Kathmandu: After violent protests that killed 19 individuals and left dozens injured, Nepal’s authorities has lifted its sweeping social media ban. House Minister Ramesh Lekhak resigned on Monday, citing ethical accountability for the deaths.
Prime Minister Ok.P. Sharma Oli confirmed the U-turn. “We’ll guarantee conducive use of social media,” he mentioned.
The ban had gone into impact on Friday, slicing off entry to 26 platforms together with Fb, Instagram, YouTube, X, WhatsApp, Reddit, LinkedIn and Messenger. Solely a handful of apps akin to TikTok, Viber, Wetalk and Telegram remained accessible.
The shutdown adopted a Supreme Court docket directive ordering all international and home platforms to register with the Ministry of Communications and Data Expertise, appoint native officers and arrange criticism programs for Nepali customers. Non-compliance meant computerized deactivation.
The blackout shortly triggered mass demonstrations. Crowds surged right into a restricted zone close to parliament, with some scaling compound partitions. Clashes with safety forces erupted, leaving scores wounded.
Ranjana Nepal, an info officer at Civil Hospital, confirmed that the emergency ward was full of injured protesters.
Authorities imposed curfews throughout central Kathmandu, together with the parliament space, the presidential residence and Singha Durbar, the prime minister’s workplace complicated.
The cupboard selected Monday to revive entry. Data and Communication Expertise Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung mentioned the choice was unanimous. “It has been determined to open the social networks as there’s an agitation utilizing this as an excuse,” he mentioned.
The restrictions had alarmed rights teams. The Committee to Defend Journalists condemned the blackout as a direct strike on free expression, whereas Entry Now warned of censorship with out transparency.
The dispute traces again to petitions first filed in 2020, which challenged unregistered international platforms broadcasting advertisements and streaming content material in Nepal. That case produced the Directive on Regulating the Use of Social Media, 2080, mandating registration and tighter oversight.
Parliament is now debating a separate social media invoice that may introduce fines and potential jail phrases for posts deemed in opposition to the “nationwide curiosity”.
For unusual Nepalis, the ban was felt instantly: frozen timelines, misplaced enterprise entry and households unable to succeed in family members overseas. The disaster marked Nepal’s first nationwide blackout of main social platforms, one which ended solely after bloodshed compelled the federal government to again down.