Bangladesh: US Embassy in Dhaka issues security alert ahead of Feb elections

IANS | January 30, 2026 4:19 PM

Dhaka, Jan 30 (IANS) As Bangladesh prepares for its 13th Parliamentary election and referendum on February 12, the US Embassy in Dhaka issued a security alert on Friday, urging American citizens in the South Asian nation to exercise caution and warning that rallies intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational.

Rights group condemns brutal attack on Christian man in Pakistan

IANS | January 30, 2026 2:00 PM

Islamabad, Jan 30 (IANS) A leading minority rights group on Friday drew attention to a brutal attack on a Christian man in Pakistan’s Punjab, expressing concerns over the dangers and challenges faced by religious minorities across the country.

Rights group flags 522 communal violence incidents across Bangladesh in 2025

IANS | January 30, 2026 1:37 PM

Dhaka, Jan 30 (IANS) The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, a human rights organisation against religious discrimination, claimed that at least 522 communal violence incidents occurred across Bangladesh in 2025, in stark contrast to the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government’s recent figures, which said only 71 incidents involved communal elements, local media reported.

UN Human Rights, legal organisations slam sentencing of lawyers in Pakistan under PECA

IANS | January 30, 2026 11:29 AM

Geneva, Jan 30 (IANS) The United Nations Human Rights Office, along with several other human rights and legal organisations, strongly condemned the conviction and sentencing of Pakistani human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chatta, citing concerns over the misuse of laws under Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) to suppress dissent across the country.