Freedom of speech and expression

A proper national study was required to assess whether the Maldives should pursue a self-regulatory or co-regulatory model.

Religious minority prisoners in Pakistan are subjected to systemic discrimination, harsh treatment and denial of basic rights compared to their Muslim counterparts.

The council also criticized the government for excluding minorities from all reform commissions, which were set up to recommend measures aimed at combating discrimination and promoting social justice.

The global human rights watchdog said that Afghanistan now faces one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, exacerbated by donor governments’ aid cuts and the return of 1.9 million refugees expelled from Iran and Pakistan. 

Terming forced religious conversion and forced marriage of Christian and Hindu minor girls to older Muslim men as the most concerning issue, the report notes that there are few legal options available to the victims.

In a strongly worded statement issued on July 2, the Lahore-based HRCP warned that recent efforts by authorities to block its public events and intimidate staff represent an unprecedented assault on its mission since the organisation was founded in 1987.

Drawing on a year-long consultation process with civil society, journalists, human rights defenders, electoral officials, and social media companies, Khan identified three intersecting trends that are accelerating the crisis.