Police in Nepal open fire on protesters outside parliament, killing 8
[September 08, 2025]
By
BINAJ GURUBACHARYA
KATHMANDU,
Nepal (AP) — Police in Kathmandu opened fire Monday on protesters
demonstrating against a government ban on social media, killing at least
eight and wounding dozens more.
Six people died at the Bir Hospital and two more at the Civil Hospital,
the Kantipur newspaper said, quoting doctors at the hospitals in
Kathmandu. |
Riot police use water cannon on protesters during clashes outside
parliament building in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (AP
Photo/Niranjan Shrestha) |
|
Dozens more were wounded as police shot at protesters trying to
storm the parliament building. They were being treated at half
dozen hospitals in Kathmandu.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows
below.
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Tens of thousands of protesters took to
the streets of Nepal's capital Monday to vent their anger
against a decision by authorities to block most social media
platforms including Facebook, X and YouTube, saying that the
companies had failed to register and submit to government
oversight.
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.
TikTok, Viber and three other platforms have registered and
operate without interruption.
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.
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