Author: Priya Saha

A member of Iran’s minority Ahwazi-Arab community, Chaab quietly left for Turkey without informing his party about the real purpose of his visit. We speak to sources who knew the alleged Iranian spy. Iran was found to be behind the smuggling of a prominent Ahwazi-Arab opposition figure, Habib Chaab, in a cross-border kidnap plan that was executed in early October. Habib Chaab, former President of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Al-Ahwaz (ASMLA), flew to Turkey on October 9 to meet with ‘Sabreen’, a female spy acting on behalf of the Iranian intelligence service. The woman lured Chaab into a…

The National Minorities Rights Day is observed on December 18 in India to focus on the importance of the rights of religious minorities and the safeguard of their Constitutionally-guaranteed freedoms. India is among the world’s most diverse countries and also the birthplace of four major religions.The Constitution of India provides for the right to freedom of religion under Articles 25 to 28. Article 25 of the Indian Constitution guarantees freedom of religion to all persons in India. The Constitution envisages a secular model and provides that every person has the right and freedom to choose and practice his or her…

No doubt every nation has different ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities group. The Constitution of India provides equal rights for all citizens and adopted several measures for safeguarding the rights of linguistic, ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities. Also, it takes cares of those people who are economically or socially disadvantaged people irrespective of their caste, cultural and community including the people of scheduled tribes and scheduled castes.AIM:The aim of the day is to advance and protect the privileges of the individuals to have a place with linguistic, religion, castes and color minority. History:The Minorities Rights Day is celebrated by the…

Amid the rising tensions between Washington and Beijing, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently criticised China over curtailing the religious freedom of Uyghurs. While speaking to Rob Schmitt of ‘Wake Up America’, Pompeo slammed China for treating a million of Uyghur Muslims in ways that are just “devastatingly bad”. The US official also equated the treatment of the minority community in China with Nazi’s Germany ethnic cleansing of the Jews in the 1930s.  Pompeo said, “China, which is devastatingly bad, they’re treating a million of Uyghur Muslims in ways that are just absolutely devastating, things we haven’t seen…

To help mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25, the US Campaign for Burma is honoring human-rights defenders during 16 days of activism to prevent violence against women. In an effort to highlight this issue in the context of women in Myanmar, it should be noted that women are uniquely and disproportionately affected by conflict. Violence incited by the Myanmar Army has not only forced mass displacement, but increases the vulnerability of women to sexual violence, sexual assault, and rape as a weapon of war. Sexual violence is commonly used as a tactic…

Pakistan’s government may portray itself as the saviour of minorities and patt its back before the international community, but the reality is contrary to the hefty claims made by it with the continuous reports trickling from across the border about the atrocities being committed on minority communities especially Sikhs and Hindus. Their young daughters are being abducted, forcefully converted to Islam and married to Muslim men, often elder ones, besides people of minority community being implicated in blasphemy cases often to settle personal scores with government agencies only providing supporting the majority Muslims. The condition of Sikhs are not far…

WASHINGTON: A US-based Bangladeshi organisation along with other South Asian minorities held a protest outside the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, demanding an apology for the 1971 ‘genocide’ named Operation Searchlight. Dozens of protestors raised flags, held placards, and chanted anti-Pakistan slogans. During the protest outside the Pakistani embassy, Pranesh Haldar, an organiser, told ANI in addition to the apology, the protestors also demand from Pakistan the Extradition of 195 Pakistani war criminals. “We demand that Pakistan holds a Trial for raping and killing thousands of women and children in 1971,” Haldar added. On March 25, 1971, at midnight under the…

The Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh spent over 413 billion VND (17.8 million USD) from the central and local budgets for implementing policies for local ethnic minority groups in the 2016-2020 period, creating remarkable improvements in the living conditions for local Khmer communities.  Tra Vinh (VNA) – The Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh spent over 413 billion VND (17.8 million USD) from the central and local budgets for implementing policies for local ethnic minority groups in the 2016-2020 period, creating remarkable improvements in the living conditions for local Khmer communities. TraVinh is home to over 300,000 Khmer people,…

Mitoon Chowdhury, bdnews24: Seventeen years ago 11 members of a family were brutally killed in an arson attack on their home in Chattogram’s Banshkhali, but the trial of the massacre is showing no sign of ending anytime soon. The frustrated relatives of the victims have spent everything they had on the protracted trial. As much as 16 months have passed since the High Court ordered the disposal of the case within six months from Jun 23, 2019, but the trial court is yet to record testimonies of more than half of the 50 witnesses. The perpetrators set fire to the house…

JEDDAH: The latest row between Turkey and Iran over the controversial poem that was recited by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his visit to Azerbaijan continues to escalate. Iranian lawmaker Ali Asgar Hani threatened the Turkish president by posting a picture of Saddam Hussein hanging on Twitter with the caption: “Mr Erdogan, this was the fate of the last person who coveted Iranian land.” The image was later deleted. On Saturday, Ankara reprimanded Tehran for “offensive language” aimed at Erdogan about the poem, that refers to Iran’s northwestern provinces as belonging to Azerbaijan. Tehran considers some verses of the poem…

By Leah MarieAnn Klett Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, has approved a controversial anti-conversion law that experts warn will “incite more religiously motivated violence” as attacks on Indian Christians and other religious minorities continue to escalate. According to persecution watchdog International Christian Concern, the Uttar Pradesh state Cabinet, presided over by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, approved a draft ordinance in November that’s purportedly intended to curb “forcible or dishonest religious conversions.” Under the ordinance, religious conversions will be punished by a jail term of one to five years and a fine of 15,000 rupees (approximately $203). And religious conversions…

She should have the guarantee to come back without fear Syed Badrul Ahsan: We are somewhat relieved that the prime minister has disapproved of any immediate legal action against Priya Saha over her Bangladesh-related comments to Donald Trump at the White House a few days ago. The furor generated by her statement that as many as 37 million people from the religious minority communities have disappeared in Bangladesh is understandable. And understandable too is Saha’s grief, for she made it clear to the American president that she and her co-religionists wished to live in Bangladesh. That Bangladesh remains home for…