On September 8, the blocking of social networks in Nepal led to protests. The main driving force behind the protests, which were accompanied by riots, is the youth.
According to Modern.az, 22 people died during the riots, and hundreds were injured.
Nepal's Prime Minister Sharma Oli resigned because he could not prevent mass protests in the country.
The protests, dubbed the “Generation Z Revolution,” were triggered by the government's decision to ban "Facebook", "Instagram", "WhatsApp", "YouTube", "X", "Reddit", and "LinkedIn". Young people who disagreed with the decision poured into the streets. However, the protesters' main demands did not end there; they soon chanted anti-corruption slogans and called for the government's resignation.
For a long time, young people had been dissatisfied with corruption, the privileged lives of the political elite, and unemployment. The closure of social networks, however, was "the last straw". Although the authorities called this “the fight against disinformation and fraud,” young people regarded it as the suppression of freedom of speech.
As protesters marched towards the parliament building in Kathmandu, police used tear gas and rubber bullets. The enraged crowd burned the prime minister's private residence and the properties of some ministers, and destroyed government buildings. Kathmandu airport was also closed due to nearby fires.
In a letter addressed to President Ramchandra Paudel, 73-year-old Oli stated that he resigned “to calm the situation in the country and find a political solution.” The President has already begun negotiations for the election of a new prime minister.
The organizers of the protests call the movement the “Generation Z Revolution.” In their opinion, this movement is a youth rebellion against corruption and the government's economic failure.
Political stability has not been achieved in Nepal since the overthrow of the monarchy in 2008. Oli, meanwhile, has served as prime minister four times in the last 17 years. Now, the country has once again plunged into uncertainty and chaos.
