Shrinking space for dissent: rights activists speak out on ‘repression’

ISLAMABAD: Mavra Bari had intended to take part in a march for International Women’s Day in Islamabad on March 8, but spent it in a cramped prison cell. What was meant to be a celebration was instead a terrifying 12-hour ordeal in a suffocating space, with a broken toilet and the smell of damp concrete and sweat. Over 30 others — women, men and children — were also held. “We were in a horrible prison,” said Bari, a 36-year-old sociologist and activist. “We were beaten.” An AFP journalist saw ...

By [email protected] (AFP)