Report in Dhaka Tribune, Sept 15, 2023The government of Bangladesh has expressed its “utter disappointment” at the adoption of a resolution by the European Parliament on Thursday on the “Human rights situation in Bangladesh, notably the case of Odhikar.” “The timing and language of the joint motion, tabled by some political groups in the European Parliament, for making judgemental comments over sub-judice matters and a court verdict on two Odhikar officials delivered today in Dhaka…
Posts tagged as “Human Rights”
by Jamal Shahid in Dawn, Sept 13th, 2023ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights has expressed concerns over the misuse of blasphemy laws to settle personal scores and observed that incidents like Jaranwala were “a matter of great shame for the nation”. In a meeting chaired by Senator Waleed Iqbal on Tuesday, the committee also sought details of persons detained under blasphemy laws. “It is a matter of serious concern when people take the…
Report in The Nation, Sept 13, 2023The UN rights chief warned Tuesday that human rights in Afghanistan are in a “state of collapse.” Volker Turk’s remarks came during an interactive dialogue held by the Human Rights Council in Geneva. The collapsing human rights situation is “acutely affecting” the lives of millions of women, men, girls and boys, Turk said. While noting that human rights violations in the country are not new, he said the dynamic…
report in Khaama Press online, Sept 12, 2023In Karachi, Pakistan, hundreds of Afghan nationals have recently been arrested by the police on charges of residing illegally in the country. However, Afghan diplomats and human rights activists argue that many detained people hold valid documents to prove their legal status. The Pakistani authorities launched the crackdown on Saturday, which some believe is a response to reported militant infiltration from Afghanistan into Pakistan’s Chitral district. This infiltration…
report in The News, Sept 2, 2023Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan has appointed an eminent human rights lawyer, Geoffrey Robertson KC, to represent him in the international courts in cases related to his “unlawful detention and human rights abuses”, it emerged on Friday. Khan’s decision to hire an international counsel — who has also previously represented Australian journalist Jullian Assange — comes at a time when he remains behind bars at the Attock District jail…
report in Prothom Alo, Aug 30, 2023Human rights activists and various journalist forums have been expressing their concern after the publication of the Cyber Security Act draft. They say that the government is keeping the basic content of the controversial Digital Security Act intact, with just a change in name. In face of such criticism and objections, two more sections of the proposed law have been made bailable. Now four sections of the act remain…
by Munawer Azeem in Dawn, August 29th, 2023ISLAMABAD: Shortly after her release on bail, Islamabad police re-arrested lawyer and human rights activist Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir from outside Adiala Jail on Monday in connection with a case registered a day earlier on terrorism charges. Ms Mazari-Hazir was granted bail by an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad on Monday alongside former South Waziristan MNA Ali Wazir against surety bonds of Rs30,000 each. Earlier, a judicial magistrate had granted…
Report in The Kathmandu Post, Aug 5, 2023As a parliamentary panel prepares to finalise a bill to amend the Enforced Disappearances Enquiry, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act, the insurgency victims, human rights activists and civil society members staged a sit-in in the Capital on Friday to pressure the committee to correct flawed provisions in the bill. Carrying placards with various slogans, they demanded the sub-committee of the Law and Justice Committee of the House of…
By Fidel Rahmati in Khaama Press online, Aug 1, 2023Following two days of extensive negotiations in Qatar, the U.S. State Department reported on Monday that American representatives informed the Taliban in Afghanistan that Washington was willing to engage in technical talks about maintaining economic stability and combating drug trafficking. Meanwhile, the Taliban representatives raised the issue of lifting the travel and other restrictions on their leaders and the return of Central Bank assets of the…
report in The News, August 01, 2023WASHINGTON/KABUL: The US officials told Afghanistan’s Taliban that Washington was open to technical talks on economic stability and discussions on combating narcotics trafficking, the US State Department said on Monday following two days of talks in Qatar. Taliban officials raised the lifting of travel and other restrictions on Taliban leaders and the return of Afghan central bank assets held abroad, the Kabul administration said. The US side repeated concerns…
by Mitra Majeedy in ToloNews, July 28, 2023 at 9:51 PMTwo days before the Doha meeting, US special envoy Thomas West and US special envoy for Afghan women, girls and human rights, Rina Amiri, in Astana met with the representatives of five Central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan — and discussed Afghanistan. Inclusive governance and women’s rights were discussed by the participants of the meeting. “Many agreed that inclusive governance &…