Ashraf Zaman

Jailed for Over Four Years, Kashmir Activist Khurram Parvez Gets Bail in NIA Case Parvez's arrest in 2021 and his incarceration since then had invited global censure. thewire.in/law/jailed-for…

#Bangladesh: We join 11 int’l organizations in urging the Government of Bangladesh to immediately pass the National Human Rights Commission and Enforced Disappearance Prevention Ordinances, which are set to lapse if not passed by Parliament tomorrow. We are extremely concerned that the BNP-led government intends to allow these critical human rights reforms to expire. The NHRC Ordinance has established a revitalized Commission, with greater independence and authority to investigate abuses, but the now-active Commission will effectively cease to exist after the ordinance lapses this week. The Enforced Disappearance Ordinance, which will also lapse, empowers the Commission to investigate disappearances, establishes enforced disappearance as an offense under Bangladesh law, and provides remedies for victims. "The BNP-led government’s proposal that the ordinances, once expired, may be reintroduced as bills at some point in the future sharply undercuts its expressed commitment to the protection of human rights," said Catherine Cooper, our Asia Staff Attorney. "If the government is genuinely committed to human rights reforms, it will pass the ordinances now without weakening them." 🔗 Read the statement: rekhrc.org/4ccYFjE

#Bangladesh's @trahmanbnp led @bdbnp78 government is scrapping the ordinances related to the #NationalHumanRightsCommission, the Prevention and Remedy of #EnforcedDisappearance, the Police Commission, the Supreme Court Secretariat, the Anti-Corruption Commission (amendment), Appointment of Supreme Court Judges, the Right to Information (amendment), the Microfinance Bank Ordinance, the Bank Resolution Ordinance and the Referendum Ordinance, amidst opposition members' dissent. The #TariqueRahman Government begins the show with #ZeroCommitment to uphold #HumanRights #Accountability & #IndependentJudiciary. @UN_HRC @UNHumanRights @WGEID @SRjudgeslawyers @volker_turk tbsnews.net/bangladesh/com…

Dear human rights defenders, you have been my friends, my heroes & a constant source of hope. Your work – the daily struggles & the victories – is what builds a more just & equal world for future generations. My final remarks at #HRC61, as I prepare to conclude my mandate 👇

#Bangladesh: Today, as Bangladesh’s National Parliament hold its inaugural session following landmark elections in February 2026, we echo calls for Parliament to pass the National Human Rights Commission Ordinance 2025 without weakening it. At this critical moment to enact rights-ensuring reforms, Parliament should ensure an effective, independent National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) that aligns with the Paris Principles and remains free from political influence. Parliament should not dilute the Ordinance but instead protect NHRC's institutional capacity, including its authority to conduct impartial investigations and seek remedy for all alleged abuses. thedailystar.net/opinion/views/…

“As Israeli strategic allies, it was our duty to inform Israel about the exact location [of the Iranian ship]" Gen. Upendra Dwivedi 🇮🇳 Confirmation of what we have said in the past. MODI is a sellout and Iran must punish India

So far, this Iran operation is a cascade of worst‑case outcomes. • Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, collapsing tanker traffic by 80–90% and sending oil prices from about $65 to over $110 in just over a week. • U.S. operational costs: ~$1B per day. • Iranian drone and missile attacks have killed 7 Americans and wounded 18. • A likely U.S. strike on Feb 28 hit the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in Minab, killing ~165–175 civilians—mostly schoolgirls aged 7–12z • Kuwait was expected to have ~18 days of storage before cuts, but began reducing oil output within 2–3 days of the blockade. • Iraqi oil production from its main southern fields has collapsed by 70%. • Qatar's Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi warned Gulf exporters may halt production within days, potentially spiking oil to $150 per barrel within 2-3 weeks. • U.S. embassy evacuations collapsed into disaster: State Dept delayed approvals 1–4 days, facilities struck, thousands stranded amid closed airspace/airports, slow military/charter rollout. • Treasury issued a 30‑day OFAC waiver allowing India to continue purchasing Russian oil, reversing years of U.S. pressure discouraging those imports. • Iran’s Supreme Leader has been replaced by his more hardline son, Mojtaba Khamenei — and with Iran likely heavily protecting him, Trump’s likely push to remove him could take time, prolonging the crisis and its costs. • The Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow estimate for Q1 2026 growth plunged from 3.0% (Mar 2) to 2.1% (Mar 6) — a 0.9 pp drop in just four days. • U.S. gas prices jumped from about $2.95 to ~$3.40/gal in a week (≈40–60¢, one of the fastest increases ever), while diesel surged ~50–75¢ to ~$4.30–$4.50. • U.S. stocks have fallen since Feb 28: S&P 500 −2.0%, Dow −3.0%, Nasdaq −1–2%. • Despite hopes the strikes might trigger regime collapse, protests so far are nowhere near the scale of the January 2026 nationwide uprising. • The Fed’s ability to cut rates is constrained even with weak jobs data, as surging oil has pushed up inflation expectations.

