Protesters clash with police in front of the parliament building in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Monday. Photo by Narendra Shrestha/EPA
The Nepali Army is being deployed Tuesday night in response to violence that has broken out amid protests in Nepal’s capital city of Kathmandu.
Spurred by a social media ban that has since been rescinded, reports of looting, arson and physical violence are being reported since protesting erupted Monday.
Nepal’s prime minister, KP Sharma Oli, has resigned from his post in response to the situation. His home was set on fire, as the residences of several Nepali office holders have been attacked.
The protestors have been labeled by many as Gen Z due to the general age range of those involved. At least 22 people have been killed since the beginning of the protests.
“A very unexpected and tragic incident has occurred as a result of the peaceful protest organized on the call of Gen Z yesterday,” the Nepal Police posted to X Tuesday.
“In order to prevent the situation from worsening as a result and to fulfill the national responsibility of rescuing and treating the injured during the protests, reconstructing the damage, and preventing damage from any criminal group and restoring peace through cooperative and peaceful cooperation between citizens and police, Nepal Police sincerely requests everyone to support the police in establishing the rule of law through law enforcement by maintaining public peace, controlling crime, and investigating it,” the police added.
More than 770 prison inmates reportedly have been freed from Kaski District police custody by Gen Z protesters.
Nepal authorities had ordered the blocking of 26 social media platforms last week because they didn’t meet a deadline to register with Nepal’s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology.
“We have received several deeply worrying allegations of unnecessary or disproportionate use of force by security forces during protests organized by youth groups demonstrating against corruption and the recent Government ban on social media platforms,” UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said Monday in a press release.
“We call on the authorities to respect and ensure the rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression,” she added.
