Protests against Nepal's social-media ban grow more violent as demonstrators set buildings on fire

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Protests against Nepal’s short-lived ban on social media grew increasingly violent Tuesday as demonstrators set government buildings and politicians’ homes on fire and attacked some leaders. The prime minister resigned amid widening criticism of the country’s political elite.

The resignation appeared to have little effect on the unrest. Tens of thousands of protesters remained on the streets late in the day, blocking roads and storming government facilities. Army helicopters ferried some ministers to safe places.

A day earlier, demonstrations led by young people angry about the blocking of several social media sites gripped the capital, and police opened fire on the crowds, killing 19 people.

The ban was lifted Tuesday, but the protests continued, fueled by rage over the deaths and accusations of political corruption in the nation wedged between China and India.

As the protests escalated, Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli announced he was stepping down. The president accepted the resignation and appointed Oli to lead a caretaker government until a new one is in place — though it was unclear what power he would wield or even where he was.

President Ram Chandra Poudel, the ceremonial head of state, appealed to the protesters to engage in discussions to find a peaceful resolution and stop further escalation.

In a video message, Nepalese army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel urged protesters to stop the demonstrations to prevent further loss of lives and property and to come forward for dialogue.

In a written statement that followed, the army warned that the country's security forces were committed to preserving law and order. It was not clear if the army, which so far has stayed in its barracks, would be mobilized to help after police failed to control the situation.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres urged restraint to avoid further violence and called for both an investigation into the events and dialogue to forge “a constructive path forward,” U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said.

“He underscored that protests must take place in a peaceful manner, respecting life and property,” and called on Nepalese authorities to comply with international human rights, the spokesperson said.

The demonstrations — called the protest of Gen Z — began after the government blocked platforms, including Facebook, X and YouTube, saying the companies had failed to register and submit to government oversight.

But the protests spiraled to reflect broader discontent. In particular, many young people are angry that the children of political leaders — so-called nepo kids — seem to enjoy luxury lifestyles and numerous advantages while most youth struggle to find work. With youth unemployment running at about 20% last year, according to the World Bank, the government estimates that more than 2,000 young people leave the country every day to seek work in the Middle East or southeast Asia.

“I am here to protest about the massive corruption in our country,” said Bishnu Thapa Chetri, a student. “The country has gotten so bad that for us youths, there is no grounds for us to stay.”

Videos shared on social media showed protesters beating up Nepali Congress party leader Sher Bahadur Deuba and his wife, Arzu Rana Deuba, the current foreign minister. Both appeared to be bleeding, while one video showed the party leader being helped to safety. The party is the country’s largest and is part of the governing coalition.

Local media and videos on social media also showed protesters attacking government buildings and the residences of the top political leaders throughout Tuesday.

The presidential palace, the prime minister’s official residence and a building that houses the offices of the prime minister and several ministries were all torched. Thick smoke rose from the prime minister’s office building.

Earlier, Oli's private home was set on fire, as were those of the president, the home minister and the Deubas. The home of the leader of the opposition Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) was also set ablaze.

Some protesters blamed the government for the police opening fire and called for the ouster of the increasingly unpopular prime minister.

“We are here to protest because our youths and friends are getting killed. We are here to see that justice is done and the present regime is ousted,” said Narayan Acharya, who was among the protesters outside the battered wall of the parliament building Tuesday. "K.P. Oli should be chased away."

Monday's rallies swelled to tens of thousands of people in Kathmandu and crowds surrounded the Parliament building before police opened fire on the demonstrators.

“Stop the ban on social media. Stop corruption, not social media,” the crowds chanted, waving national flags.

In addition to the 19 fatalities, scores of people were wounded.

Before he resigned, Oli said he would form an investigating committee that would submit a report on the shooting in 15 days. He added that compensation would be given to the families of those who were killed, and that those who were wounded would receive free treatment.

The violence unfolded as Nepal's government pursues a broader attempt to regulate social media with a bill aimed at ensuring the platforms are “properly managed, responsible and accountable.” The proposal has been widely criticized as a tool for censorship and for punishing government opponents who voice their protests online.

The bill would require companies to appoint a liaison office or a point of contact in the country. Rights groups have called it an attempt by the government to curb freedom of expression and fundamental rights.

The registration requirement applied to about two dozen social networks widely used in Nepal.

Neither Google, which owns YouTube, nor Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, responded to requests for comment from The Associated Press. Elon Musk’s X platform also did not respond.

TikTok, Viber and three other platforms have registered and operated without interruption.

Nepal in 2023 banned 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, including a ban on pornographic sites that was passed in 2018.

