Latest Human Rights Watch News & Updates

Quetta, Feb 3 (IANS) Citing that the January 31 coordinated attacks by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) marked a significant escalation in the long-running insurgency in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, a report has highlighted that the latest development demonstrates decades of political, economic, and human rights grievances and not any external interference. It is for the first time that coordinated operations were conducted simultaneously in 12 cities, including Quetta, Gwadar, Kharan, Pan…

Quetta, Feb 2 (IANS) The Baloch Liberation Army’s recent attacks under ‘Operation Herof Phase 2.0’ demonstrate a stark escalation in Pakistan’s long-simmering conflict in Balochistan, a report has highlighted. The BLA claimed responsibility for strikes in 14 cities and 48 sites on January 31, including Quetta, Gwadar, and resource-rich areas like Chagai, causing casualties on both sides. The figures remained disputed as Pakistani authorities reported that dozens of fighters were killed while B…

Beijing, Jan 27 (IANS) The Uyghur minority in China has faced severe restrictions under the policies of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since 2014, following Beijing’s launch of mass arrest campaigns under the ‘Strike Hard Campaign Against Violent Terrorism’. This campaign has enabled crimes against humanity, especially targetting the Turkic Muslim population of Xinjiang, a report said on Tuesday. Citing reports from various organisations, including Stanford Law School’s Human Rights and C…

Quetta, Jan 27 (IANS) Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) chief Allah Nazar Baloch has accused Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti of implementing a “draconian detention law” while alleging that, on an average, five people are abducted and disappeared daily in the province by the Pakistani law-enforcement agencies. In a statement shared on social media platform Truth Social, Baloch urged the United Nations, the European Union, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the global intelli…

Washington, Jan 25 (IANS) US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo to confront repression during his four-day visit to China, beginning on Sunday. In a statement, HRW stated: “Orpo’s visit is more than a diplomatic engagement; it is a test of whether Finland can navigate between two major powers while defending its own core interests, which should include a defence of democratic values and human rights.”His visit to China comes after recent visits by lead…

Colombo, Jan 23 (IANS) Pakistan’s law enforcement agency is widely viewed as the most corrupt institution by the public due to outdated regulations, broad discretionary powers, entrenched corruption, political patronage, low salaries and a lack of accountability, a report said on Friday. It added that the Pakistan police department has once again been ranked at the top of the 2025 National Corruption Perception Survey published by Transparency International, reinforcing the widely-held view th…

Tel Aviv, Jan 21 (IANS) Pakistan’s human rights crisis is no longer a domestic problem as critics of the Pakistani state are being targetted in other parts of the world like Europe, North America, and Africa. Journalists, activists and former officials who believed they would be safe in exile have found intimidation, violence, and pressure following them in other nations. This practice is transnational repression and Pakistan has become one of its most troubling practitioners, a report has detai…

Quetta, Jan 19 (IANS) Leading Baloch human rights defender, Mir Yar Baloch, on Monday slammed Pakistan’s inclusion in the US-led Gaza Board of Peace as the “ultimate mockery of peace”.The remarks followed a statement from Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday, which confirmed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif received US President Donald Trump’s invitation to join the Board of Peace for Gaza.”Nominating Pakistan, a nation infamous for harbouring global terrorists and unleashing proxy wars to th…

Dhaka, Jan 18 (IANS) Bangladesh’s Law Advisor Asif Nazrul on Sunday admitted that establishing the rule of law remains the biggest challenge in the country. However, he noted that significant progress has been made in that direction, local media reported. Nazrul cautioned that achieving lasting success would be difficult without sincerity and commitment for the government, which will be elected following the general election set to be held in Bangladesh on February 12, United News of Bangladesh …

Dhaka, Jan 17 (IANS) As Bangladesh gets ready to hold General Elections next month, attacks on women, girls, and religious minorities continue to rise, exposing the failure of the interim government headed by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus to protect basic fundamental human rights of the country’s citizens. Citing police data, New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) highlighted that gender-based violence has increased between January and June 2025, in comparison to the same timeframe in 2024.”Dr. …