Nepal reverses social media ban as protests turn deadly

Kathmandou, Nepal – September 8: The young Nepalese stage an antigan demonstration in Kathmandu, Nepal, September 8, 2025. According to information, eight demonstrators were killed and more than 100 injured after the police opened fire on the demonstrators. (Photo by Sunil Pradhan / Anadolu via Getty Images) | Image credits: Sunil Pradhan / Anadolu / Getty Images

Nepal made a dramatic turnover, reversing a ban on social media imposed last week after the decision triggered national “Gen Z” demonstrations which would have killed at least 19.

The ban, which blocked access to 26 platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and X, was imposed following a directive of August 25 demanding that foreign social media companies record their operations in Nepal and appoint local contact within seven days. When most platforms failed to comply with the deadline, the government reduced access last week.

On Monday, the Minister of Communications and Information Technologies of Nepal, Prithvi Subba Gurung, told journalists that the government had revoked the ban on social media in response to public indignation.

The reversal on Monday intervened only a few hours after thousands of people, including many students in school uniforms, flooded the streets of Nepal, demanding the end of the social media failure. The demonstrations led by young people have transformed into violent clashes with the security forces in several areas, leading to the death of at least 19 demonstrators and leaving more than 100 other injured, according to local media.

In a statement on Monday evening, the Prime Minister of Nepal KP Sharma Oli said that the demonstrations had become violent due to the infiltration by certain elements, but that the government was never opposed to the requests of the new generation.

International organizations, including the United Nations and human rights groups such as Amnesty International, had previously raised concerns about the prohibition and government’s response to demonstrations.

“We call on the authorities to respect and guarantee the rights of the peaceful assembly and freedom of expression,” the office of the United Nations Human Rights in a statement on Monday.

Certain platforms, such as Tiktok and Rakuten, the ownership of the group, were not affected by the ban, because the government declared that they had already respected the directive and registered locally.

Restrictions on social networks are part of a wider government effort to regulate digital platforms. Earlier this year, the government of Nepal faced a general indicator in the face of its bill on social networks, which is still unanswered. The legislation includes imprisonment provisions and fines of posts “renowned against sovereignty or national interest”. The proposal “threatens to seriously undermine press freedom and digital expression,” said the International Federation of Journalists.