Aawaaj News & Research

08/09/2025

Following the aftermath of the protests, and in the wake of the deaths of public members, the organisers Gen Z Nepal announced their intention to withdraw their movement. Just as the protests spilled from the virtual into the physical, the effects of stifling digital speech has now manifested into real-world consequences.

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08/09/2025

Who remained and who left is not the question we need to ask after such a violent episode and blatant abuse of police authority. The fact remains that police opened fire on the protestors, injuring hundreds, who were then taken to nearby hospitals. It was only later that the death toll began to emerge, and by Monday evening, had reached 19.

According to Birat, a participant in today’s protests, “the way that today’s protests unfolded tells us a not so surprising question: Does the state really care about its youth? As the death toll keeps increasing, what does the violence say about the government? Gunning down protestors is a stark revelation of how the government handles criticism: authoritarianism.”

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08/09/2025

At least 19 people have been killed in Nepal in an extremely shocking display of police violence in Kathmandu and other cities. More than three hundred are reportedly hospitalised, while curfew remains clamped in several parts of Kathmandu.

Angad Dhakal, a photojournalist for eKantipur who was documenting the protests just outside the Federal Parliament, said that “police opened fire mercilessly, and without caution as protestors tried to enter the parliament building.” It has been reported that Kathmandu’s CDO had authorised the police to open fire if protesters entered or damaged government premises.

What had begun as a peaceful protest in Kathmandu erupted into a nationwide riot following what could be a state-sanctioned police violence, culminating in the death of nineteen, and counting.

Image Courtesy: .dhakal

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24/08/2025

Climate justice essentially is about finding courses of action to adapt and mitigate. For example, carbon reduction is an approach for mitigation. But adaptation comes with a cost, literally, since financing is a massive part of it. Likewise, technology transfer is critical, which, again, points back to capital.

So, while developed countries have measures to adapt and mitigate, what about developing nations? Does Nepal have the capacity to finance adaptation and mitigation of the crisis?

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Image: Parched and cracked lands in the Siraha district during the recent drought (Aawaaj News & Research)

24/08/2025

Prajwol Bickram Rana, lawyer and climate activist, led the campaign for Nepal’s participation in the ICJ climate change advisory opinion “We were successful in convincing the government to get involved by submitting a written document to ICJ.” Prajwol,who also helped coordinate different Asian states’ participation, says confidently.

The document prepared by the campaign team was in response to the question posed by ICJ: How is the state affected, and what are their responsibilities towards particular communities like youths, future generations, developing countries, and small island nations?

Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba, with the team, presented Nepal’s arguments, highlighting the nation’s disproportionate climate-induced hardships: glacial retreats, lake outbursts, and loss of livelihoods - directly caused by the emissions of the high-emitting states. Besides, the team shared specific examples like the devastating flood that struck Thame, a village in the Khumbu region of Nepal, in August 2024. Likewise, they emphasised how the indigenous communities are impacted - and within the marginalised communities, how women are impacted.

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Image: Prajwol Bickram Rana, lawyer, educator, and climate justice activist.

24/08/2025

In essence, it was about pleading the case about how Nepal, one of the least contributors to the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), is being penalised for the mistakes of developed and industrialised nations. It is because, for small countries like ours, international human rights law is key to determining states obligations since climate change severely impacts fundamental rights.

24/08/2025

Prajwol Bickram Rana, lawyer and climate activist, led the campaign for Nepal’s participation in the ICJ climate change advisory opinion.

“When we talk about climate justice, it is important to look not only at national but also international perspectives, especially between rich and poor countries”, he voices the distinction.

Article by Birat Bijay Ojha

24/08/2025

While climate justice movements are gaining momentum, implementation and inclusivity remain challenges. International legal decisions like the ICJ advisory opinion provide frameworks, but Nepal must adapt them with attention to marginalised groups and socio-economic realities.

24/08/2025

"It was about pleading the case about how Nepal, one of the least contributors to the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), is being penalised for the mistakes of developed and industrialised nations. It is because, for small countries like ours, international human rights law is key to determining states obligations since climate change severely impacts fundamental rights", Birat Bijay Ojha writes about World’s Youth for Climate Justice (WYCJ) campaign to take Nepal's climate concerns to the International Court of Justice.

Social | Political | Democracy Series

06/06/2025

"A person who obtains the citizenship of Nepal by descent per this Constitution may obtain a certificate of citizenship of Nepal with gender identity by the name of their mother or father," states the citizenship with identity of descent and gender under section 12 of Nepal's Constitution.

However, Rukshana Kapali, a transgender activist, points out that the absence of conforming regulations of this provision in other laws makes implementation unlikely.

Social | Political | Democracy Series

02/05/2025

“While congratulating Thailand's adoption of equal marriage laws, many news portals have again restated a misinformation that Nepal has also legalised, adopted, or allowed equal marriage laws. That is incorrect information.” Rukshana Kapali, Nepal’s first transgender law student, writes on twitter.

Social | Political | Democracy Series