By John Q. Hosedrinker 
Protests erupted in Nepal, resulting in at least 19 deaths and dozens injured, sparked by a government-imposed ban on social media platforms like Facebook and X, and widespread dissatisfaction with government corruption. Demonstrators, predominantly from Generation Z, gathered near the parliament building in Kathmandu, leading to clashes with security forces who employed water cannons, batons, and rubber bullets. The government defended the ban as a measure to regulate fake news, hate speech, and online fraud, while protesters viewed it as an attempt to silence dissent and voiced concerns over rampant corruption and the government’s failure to address economic issues. Curfews were implemented in affected areas, and the army was deployed, while the ban continues, with some platforms reactivated after registering with the ministry, and content against the ban still circulating, particularly on TikTok.
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At least 13 people are dead after youth protests in Nepal, a tragic event that has been wrongly framed by some news outlets as solely related to a social media ban. The reality is far more complex, and the protests are a direct response to deep-seated corruption within the government and its institutions. While the social media ban may have acted as a catalyst, the underlying issues are far more significant. This is a protest against a corrupt government, the widening gap between the rich and the poor, and the government’s attempts to control censorship.
The initial reports, often misrepresenting the core cause of the unrest, suggest a surface-level understanding. The primary driver behind the protests is the pervasive corruption that permeates every level of the Nepalese government and bureaucracy. It is a fight against a system where wealth is flaunted while the vast majority struggles to make ends meet. The social media ban, while contributing to the tensions, is simply a symptom of a much larger problem: the government’s authoritarian tendencies and its efforts to silence dissent.
The recent events have seen the government using extreme measures to quell the protests, including the use of lethal force against unarmed protesters, including school children. There are reports of a sixteen-year-old child, wearing their school uniform, being killed. The tragic loss of life extends to over a dozen individuals, with hundreds more injured. These actions demonstrate the government’s willingness to use brutality to maintain control and silence any form of opposition. News sources are being accused of twisting the narrative to frame the protests as solely about the social media ban, thereby excluding the larger demographic of people affected by the issues.
The situation is compounded by the alleged involvement of high-ranking officials in corruption cases, with little to no accountability. There are claims of the Prime Minister’s history of serious crimes and the lack of criminal prosecution, despite being implicated in corruption cases involving millions of dollars. There are also allegations of financial impropriety at various levels of society, from politicians’ children investing in luxury businesses to social media influencers with suspiciously lavish lifestyles, all raising questions about the use of public funds.
Furthermore, the narrative is being distorted to exclude the experiences of the older generation, the ones who may have experienced and survived the 2003/4 people’s revolution. The aim is to make it look like a “Gen Z” protest so that the older demographic is largely excluded. The government’s response, including the infiltration of hospitals to abuse protesters, further highlights the brutality and disregard for human rights. The situation is described as a crisis, an escalating form of repression.
The focus on a social media ban obscures the severity of the situation. The use of live ammunition, resulting in headshots and chest wounds, highlights the violent suppression of dissent and the lengths to which the government is willing to go to silence its critics. Any attempts to repress speech, short of killing dissidents, are seen as an oppressive action taken by a corrupt government. Such an attempt is worthy of censure by the world.
The title of this article, and many others, were misleading, originally framing the protests as primarily about social media. This is not the core issue. The social media ban itself has been a major catalyst for the protests, with the government’s actions reflecting the authoritarian nature of the regime. News outlets are, allegedly, twisting the narrative to make it a protest over “social media addiction” and therefore trivializing the serious events.
The protests are a direct response to the corrupt practices that have allowed wealth to accumulate in the hands of a few while the rest of the population struggles. Reports indicate the deep-rooted corruption is endemic, with many questions on how this system could continue to operate. A large part of the funding comes from foreign aid.
Ultimately, the situation in Nepal is dire. The protests are a symptom of a government that has lost touch with the people and is willing to use violence to maintain its power. This is a tragedy that demands international attention and action.