At least 16 people have been killed during protests in Nepal over a government ban on dozens of social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and X.
The government, led by the prime minister, KP Sharma Oli, has faced mounting criticism after imposing a ban on 26 prominent social media platforms and messaging apps that it says have failed to comply with new regulations.
Reddit, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Signal have all also been banned. Only five companies, including TikTok, complied with the order and were not restricted.
The ban came into effect at midnight on Thursday and subsequently caused chaos across the country, affecting businesses and tourism and leaving people unable to communicate with relatives abroad.
On Monday, frustration at the ban boiled over on the streets of the capital Kathmandu, where tens of thousands of largely young people gathered to protest against the order.
Clashes with police erupted as protesters broke through barriers and attempted to storm the parliament building. Police responded with batons, teargas, rubber bullets and water cannon.
Clashes between riot police and the protesters grew violent. Photograph: Prabin Ranabhat/AFP/Getty Images
According to Nepali police, at least 16 people died from serious injuries sustained at the protest, including bullet injuries to the head and chest.
The government announced that a curfew would remain in place in areas of the capital until 10pm on Monday night.
The almost blanket ban came after Nepal’s ministry of communications and information technology said it had given the social media companies seven days to register after a court order, but all had failed to meet the deadline. A notice from the ministry said that subsequently an order had been issued to “deactivate” the platforms.
The government says the new regulations are aimed at cracking down on hate speech, fake news and online crimes. The ban had already drawn condemnation from international rights organisations. In a statement, the Committee to Protect Journalists NGO warned that the ban set a “dangerous precedent for press freedom”.
Since the ban, videos contrasting the struggles of ordinary Nepalis with the children of politicians flaunting luxury goods and expensive holidays have gone viral on TikTok.
On Sunday, dozens of journalists had gathered in the capital, Kathmandu, to protest against the ban, holding up signs with slogans including “no shutdown of social networks, no silencing of voices”, “freedom of expression is our right” and “democracy hacked, authoritarianism back”.
Thousands joined in the protest to express anger against a creeping sense of authoritarianism. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Prior to Monday’s protests turning violent, the country’s prime minister hit back at critics, saying he would not tolerate the “nation being undermined”.
“The independence of the nation is greater than the loss of jobs of a handful of individuals. How can it be acceptable to defy the law, disregard the constitution, and disrespect national dignity, independence and sovereignty?” Oli said in a speech on Sunday.
While Nepal remains a largely unrestricted country for freedom of expression, critics say there is a growing overreach by the Oli government that has caused concern. In 2023, TikTok was banned for nine months over concerns of hate speech and cybercrime but it was reinstated once the platform agreed to register with the government.
A series of draft bills governing press freedom and social media are under debate in Nepal’s parliament that could mean people are fined or jailed for content that is deemed against the “national interest” and allow the government to shut down newspapers and revoke the licences of journalists.
