At least 19 people were killed Monday when police in Nepal opened fire on demonstrators protesting a government move to block major social media platforms.
Officials said 17 people died in Kathmandu and two in the eastern city of Itahari. More than 145 others were injured, including 28 police officers, according to police official Shekhar Khanal.
Gen Z Movement in Nepal #genz #Support #Nepal #Eliminate #CORRUPTION pic.twitter.com/8MJYVexzbi
— Pratima Makhim (@pmakhim) September 8, 2025
The protests, led by Generation Z or those aged 13 to 28, erupted after authorities shut down Facebook, X, YouTube, and other platforms, saying the companies had failed to register with authorities as part of a crackdown on misuse, including fake accounts used to spread hate speech, disinformation, and fraud.
Aside from the social media ban, the protests also targeted corruption in Nepal. Marching through Kathmandu, demonstrators carried flags and placards with slogans such as: “Shut down corruption and not social media,” and “Youths against corruption.”
A Reuters report citing a local official said many of the young protesters broke through a barricade to enter the parliament complex in Kathmandu, where they set fire to an ambulance and hurled objects at riot police guarding the legislature.
#WATCH – Protesters break barricades in Nepal as they protest over social media ban and govt’s corruption.#Nepal #SocialMediaBan #NepalProtests #ViralVideo pic.twitter.com/CSffEbfDLY
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) September 8, 2025
#WATCH | Nepal | Protesters vandalise the Parliament gate as protests turn violent in Kathmandu.
People staged a massive demonstration against the ban on social media platforms.#Nepal #NepalProtests pic.twitter.com/MItP8SQPUa
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) September 8, 2025
In response to the violence and mounting calls from rights groups to deescalate the situation, Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli convened an emergency cabinet meeting on Monday.
Protesters have a right to peacefully protest and express their frustration and outrage against corruption and the government’s restriction on the right to freedom of expression including the social media ban in Nepal.
Amnesty calls for the immediate de-escalation of the… pic.twitter.com/Zm1gMO4MPn
— Amnesty International (@amnesty) September 8, 2025
Oli said he was saddened by the violence but blamed it on “infiltration by various vested interest groups.” He added that his government was “not negative toward the demands raised by the Gen Z generation.”
Following the cabinet meeting, Communications Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung announced on Monday that the social media ban had been lifted.
Nepal had previously banned TikTok in 2023 for “disrupting social harmony,” but later reversed the decision after company executives agreed to comply with local regulations.
