At least 19 dead in Nepal after Gen Z protests at corruption and social media ban

At least 19 people have been killed and dozens injured in Nepal after demonstrations against political corruption and a government social media banled to clashes between protesters and security forces.

Thousands heeded a call by demonstrators describing themselves as Generation Z to gather near the parliament building in Kathmandu over the decision to ban platforms including Facebook, X and YouTube, as well as over wider dissatisfaction with the government.

Nepal’s Minister for Communication Prithvi Subba told the WNN police had to use force – which included water cannons, batons and firing rubber bullets.

The government has said social media platforms need to be regulated to tackle fake news, hate speech and online fraud.

But popular platforms such as Instagram have millions of users in Nepal, who rely on them for entertainment, news and business.

Demonstrators carried placards with slogans including “enough is enough” and “end to corruption”.

Some said they were protesting against what they called the authoritarian attitude of the government.

Many in Nepal think corruption is rampant, with the government also facing criticism for failing to deliver on promises to address the country’s longstanding economic issues.

“Rather than [the] social media ban, I think everyone’s focus is on corruption,” she explained, adding: “We want our country back – we came to stop corruption.”

Another protester said the ban was to “silence” their voices, so they came to “raise” their voices against that, which they will continue until it brings change.

As the rally moved into a restricted area close to parliament, some protesters climbed over the wall.

The United Nations Human Rights Office has called for a “prompt and transparent investigation” into the deaths and urged the government to reconsider its measures for regulating social media.

In a statement, the office’s spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said the UN had received “several deeply worrying allegations of unnecessary or disproportionate use of force by security forces” during protests.

Last week, authorities ordered the blocking of 26 social media platforms for not complying with a deadline to register with Nepal’s ministry of communication and information technology.

Since Friday, users have experienced difficulty in accessing the platforms, though some are using VPNs to get around the ban. So far, two platforms have been reactivated after registering with the ministry following the ban.

Nepal’s government has argued it is not banning social media but trying to bring them in line with Nepali law.