Social media ban lifted after 19 killed in protests

Nepal has lifted a social media ban after it led to clashes between protesters and police that have left at least 19 people dead.

Thousands of young people had forced their way into the parliament building in the capital Kathmandu on Monday, asking the government to lift its ban on 26 social media platforms, including Facebook and YouTube, and also called on it to tackle corruption.

The decision to lift the ban was made after an emergency cabinet meeting late on Monday to “address the demands of Gen Z”, Communications and Information Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung said, according to reports.

More than 100 people were injured in the protests, which also took place in towns outside the capital.

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

But the government had justified its ban, implemented last week, in the name of tackling fake news, hate speech and online fraud.

Young people who took to the streets on Monday said they were also protesting against what they saw as the authoritarian attitude of the government. Many held placards with slogans including “enough is enough” and “end to corruption”.

Some protesters also hurled stones at Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s house in his hometown Damak.

One protester, Sabana Budathoki had earlier told the BBC that the social media ban was “just the reason” they gathered.

“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.”

A “nepo kid” campaign – spotlighting the lavish lifestyles of politicians’ children and accusing them of being funded by corruption – has taken off on Nepali social media in recent weeks.

On Monday, police in Kathmandu had fired water cannons, batons and firing rubber bullets to disperse the protesters.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said he was “deeply saddened” by the violence and casualty toll, blaming the day’s events on “infiltration by various vested interest groups”.

The government would set up a panel to investigate the protests, he said, adding that the government would offer financial “relief” to victims and provide free treatment to those injured.

Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak tendered his resignation in the evening following intense criticism over his administration’s use of force during the 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.

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