We are deeply concerned by the #Bangladesh Government’s announced rebrand of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), a notorious paramilitary unit that has perpetrated extrajudicial killings, disappearances, and torture, to the “Special Intervention Force.” This change merely papers over an institution with a deep culture of impunity that is utterly beyond reform. #RAB must be fully disbanded, and all military personnel must be removed from civilian law enforcement. rfkhro.org/4qUZ6VH

#Bangladesh @ChiefAdviserGoB @Yunus_Centre led Interim Government has decided to withdraw the country's long-standing #reservation on Article 14(1) of the @UNHumanRights #ConventionAgainstTorture. The decision was taken at the advisory council's weekly meeting on 29 January. Experts say the step represents one of Bangladesh's most significant policy advances in human rights protection. @UNTreatyBodies @UN_HRC tbsnews.net/bangladesh/ban…

Bangladesh has revealed that enforced disappearance cases connected to ousted leader Sheikh Hasina could number a staggering 4,000 to 6,000 people, according to a new report by the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances. Read more: aje.io/zpare5

@footlocker The experiences in relation to your company's service does not encourage me, as a customer, to expect anything.

@ZamanAshraf We can take another look, if you'd like, just to make sure you are provided the best possible service. Just follow and DM with that information and we'll be glad to assist.

No sensible customer should buy products from @footlocker online. Its delivery system is so bad that products purchased on December 3, 2025, are not delivered as of January 5, 2026. The company's customer service hotline, online and over telephone, for requesting the refunds of money is equally worse. #NoFootlocker

My mother, BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, has responded to the call of Almighty Allah and left us today. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un (Indeed, we belong to Allah, and to Him we shall return). To many, she was the leader of the nation, an uncompromising leader, the Mother of Democracy, the Mother of Bangladesh. Today, the country mourns the loss of a guiding presence that shaped its democratic aspirations. To me, Khaleda Zia was a tender and loving mother who devoted her entire life to the country and its people. Throughout her life, she stood firm against autocracy, fascism, and domination, leading the struggle for freedom, sovereignty, and the restoration of democracy. Though her life was illuminated by sacrifice and struggle, at home she was our truest guardian, a mother whose infinite love gave us strength in our darkest moments. She endured repeated arrests, denial of medical care, and relentless persecution. Yet even in pain, confinement, and uncertainty, she never stopped sheltering her family with courage and compassion. Her resilience was not loud, but it was unbreakable. For the country, she lost her husband; she lost her child. In that loss, this nation and its people became her family, her purpose, her very soul. She leaves behind an unforgettable legacy of patriotism, sacrifice, and resistance, a legacy that will live on in the democratic conscience of Bangladesh. I ask you all to pray for my mother. For the profound emotion, love, and respect shown by the people of this country and by the world, my family and I remain eternally grateful.

#FreeKhurramParvez #DropPoliticallyMotivatedCases #StopAbusingAntiTerrorismLaw #EndReprisalAgainstHRDs

Khurram Parvez has spent his life documenting enforced disappearances, torture, and other human rights abuses in Kashmir. For this work, he has been imprisoned for four years without a fair trial. Share his story. Raise your voice. Demand his release. Via-@WKA_Kashmir

4 years. Still imprisoned. Khurram Parvez, a voice for justice, remains behind bars. His courage has threatened those who want to silence the truth-but we will not stay quiet. Raise your voice. Demand his release. #FreeKhurramParvez Via- @WKA_Kashmir

#FreeKhurramParvez Today, marks four years since HHRR defender Khurram Parvez was detained on fabricated, terrorism related charges in #India. His detention is arbitrary, unjust and appears to be a reprisal for his HHRR work in Kashmir. I call for his immediate release.

#FreeKhurramParvez from #FourYearsArbitraryDetention in #PoliticallyMotivated cases!

#Bangladesh: The guilty verdict against ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is an important moment for victims of the grave violations committed during the suppression of protests last year. We regret that this trial conducted in absentia led to a capital punishment sentence, which we oppose in all circumstances. We hope that Bangladesh will move forward with a comprehensive process of truth-telling, reparation & justice as the pathway to national reconciliation & healing. ohchr.org/en/press-relea…

@KhurramParvez @MaryLawlorhrds @FreeKhurram2021 @Article14live @AFAD_Updates @project_polis @PUCLindia @detsolnet 🇮🇳#India: Kashmiri HRD Khurram Parvez marks two years in pre-trial detention under politically motivated charges in India. We call for his immediate release and the dropping of charges against him. Human rights work is not a crime. #FreeKhurramParvez