Nepal lifts ban on social media platforms after 19 killed in protests

The Nepali government has lifted a ban on 26 social media platforms after protests against it on Monday turned violent, leading to the deaths of 19 persons in clashes with security forces, the BBC reported.

Over 100 protesters were injured in the clashes. The demonstrations had been dubbed as a protest by “Gen Z”, generally referring to persons born between 1995 and 2010.

Following the protests, Communications and Information Technology Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung on Tuesday told Reuters that the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) government led by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had rolled back the ban.

“The government has already decided to open social media by addressing the demand of Gen-Z,” NDTV quoted Gurung as saying after an emergency Cabinet meeting.

The minister, however, said that the government did not regret its decision to shut the platforms down. “Since protests were being staged using this issue as a pretext, the decision has been taken to reopen social media sites,” he said, and urged the demonstrators to call off the protest.

The Nepali government had banned 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, X and YouTube, on Thursday, saying they had failed to register with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology.

The move followed a Supreme Court order in August that required all platforms to register before operating so authorities could...

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