Fatal firearm injury during peaceful assembly: A forensic case report with human rights implications

Abstract

Nepal’s government banned social media in early September 2025 as it was exposing nepotism and the excessive and luxurious lifestyles of families of influential political leaders. The ban enraged Nepali youth particularly those aged 14–29 known as Generation Z (Gen Z) who accordingly gathered to protest peacefully and lawfully as allowed by Article 17, Nepal Constitution 2015. However, the police opened fire on them using live ammunition causing 77 deaths. We present a case of a 22-year-old man who had been protesting and died from gunshot injuries inflicted by the police during these demonstrations against a social media ban. The wound trajectory was inconsistent with Nepal’s legal requirement to aim below the knee. Indeed, the upward posterior-to-anterior trajectory of this lethal injury suggests the victim was retreating, rather than posing a threat to his attacker and points towards human rights violation during the protest in Nepal.