Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office

Defending human rights. #Afghanistan #Bangladesh #Bhutan #Maldives #Nepal #Pakistan #SriLanka

[Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office @amnestysasia]

@amnesty found no evidence to support the Pakistan military’s claims that Omid Rehabilitation and Treatment Centre was being used to store weapons and ammunition or for other military purposes at the time of the attack. The air strikes violated the special protection afforded to healthcare facilities under international humanitarian law (IHL), as well the principles of distinction, precaution and proportionality designed to protect civilians.
https://t.co/LzdZwgfHEL

[Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office @amnestysasia]

PAKISTAN: Responding to the declaration of a state of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as well as the imposition of governor rule and the deployment of armed forces in the province, Amnesty International said:

“Reports of arbitrary detentions of key leaders – including the provincial chief minister – and internet disruptions across the province raise concerns about the proportionality of these emergency measures. While states may, in strictly limited circumstances, derogate from their human rights obligations to respond to a public emergency that threatens the existence of the nation, emergency measures are not a blank cheque to crack down on human rights, silence dissent, or concentrate power.”

READ MORE: https://t.co/Gl5XwdD2ve

[Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office @amnestysasia]

Pakistan: The Anti-Terrorism (Punjab Amendment) Act, 2026, raises serious concerns about the right to a fair trial.

In a new public statement, Amnesty International examines the amendment against Pakistan’s obligations under international human rights law and highlights how expansion of anti-terror powers, weakened due process safeguards and increased executive discretion risk undermining fundamental fair trial guarantees.

Read the statement here: https://t.co/XKEZiiJrq0

[Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office @amnestysasia]

Saudi Arabia’s authorities must urgently overturn the death sentence issued against a migrant worker on charges of “blasphemy”, said @amnesty today. The organization is calling on Saudi authorities to release him immediately and unconditionally given his charges stem entirely from his exercise of his right to freedom of expression.

[Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office @amnestysasia]

Saudi Arabia: Overturn death sentence against Sri Lankan migrant worker over social media post

https://t.co/3Fj0EcHlwS

[Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office @amnestysasia]

Anojan Sivarasa, a 24-year-old Sri Lankan national, was arrested on 1 July 2026 after posting a comment on Facebook deemed insulting to the prophet Mohammad. He told the judge that he made the comment during a moment of anger, and that he subsequently deleted it and published a video apology expressing remorse. He was prosecuted swiftly and just weeks later, on 27 July, was sentenced to five years in prison and a SAR 3 million fine (around USD 800,000). Less than two months later, this was increased to a death sentence on appeal on 17 September. He was denied access to a lawyer from the moment of his arrest and until his initial sentencing.

[Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office @amnestysasia]

Afghanistan: Amnesty International welcomes the adoption of the latest resolution on Afghanistan at #hrc63 by @UN_HRC. Amnesty International looks forward to the much-needed study mandated by the resolution on national or ethnic, religious, and linguistic minorities, as well as to the Council's decision to continue focused discussions on the rights and circumstances of women and girls in the context of the Taliban's ongoing systematic and widespread human rights violations and abuses. The Taliban must be held to account and compelled to end their abusive rules, practices, and policies.

[Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office @amnestysasia]

Bangladeshi authorities must immediately drop charges against journalists Farzana Rupa and Mozammel Haque and protect freedom of expression and media freedom, in line with Bangladesh's international human rights obligations. Freedom of expression protects information and opinions that may offend, shock or disturb. Arresting journalists for their reporting, even if disagreeable, violates that right and threatens media freedom.

[Amnesty International @amnesty]

Fariba Hashimi fled Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

Before that, she used to train dressed as a man in an effort to avoid being attacked, in a country where women's rights are heavily restricted.

Now in exile, she earned her medal in the women's road race at the Asian Game in Japan, as a part of an Afghan diaspora team.

"This silver medal can show a lot of resilience from Afghan women, and I'm really happy," she said.

We stand in solidarity with all the women of Afghanistan.

[Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office @amnestysasia]

Responding to the arbitrary detention of members of former prime minister Imran Khan’s family, including his three sisters, as well as activists from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ahead of the party’s planned protests and march on 27 September:

“The targeting of Imran Khan’s family and PTI party activists is a flagrant violation of their rights to liberty, freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly. Such actions speak to the severity of the current restrictions in Pakistan.

