After deaths in protests: Nepal ends social media ban

The government in Kathmandu is rowing back: After violent protests, the controversial blocking of social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram , YouTube and X in Nepal has been lifted.

The cabinet made this decision after an emergency meeting overnight, Home Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung told the local news portal "Online Khabar." All apps were available again on Tuesday morning, the Reuters news agency reported.

However, the government has now imposed a curfew in the capital. It is in effect indefinitely. Protests and gatherings are prohibited during this time, according to Kathmandu's district administration. As Reuters reports, the capital's international airport is also closed.

Nationwide protest by young Nepalese

The ban on 26 online networks had been in place since last week. The government of the Himalayan state wanted to force the services to register and submit to state supervision. The government accuses users of using some platforms to spread hate speech and fake news using fake identities, as well as committing fraud and other crimes.

However, the move sparked strong criticism and brought thousands of mostly younger people between 18 and 30 onto the streets across the country. Peaceful protesters held signs with slogans such as "Gen Z is not immature. We are capable" and "Your firewalls are weak, my memes are strong!"

The organizers of the protests also refer to them as "Generation Z demonstrations." They say the protests reflect widespread frustration among young people over what they see as the government's lack of action to combat corruption and promote economic opportunity.

19 dead and more than 100 injured

The situation then escalated in Kathmandu: Thousands of protesters attempted to break into the parliament building in the capital on Monday, which in turn led to violent countermeasures by security forces.

According to Nepalese media reports, police used water cannons, tear gas, and live ammunition against demonstrators. Clashes between demonstrators and police in Kathmandu and elsewhere left 19 people dead. More than 100 were injured, according to police.

The UN Human Rights Office in Geneva expressed its horror at the "killing and injury of protesters in Nepal." The government in Kathmandu ordered an investigation into the violence.

As a result, Nepal's Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli resigned this Tuesday. "I have resigned from my position as Prime Minister effective today," he wrote in a letter to President Ram Chandra Paudel, "to facilitate further steps toward a political solution and settlement of the issues."

Situation remains tense

Nevertheless, the situation in Nepal is not calming down. Despite social media approval, the prime minister's resignation, and a curfew in the capital, violent protests continue this Tuesday. In Kathmandu and other parts of the country, angry people set fire to the homes and offices of several ministers and other politicians and attacked them with stones, according to reports from the Kathmandu Post and other local media.

In addition, private homes of outgoing Prime Minister Oli were reportedly targeted, and police stations were set on fire.

AR/se (dpa, rtr, afp, ap)