Kathmandu (Nepal), Sept. 8 (LaPresse/AP) – Kathmandu police opened fire on protesters demonstrating against the government’s decision to block most social media platforms, including Facebook, X, and YouTube. According to authorities, the companies had not registered nor submitted to government oversight. There are at least 17 reported deaths and 145 injuries, including 28 police officers. The protests filled the streets around the parliamentary building, surrounded by tens of thousands of outraged people. Protesters broke through barbed wire and forced riot police to retreat inside the Parliament complex. Law enforcement then opened fire on the demonstrators. The situation remained tense, and the government announced a curfew for Monday around Parliament, the government secretariat, the presidential residence, and other key areas of the city. "Stop corruption, not social media," chanted the crowd outside Parliament, waving red and blue national flags. Monday’s protest was called the Generation Z protest. In 2023, Nepal banned TikTok for disturbing "social harmony, goodwill, and spreading indecent material." The ban was lifted last year after TikTok executives agreed to adhere to local laws. Among these is the ban on pornographic sites, approved in 2018.
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