Nepal lifts social media ban after 19 killed in protests

BBC :

Nepal has lifted a social media ban after it sparked anti-corruption protests that led to clashes with police, leaving at least 19 people dead.

In the weeks before the ban, a “nepo kid” campaign, spotlighting the lavish lifestyles of politicians’ children and allegations of corruption, had taken off on social media.

When the government moved to ban 26 social media platforms, including Facebook and YouTube, protests erupted with thousands of young people storming parliament in the capital Kathmandu on Monday. Several districts are now under a curfew.

A government minister said they lifted the ban after an emergency meeting late on Monday night to “address the demands of Gen Z”.

Last week, Nepal’s government ordered authorities to block 26 social media platforms for not complying with a deadline to register with Nepal’s ministry of communication and information technology.

Platforms such as Instagram and Facebook have millions of users in Nepal, who rely on them for entertainment, news and business.

But the government had justified its ban, implemented last week, in the name of tackling fake news, hate speech and online fraud.

Young people who took to the streets on Monday said they were also protesting against what they saw as the authoritarian attitude of the government. Many held placards with slogans including “enough is enough” and “end to corruption”.

Some protesters hurled stones at Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s house in his hometown Damak.

One protester, Sabana Budathoki had earlier told the BBC that the social media ban was “just the reason” they gathered.

“Rather than social media ban, I think everyone’s focus is on corruption,” she explained, adding: “We want our country back. We came to stop corruption.”