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Nepal’s Communications and Information Technology Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung says the ban is ‘withdrawn’.
Nepal has lifted a ban on social media platforms following mass protests and the killing of 19 people in clashes with security forces, a government minister said.
Cabinet spokesman and Minister of Communication and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung said early on Tuesday that the government had rolled back the social media ban imposed last week.
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“We have withdrawn the shutdown of the social media. They are working now,” Gurung told the Reuters news agency.
The ban had blocked 26 media sites, including WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, in a bid by the government to tackle misinformation, fraud and hate speech.
Dubbed the “Gen Z” protests, due to the predominant participation of young adults and students, thousands gathered in Kathmandu and major cities on Monday to protest the social media ban and systemic issues such as corruption and the country’s economic woes.
Events turned deadly in Kathmandu when police fired live rounds and deployed tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannon and batons at protesters attempting to storm the capital’s parliament complex.
Seventeen protesters were killed in Kathmandu, and two others were killed in a protest in the city of Itahari.
Across Nepal, more than 100 people were also injured, with some estimates putting the figure as high as 400, including police officers.
The unrest is some of the worst to hit Nepal in decades.
The United Nations Office for the High Commissioner of Human Rights said it had received “several deeply worrying allegations of unnecessary or disproportionate use of force by security forces” during the protests.
“We are shocked by the killings and injury of protesters in Nepal today and urge a prompt and transparent investigation,” said UN spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani.
The government said late on Monday that it would set up an investigation panel and offer compensation to the families of people killed in the protests.
#Nepal: We are shocked by the killings and injury of protesters today and urge a prompt and transparent investigation.
We have received several deeply worrying allegations of unnecessary or disproportionate use of force by security forces during protests organized by youth… pic.twitter.com/KstvW4La92
— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) September 8, 2025
Source:
Al Jazeera and news agencies
