KATHMANDU: Thousands of Nepalis stormed parliament and marched through the streets of the capital Kathmandu, protesting against the ban on social media platforms.
The Nepal police said in a statement that the clashes with cops left nine protesters dead and over 42 injured.
Protesters pushed through barbed wires and forced riot police to retreat as they surrounded the Parliament building. Police fired tear gas and water cannon but were outnumbered and sought safety inside the Parliament complex.
The situation remained tense and the government announced a curfew for Monday around Parliament, the government secretariat, presidential house and key parts of the city.
“Stop the ban on social media, stop corruption not social media,” the crowds chanted, waving the red and blue national flags. Monday’s rally was called the protest of Gen Z, generally referring to people born between 1995 and 2010.
About two dozen social network platforms that are widely used in Nepal were repeatedly given notices to register their companies officially in the country, the government said. Those which failed to register have been blocked since last week.
The move by the authorities came as the government sent a bill for a debate in Parliament that wants to ensure that social platforms are “properly managed, responsible and accountable.” It includes asking the companies to appoint a liaison office or point in the country.
The bill has been widely criticized as a tool for censorship and punishing government opponents who voice their protests online. Rights groups have called it an attempt by the government to curb freedom of expression and violate fundamental rights.
Nepal in 2023 banned video-sharing app TikTok for disrupting “social harmony, goodwill and diffusing indecent materials.” The ban was lifted last year after TikTok’s executives pledged to comply with local laws. They include a ban of pornographic sites that was passed in 2018.
