Nepal Government Lifts Social Media Ban After Gen Z Protests

In Brief

The Nepal government lifted the ban on social media

Nepal government retreats after violent protests

20 protesters dead in clashes with police

The ban on social media imposed in Nepal has finally been lifted. This decision was made after a day-long protest by youths in various parts of the country, including the capital Kathmandu, on Monday (September 8). The government announced the lifting of the ban after a special cabinet meeting late at night.

Responding to the call of 'Gen-Z', a large number of young people took to the streets. The anger of the youth, already discontent with corruption, was further fueled by the social media ban. As the protests turned violent, 20 people died, and more than a hundred were injured. The young people gathered outside the parliament attacked the police, broke barriers, and set an ambulance on fire.

The Minister of Communication, Information, and Broadcasting, Prithvi Subba Gurung, announced that, “The government has decided to lift the ban considering the situation. However, we still believe that the earlier decision was not wrong.” He also appealed to the protesters to put an end to the demonstrations.

Meanwhile, the cabinet has established a special committee to investigate the violence that occurred across the country. This committee will submit a report within 15 days. Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli, while supporting the ban, stated that false information, hateful messages, and misinformation were being spread through some social media platforms. He clarified that the government withdrew the decision to prevent the situation from worsening further.