Nepal Lifts Social Media Ban After Protests Kill 19

In Nepal, authorities have lifted the social media ban following mass protests during which 19 people were killed. The decision was made on the evening of September 8 in response to the demands of the youth, the communications minister announced. All platforms, including Facebook, X, and YouTube, have had their access restored.

Earlier, the ban had caused great outrage. The Supreme Court had obliged social media platforms to register with the Ministry of Communications and agree to monitoring, but none of the popular platforms had done so.

Thousands of people took to the streets of Kathmandu with slogans against corruption and the authoritarian methods of the authorities. Police used tear gas, batons, and rubber bullets; 17 people were killed in the capital, and another two in Itahari.

For many protesters, the social media ban was only the "last straw." Their main demand was the fight against corruption and the restoration of civil liberties.