Survivors and relatives of those killed in last year's Gen Z uprising marked its first anniversary on Tuesday by accusing the government of failing to deliver on promises made in the movement's aftermath, as Prime Minister Balendra Shah stayed away from the commemoration.
Families gathered at the former parliament building at New Baneshwar the site where dozens of protesters were shot on September 8-9, 2025 for the country's first official Gen Z Martyrs' Day, a newly declared public holiday. Home Minister Sudan Gurung and Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sobita Gautam attended. Shah, whose government came to power after an election called in the movement's wake, did not.
Badal Rai, president of the group Gen Z Nepal, said the government had promised fully funded medical treatment for those injured during the crackdown but had not delivered it. He said there had been talk of sending seriously injured protesters abroad for treatment, but that current government policy does not allow it. "What were the ordinances passed by this government for, if not to provide treatment to the injured?" Rai said.
Pratish Shrestha, representing injured protesters, told the gathering that the government's position today was inseparable from the movement's sacrifices. Tensions briefly flared when injured protester Pawan Khadka criticised the government's handling of the aftermath and was escorted from the venue.
Family members also raised the case of jailed protesters who remain in custody a year on. The father of Binod Karki, one of those still detained, said the government continued to treat his son "like a terrorist" for taking part in the demonstrations. Basanta Kishor Shrestha, vice-president of the Gen Z Martyrs' Families Society, called for prosecution of those responsible for the shootings including through new legislation, if necessary saying families "will not find rest" until that happens.
What the uprising was, and what's outstanding
The protests began on September 8, 2025, after the government of then-Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli imposed a ban on major social media platforms. Anger over the ban quickly widened into a broader movement against corruption and lack of government accountability. Security forces opened fire on protesters over the following two days; Oli resigned, Sushila Karki was appointed interim prime minister, and elections followed that brought Shah's government to power.
In May, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) published a probe report finding that then-Prime Minister Oli, then-Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, then-Defence Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung, and senior security officials had committed human rights violations during the crackdown, which it said killed 76 people. The commission identified the social media ban as the immediate trigger and recommended the government invoke its constitutional authority to pursue cases against those responsible. Because no existing Nepali law specifically penalises this category of human rights violation, the NHRC also recommended the government pass retrospective legislation to enable prosecutions.
As of the anniversary, the government has not announced legislation to act on that recommendation, and no prosecutions of senior officials named in the report have been brought.