“The pre-emptive arrests of PTI members come ahead of planned country-wide protests by the party on 27 September, which government officials have openly vowed to stop. Roadblocks are already being erected in Islamabad. These developments do not bode well, especially given the authorities’ long track record of reckless and unlawful use of force against protesters. A protest cannot be deemed violent before it has even started. Pakistan’s authorities must uphold their obligations under international human rights law to facilitate peaceful assembly and refrain from unlawful measures to thwart these protests."

https://t.co/Kofe3r2LYu

[Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office @amnestysasia]

Afghanistan: In the context of the 63rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC), we, the undersigned organizations, appeal to all delegations to support the full renewal of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan, and to ensure continued dedicated reporting and related Enhanced Interactive Dialogue focused on the rights of women and girls, to request an additional dedicated report on the situation of ethnic, religious, linguistically marginalized groups/communities followed by an interactive dialogue on their situation. The resolution should also call for the swift operationalisation of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Afghanistan (IIMA), established by the landmark HRC resolution 60/2, adopted by consensus in October 2025. https://t.co/4GeRXi00eM

[HRD+ @HRDPlusNetwork]

Afghanistan’s human rights crisis demands sustained international scrutiny.

At #HRC63, we join 91+ Afghan civil society organisations and 8 international organisations in calling on states to renew the Special Rapporteur’s mandate, maintain dedicated reporting on women and girls, address violations against marginalized communities, and urgently operationalize the IIMA.

Accountability cannot wait.

[Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office @amnestysasia]

Reacting to the re-arrest of human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha just hours after they had been granted bail by the Supreme Court yesterday, Babu Ram Pant, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for South Asia, said:

"Imaan and Hadi's re-arrest dispels any pretence that the charges against them are anything other than a politically motivated attempt to punish them for their human rights work. Their case demonstrates once again the authorities’ willingness to weaponize the legal system against critical voices.

“These latest charges, brought against them for simply attending a peaceful protest, are not only absurd but an insult to their lifelong commitment to human rights.

“The Pakistani authorities must stop misusing the justice system to target Imaan and Hadi. They must be released immediately and unconditionally, with no further charges to prolong their detention. Imaan and Hadi should be free to meet their friends and family and to do the work they love – representing victims of human rights violations."

Read here: https://t.co/gZ4ZenymIk

[Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office @amnestysasia]

PAKISTAN: The Supreme Court's order today granting bail to human rights lawyers Imaan-Mazari Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha, and the suspension of their sentence, is a welcome step and a long overdue relief towards undoing immense injustice against them. Imaan and Hadi have been unlawfully imprisoned for nearly eight months as a result of their human rights work.

Amnesty International urges the authorities to immediately and unconditionally release them, quash their sentences and ensure that no new charges are brought against them to unlawfully deny them their right to liberty.

[Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office @amnestysasia]

Today marks the 5 years since the Taliban imposed ban on girls' education.

5 years of education being denied to millions of girls.

5 years of dreams and aspirations being shattered.

5 years of injustice.

Still, many of them continue to resist by protesting, learning through secret online schools or fleeing abroad to pursue their education.

Stand together with Afghan women and girls and call on the international community to demand the Taliban to open girls' schools immediately: https://t.co/MzQzKZcYlp.

#LetAfghanGirlsLearn #OpenGirlsSchools

[Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office @amnestysasia]

PAKISTAN: Journalist Sayed Qasim Hashemi and artist Hamed Ehsas, both Afghan nationals who fled Afghanistan immediately after the Taliban takeover, have been missing for over two months, since 4 July, from Islamabad. Since then, their families have not been able to reach them since, and the police authorities have refused to register cases. The circumstances raise concerns that they may have been subjected to enforced disappearance or arbitrary detention.

Pakistani authorities must urgently investigate their disappearance, establish their fate and whereabouts, and provide answers to their families.

✍️ Take action now: https://t.co/CgouuWxeuv

[Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office @amnestysasia]

The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council's decision requiring Afghan medical students in Pakistan to return to Afghanistan is patently discriminatory and arbitrary in nature. The consequences of this decision are especially severe for female students, many of whom have already been denied access to higher education in Afghanistan amid Taliban’s ongoing gender persecution and now face the prospect of losing one of the few remaining pathways to pursue their education and profession. Many of these students will have devoted years studying medicine, only to see their education brought to an abrupt and unjustifiable end, with little prospect of being able to resume their studies elsewhere.

Pakistan has obligations under international human rights law to uphold the right to education without discrimination on the basis of national origin. Amnesty International urges the authorities to adopt a humane and practical solution that allows Afghan students, including women and girls, to complete their education.

[Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office @amnestysasia]

Afghanistan: Oral Statement, Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan, 63rd session of the Human Rights Council, 07 September to 07 October 2026 https://t.co/DHobPBgnCk

[Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office @amnestysasia]

PAKISTAN: Human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha remain behind bars for more than seven months while their appeals languish in Pakistan's courts. Meanwhile, there are concerns about Imaan's worsening health and access to adequate medical care.

No one should be imprisoned for peacefully expressing their views.

📢 Demand their immediate and unconditional release and access to urgent healthcare.

✍️ Take action: https://t.co/KyJeuzPHkG