After protests with 19 deaths: Nepal lifts social media blockade

Nepal's government has ended the blockade of numerous social networks after 19 people were killed in violent protests on Monday. The minister responsible told the Reuters news agency. According to the report, the agency has already been able to verify that the services were accessible again. The protests were organized as a “demonstration of Generation Z”—i.e., young people born after 1995—against corruption and the social media ban, explains the Kathmandu Post. The fact that the police then cracked down with “excessive force” on Monday drew criticism from the opposition and the ruling party. More than 400 people were seriously injured.

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The decision to withdraw the blockade was taken by the Nepalese government in an overnight crisis meeting, added the news agency dpa, citing Home Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung. At the same time, curfews have now been imposed. The curfew was imposed the previous week to force the affected internet services to register and accept state supervision. However, this drew harsh criticism, and as a result, young people in particular took to the streets. In the capital, Kathmandu, the situation escalated when protesters tried to break into the parliament building. A total of 17 people died there, and two more were killed in the city of Itahari.

As in other countries, many people in Nepal rely on social networks to keep in touch with their relatives who live and work abroad. In addition, the sudden blockade left many businesses, such as the tourism industry, in a state of shock over the weekend. A total of 26 platforms were affected, including Facebook, X, Instagram, and YouTube. According to Nepalese media reports, live ammunition was also used against the demonstrators on Monday. The UN Human Rights Office in Geneva expressed its horror at the “killing and injuring of protesters in Nepal” and called for prompt and transparent investigations.

(mho)