Human Rights Sentinel

International Shia Day has been observed and celebrated since June 12th, 2015. This day was introduced by Shia Rights Watch as a result of the increase in oppression against Shia Muslims in different country. Shia Rights Watch chose June 12 as the International Day for Shia Rights in commemoration of the massacre that occurred at Camp Speicher in 2014 in which ISIS militants escorted upwards of 3,000 Iraqi soldiers from Camp Speicher, an Iraqi military base previously operated by the U.S.A., to Tikrit, an ISIS controlled town 140 km north-west of Baghdad. Once they arrived in Tikrit the soldiers were divided by religious affiliation; the non-Shia allowed to live, the Shia condemned to death by firing squad. It is estimated that ISIS killed upwards of 1,700 Shia soldiers, making this the most prolific sectarian mass killing against Shias since the time of Saddam Hussein’s rule. Only one person survived the attacks, Ali Hussein Kadhim, who survived by feigning dead.

Human Rights Sentinel conversation with Fatema Ahmadi on the suffering of the people of Afghanistan, particularly the Hazara people of Afghanistan. Fatema D. Ahmadi is a Fellow and Adjunct Professor at American University, School of Public Affairs in Washington, DC. Ahmadi has extensive experience working with international development partnerships to enhance women's and children's rights. She worked as a Senior Peace Process at the United States Institute of Peace, led numerous projects and partner organizations for the anticipated peace process in Afghanistan. She served as a Consultant with the World Bank and International Republican Institute in Washington, DC, during the 2018-2019 Fulbright - Humphrey Fellowship and studied at the American University School of Law. Before her work in peacebuilding, Ahmadi led USAID's established program on Combatting Human Trafficking through Hagar International in Afghanistan. In this role, she spearheaded initiatives to create a national trafficking referral form and co-authored the first national training manual on Trafficking in Persons (TiP). She worked with refugee children through the Child Labor Association and the UNHCR Refugee Health Insurance project. Twitter/X: @FatemaDaryab

A Perspective on Inter-religious Harmony in Ladakh Elijah Spalbar Gergan is a Christian Theologian from India's Ladakh region. He is an educator, motivational speaker, and the author of several books and articles, and he has contributed significantly to promoting local culture and language. He talked to Human Rights Sentinel about native #Buddhists, #Shias, #Sunnis, and #Christians helping each other maintain religious harmony in #Ladakh.

Barrister Hamid Bashani is a Kashmiri from the Pakistan-controlled Poonch district. He is a former student activist and presently the Secretary-General of Advocates International, Canada. He is a columnist and political analyst at Friday Night and Third opinion Shows on Canadian South Asian TV Channels.

Human Rights Sentinel Talk with Prime Minister in Exile of East Turkistan Salih Hudayar Salih Hudayar is an Uyghur American politician advocating for East Turkistan independence. He founded the East Turkistan National Awakening Movement. On November 11, 2019, Hudayar was elected as the Prime Minister of the East Turkistan Government-in-Exile. Hudayar studied International Studies and Political Science at the University of Oklahoma.

Arshia Malik is a Kashmiri writer, a columnist with The New Indian, and an educationist who focuses on socio-religious & geopolitical issues in the Muslim World. Host: Mustafa Akhwand Twitter.com/makhwand Senge Sering Twitter.com/SengeHSering Guest: Arshia Malik https://twitter.com/arshiaunis https://www.facebook.com/msarshia

Impact of Religious Extremism on Kashmiri Identity Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri Exiled Chairman of United Kashmir Peoples National Party (UKPNP) The outstanding leader struggling for the rights of the People of the former princely state of Jammu & Kashmir. He has been living in exile in Switzerland since April 25, 1999, after his life was in danger at the hands of the ISI of the Pakistan Army. Since 2002, he has been Secretary General of the International Kashmir Alliance (IKA), which is comprised of secular political parties struggling for the independence of Kashmir, Gilgit & Baltistan.

Shadow war: the untold story of Jihad in Kashmir Human Rights Sentinel (Hosted by Musaffa Akhawan, Senge Sering) episode 4, with Arif Jamal is a journalist, author and political commentator from Pakistan's Punjab province, Two of his books; shadow war: the untold story of Jihad in Kashmir, and call for transnational Jihad: Lashkar-e-Taiba of Pakistan have received global recognition. He has remained associated with Harvard University, New York University and University College of London as visiting fellow. He has written more than 200 investigative articles on political Islam including Shia genocide. He appeared on C-SPAN to discuss Pakistan-American relations. Arif has contributed to New York Times and writes regularly on strategic affairs for several Pakistani newspapers twitter.com/ArifJamalUSA www.Altvoices.org

Human Rights Sentinel episode 3 Shia persecution in Malaysia Dr. Mohd Faizal Musa, also known as Faisal Tehrani, novelist and human rights defender in Malaysia. He is the lead for the Southeast Asia research track. He is a Research Fellow at the Institute of the Malay World and Civilization (ATMA), National University of Malaysia (UKM). His best-remembered novels are ‘1515’, ‘Profesor’, and ‘Bagaimana Anyss Naik Ke Langit’ translated into English by Brigitte Bresson as ‘How Anyss Went to Heaven’.

Dr. Saleem Javed is a medical doctor by profession and a writer. An ethnic Hazara from Quetta Pakistan, currently living in Gothenburg, Sweden. Has been active as a human, minority, and Hazara rights advocate for over a decade. Had reported and wrote extensively about the plight of Hazaras. Have cooperated with national and international organizations, such as Human Rights Watch, in collecting evidence and eyewitnesses of the systematic attacks against the minority community. His articles are published in both national and international publications, such as Pakistan’s largest English newspaper Dawn News, and The Daily Times and Friday Times. Contributed to National Geography, The Interpreter, India Today, etc. Attended multiple international conferences, including UN HRC Geneva, particularly about the persecution of Hazaras. Appeared as a commentator on many international tv channels, radio, and newspapers. Cooperated closely with UK-based advocacy group, Friends of Hazaras, and Hazara All-Party Parliamentary Group at House of Commons.

Mr. Senge Sering is a researcher and human rights advocate. He was born in Pakistan-occupied- Gilgit-Baltistan. He has written extensively about the sufferings of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and raised these issues regularly at international fora. He has worked extensively on the revival of the linguistic identity of the region and its cultural linkage with Tibet. Currently, Mr. Sering is running the Washington DC-based Institute for Gilgit Baltistan Studies, which has a firm commitment to the protection and promotion of human rights in Gilgit Baltistan and holds conferences to disseminate information on local autonomy and democracy, extremism and terrorism, demilitarization and cross-border trade, environmental sustainability and preservation of indigenous culture. Since its inception in 2010, the Institute has established partnerships with the United Nations, the US Congress, the British and the European Parliaments as well as think tanks and academic institutions.