A protester shouts slogans carrying national flag after burning down a police station during protests against social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

An ambulance drives past protesters burning tires to block streets during protests against social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Protesters take selfies and celebrate at the Singha Durbar, the seat of Nepal's government's various ministries and offices, after it was set on fire during a protest against social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Protesters celebrate standing at the top of the Singha Durbar, the seat of Nepal's government's various ministries and offices, after it was set on fire during a protest against social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

An injured protester is taken to hospital by his friends during a protest in front of the parliament building in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Protesters celebrate at the Singha Durbar, the seat of Nepal's government's various ministries and offices, after it was set on fire during a protest against a social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

An injured protester is taken to hospital by his friends during a protest in front of the parliament building in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

A protester wearing flak jacket and carrying a shield snatched from a policeman shouts slogans at the Singha Durbar, the seat of Nepal's government's various ministries and offices during a protest against social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Protesters shout slogans during a protest against a social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Protesters celebrate at the Singha Durbar, the seat of Nepal's government's various ministries and offices after burning it down during a protest against social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Protesters celebrate at the Singha Durbar, the seat of Nepal's government's various ministries and offices, after burning it down during a protest against a social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

A protester throws a photograph of Nepal Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli in the fire at the Singha Durbar, the seat of Nepal's government's various ministries and offices during a protest against social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

A protester rides on two wheelers carrying a firearm with others during a protest against a social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

An ambulance drives past protesters burning tires to block streets during protests against social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Protesters vandalize Nepalese congress party central office during protests against social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Protesters vandalize and burn down Nepalese communist party office during protests against social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Protesters vandalize Nepalese congress party central office during protests against social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

FILE -The then newly elected Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli greets after the oath of office in President residence in Kathmandu, Nepal, July 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha, File)

Protesters burn tires violating the curfew orders in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025 after Nepal’s government lifted its ban on social media platforms after violent street protests. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Policemen in riot gear patrol in a vehicle during curfew orders in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. after Nepal’s government lifted its ban on social media platforms after violent street protests. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Protesters burn tires violating the curfew orders in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Policemen in riot gear stand guard on a street as protesters burn tires violating curfew orders in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025 after Nepal’s government lifted its ban on social media platforms after violent street protests. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

A police officer aims his weapon at protesters outside Parliament building in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

Riot police use a water cannon on protesters outside Parliament in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

CAIRO (AP) — Iranians began to regain internet access on Wednesday after authorities ended a monthslong shutdown. But users said service was slow and spotty in some areas, with apps like YouTube and Instagram heavily restricted, as they were before the cutoff began during nationwide protests in January.

Authorities justified the outage as a military imperative after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. Their decision to lift some restrictions this week came as negotiators appeared to be closing in on a more permanent truce. But many Iranians feared access could be cut off again at a moment's notice.

Internet tracking company Netblocks said Iran’s connectivity, which measures the ability of devices to connect to the internet, is at around 86% of capacity from before the cutoff. Internet analysis firm Kentik said internet traffic, which measures the amount of data transferred and is a good illustration of usage, was at around 40%.

Amir Rashidi, an Iranian cybersecurity analyst, said there were still widespread disruptions. “It's too early to say the shutdown is over,” he wrote on X.

Iran’s roughly 90 million people have been cut off from the internet for most of 2026, one of the world’s longest and strictest national shutdowns. Young people with online careers saw their incomes evaporate. Job losses and the closure of online businesses added to the war's steep economic costs.

The cutoff made it difficult for Iranian families to communicate through months of unrest and war. At some points, phone lines were also cut off, though they were later restored.

A woman living in Tehran said that for months she was barely able to speak to her sons living abroad. She couldn't believe authorities had restored access, saying she had assumed they would find some justification to prolong the outage.

A taxi driver said service was restored but weak. He expressed hope it would improve so he could use messaging apps with family and friends. Both spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

Prices spiked during the shutdown, with residents in Tehran at times paying around $7.50 per gigabyte. Prices are back down to around $2.25 for 30 gigabytes, roughly where they were before the protests.

Even then, Iran tightly controlled access to popular social media sites, leading many to rely on virtual private networks, or VPNs. The cost of those workarounds soared during the shutdown, making them unaffordable for many as the economy was battered.

Businesses have started reappearing online, announcing their return with posts on sites like Instagram and Telegram.

A gamer and tech influencer in the central city of Isfahan said the shutdown had caused him to lose a lot of his audience on YouTube and Instagram, where he had spent years building up a large following.

“All my views and interactions are way down. I’ve been erased from the algorithm,” he said in a voice note sent by WhatsApp, adding that his internet connection was still slower than before the shutdown.

“The situation is such that many content producers have had their income reduced to zero, have moved on to other jobs, or have been forced to sell their equipment to survive,” he said. He spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

Iranian authorities first shut down the internet in January during mass anti-government protests that were eventually stamped out in a violent crackdown. Thousands of people were killed and tens of thousands detained.

That cutoff was just starting to ease when the government imposed a complete internet blackout after the start of the war, when U.S. and Israeli strikes killed Iran's supreme leader and other top officials.

The government faced criticism for the prolonged shutdown, which caused even more harm to an economy devastated by inflation, strikes on key industries and a U.S. blockade on Iranian ports.

The internet cutoff cost an estimated $30-40 million daily, with indirect losses likely twice that much, a member of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce, Afshin Kolahi, told a local newspaper last month. About 10 million people have jobs that depend on internet connectivity, according to Communications Minister Sattar Hashemi.

Iranians still had access to a national net, but that has a far narrower reach, and users complained of poor service and heavy censorship. Senior government officials are given SIM cards granting them access to the global internet. Under pressure, the government expanded access to the SIM cards to some professions during the shutdown.

A woman checks her smartphone while sitting on a bench along a sidewalk in northern Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)