Media Coverage

An affiliate of the ISIL (ISIS) armed group in Afghanistan has targeted Hazaras—a predominantly Shia Muslim ethnic group—and other minorities, in a wave of attacks at mosques, schools, and workplaces, undermining the Taliban’s promise of greater security, the Human Rights Watch said in a report on...

Ahead of the UN Human Rights Chief’s latest report on Sri Lanka, and a likely resolution at the coming session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the Sri Lankan government reiterated that it would not accept any external mechanism on war-time accountability. Though rejecting the possibility of...

China’s discriminatory detention of Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups in the western region of Xinjiang may constitute crimes against humanity, the UN human rights office said in a long-awaited report Wednesday, which cited “serious” rights violations and patterns of torture in recent...

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees on Thursday marked the fifth anniversary of their exodus from Myanmar to Bangladesh, while the United States, European Union, and other Western nations pledged to continue supporting the refugees’ pursuit of justice in international courts. Bangladesh is...

Journalists warn the new administration of Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is set to take the same hard line against media critics as his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, after attacks on press freedom grew during the transition of presidential power. In June, more than two dozen...

A huge explosion has ripped through a crowded mosque in the Afghan capital Kabul, killing 21 people, police say. Another 33 people were injured, Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran added. Wednesday's blast occurred during evening prayers. The mosque's imam Amir Muhammad Kabuli is reported to be...

Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has told the UN rights chief that hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees living in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh must return home to Myanmar, from where they had fled waves of violent persecution. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet...

The Taliban imposed several limitations on women’s freedoms since returning to power. While the new regime has not directly fired female government employees such as Samar, it has restricted women from entering the workplaces, paying them a significantly reduced salary to stay at home, many working...

Bangladesh has sought cooperation from China to repatriate Rohingya refugees to Myanmar during a visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. China had used its influence in Myanmar to broker a November 2017 agreement to repatriate about 700,000 Rohingya who fled persecution in Myanmar in August that...

Nepal’s government says it will hold a parliamentary election on November 20 amid concerns over high inflation and depleted foreign exchange reserves that have led to rising food and energy prices. Education Minister Debendra Paudel on Thursday confirmed that a cabinet meeting had approved the date...