UN event flags blasphemy law abuse in Pakistan and Bangladesh

Feb 28, 2026

Geneva (Switzerland), Feb 28 (ANI): At the 61st Human Rights Council session at the Palais des Nations, a side event hosted by Global Human Rights Defence spotlighted the misuse of blasphemy laws in Pakistan and rising cases in Bangladesh. Speakers warned that such laws often target religious minorities, spark mob violence, and silence free expression. Dutch author and humanist Dina Perla Portnaar cautioned that today’s persecution in Asia could become tomorrow’s global crisis.