“We have withdrawn the shutdown of the social media. They are working now,” said the communications minister, Prithvi Subba Gurung.
Thousands of young Nepalese have in recent days joined “Gen Z” protests, which they say reflect their frustration with the ban and the government’s perceived lack of action to tackle corruption and boost economic opportunities.
“We are protesting against corruption that has been institutionalised in Nepal,” student Yujan Rajbhandari, 24, said.
In Kathmandu protesters barged into the parliament complex on Monday, breaking through a barricade and setting fire to an ambulance. Police used water cannons, batons and rubber bullets to control the crowd, while the army was deployed and a curfew imposed in the capital.
Amnesty International said live ammunition was used and had resulted in deaths and serious injuries of several protesters. “The law enforcement agencies must only use force where absolutely necessary and it must be strictly proportionate to the legitimate aim sought to be achieved,” Amnesty said in a statement.
The prime minister, KP Sharma Oli, said he was saddened by the incidents of violence due to the “infiltration from different selfish centres”.
The government had formed a committee to investigate the violence and would pay relief for the families of the dead and provide free treatment for the injured people, he added.
Protesters carried placards with slogans such as “Shut down corruption and not social media”, “Unban social media” and “Youths against corruption”.
Student Ikshama Tumrok, 20, said she was protesting the “authoritarian attitude” of the government.
Many displayed a flag from Japanese manga series One Piece, symbolic of criticism against declining democratic freedoms – also used recently in Indonesia.
Nepal’s government said last month that social media firms would be given seven days to register under new regulations, including to establish a point of contact and designate resident grievance and compliance officers.
Meta’s Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, Alphabet’s YouTube, China’s Tencent and Snapchat, Pinterest and X all missed the deadline and were subsequently blocked.
The government has said social media users make fake IDs and use them to spread hate speech and fake news, commit fraud and other crimes on these platforms.
Popular online platforms had previously been blocked, including the Telegram messaging app in July. Last year the government lifted a nine-month ban on TikTok in August after the platform agreed to comply with Nepali regulations.
With Reuters and Agence France-Presse
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