Non-violence

Human Rights Watch lambasts the “explosive mob vigilantism,” calling for safeguards against assaults on journalists (340 incidents in 2025) and minorities.

The event reflects continued activism in Sri Lanka, where economic recovery has not erased memories of the struggle or resolved grievances over state responses.

Experts emphasise that real change requires engaging men and boys, religious and community leaders, and the private sector. Shifting attitudes among the younger generation through comprehensive sexuality education and school-based prevention programmes will be crucial.

As the countdown to February 12 continues, the question hanging over Bangladesh is whether the interim government can deliver the security and fairness it promised – or whether the country’s most vulnerable citizens will once again pay the price for political change.

This latest edict from Akhundzada, who rarely appears in public and rules from Kandahar, reinforces his absolute authority.

The UN Human Rights Office has urged the Sri Lankan government to take immediate and concrete steps to address past abuses.

These developments occur against a backdrop of worsening human rights under Taliban rule, including severe restrictions on women and girls, arbitrary detentions, and impunity for abuses.

The UN report, issued on January 13, finds that sexual violence was “part of a deliberate, widespread, and systemic pattern of violations” by state security forces, and “may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.”