19 dead as protestors clash with police over Facebook and Instagram bans

At least 19 people have died after protestors clashed with police during a demonstration in Nepal. Dozens more are believed to have been injured while protesting the government and its ban on major social media platforms.

Thousands gathered near the parliament building in Kathmandu to demonstrate against the government's decision to ban 26 sites, which included Facebook, X, and YouTube, and wider dissatisfaction with the government, which some reportedly described as an authoritarian attitude. Nepal's Minister for Communication, Prithvi Subba, told the BBC that police had to use force, including water cannons, batons, and rubber bullets.

"Tear gas and water cannons were used after the protesters breached into the restricted area," police spokesman Shekhar Khanal told the AFP news agency.

Since Friday, Nepal residents have had difficulty accessing 26 websites that had not complied with a registration deadline with Nepal's Ministry of Communication and Information Technology.

The government argued that the regulations were needed to tackle fake news, hate speech, and online fraud. It said the social media companies had repeatedly been given notice to register, but had failed to act.

However, critics described what they believed was an authoritarian attitude from the government.

Protestors carried placards with slogans such as "enough is enough" and "end to corruption", which is believed to have been organised by demonstrators describing themselves as Generation Z.

Authorities said they imposed a curfew over parts of the city, including the parliament building, after protestors reportedly attempted to enter restricted areas and climb over a wall.

A spokesperson told the BBC that a small number of soldiers had been deployed to the capital after the curfew was announced.

TikTok has registered with Nepal's authorities and is continuing to operate without disruption. TikTok was previously blocked in Nepal in 2023 after it was accused of disrupting "social harmony, goodwill and diffusing indecent materials".

The ban was lifted in 2024 after the company committed to comply with a number of local laws.

So far, two platforms have been reactivated after users registered with the ministry.