GHRD Press Release: GHRD Exhibition at Place des Nations Highlights Plight of Minorities in Pakistan and Bangladesh

Pedestrians in front of GHRD Exhibition in United Nations in Geneva, Zwitserland

From 8 to 10 September, 2025, Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD) organized a powerful exhibition at the iconic Place des Nations, beside the Broken Chair monument in Geneva, drawing significant attention from the public, civil society actors, and international visitors.

The exhibition shed light on the ongoing persecution and human rights violations faced by vulnerable minorities in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Through impactful posters, statistical evidence, and portraits of victims, the exhibition amplified the voices of communities often silenced or ignored. Among those highlighted were the Ahmadiyya, Sindh, and Baloch communities in Pakistan, as well as Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian minorities in Bangladesh.

These groups continue to face systematic discrimination, targeted violence, forced conversions, abductions, and restrictions on freedom of religion or belief. In Pakistan, members of the Ahmadiyya community are legally disenfranchised and frequently subjected to hate campaigns, while Baloch and Sindhi activists are often victims of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. In Bangladesh, religious minorities experience intimidation, destruction of places of worship, and marginalization in political and social life. Across both countries, victims and survivors frequently lack access to justice and protection, leaving them vulnerable to repeated abuses.

Visitors engaged deeply with the material, many offering moving statements of solidarity and calling for greater international awareness and action. The exhibition attracted a wide audience, underscoring the urgency of addressing systemic discrimination and atrocities faced by these groups.

The exhibition’s strong public reception reflects growing concern about the situation of minorities in South Asia. GHRD calls upon the United Nations, international policymakers, and human rights organizations to take concrete steps to protect vulnerable communities and hold perpetrators accountable.