Discord Revolution in the Himalayas

THEY MARCHED TO defend free speech online and ended up reshaping a nation. In September 2025, young protesters opposing Nepal's social media ban triggered a political upheaval that brought Sushila Karki to power as the country's first woman prime minister—with much of the organizing happening on the messaging platform Discord.

- Matthew Petti

When the government collapsed, the Nepali military took charge and appointed Karki as transitional leader. Rather than a true “election,” activists held a rushed Discord chat to discuss whom to suggest to the army as leader. Nepalese youth have been organizing quickly to ensure the revolution isn't hijacked by elements of the old political class who are still in power.

The revolution has been a crash course in “political literacy,” says Samana Lawaki, a member of the Indigenous Gen-Z Collective, one of the organizations founded to represent the revolutionary youth. “A lot of people were saying that they didn't understand what a referendum is, what an ordinance is, what constitutional values are, and now these young people are trying to learn,” she says. “Our generation is doing a lot, and I'm really proud.”

The nation transitioned from a monarchy to a republic in 2008, but that revolution did not fulfill its promises. Nepal is consistently one of the poorest countries in Asia—hundreds of thousands go abroad to find work every year—and its ruling socialist parties have a reputation for corruption.