Watchdog

Pakistan's military has sentenced five alleged Al-Qaeda militants to death over a deadly bus attack and the killing of a prominent rights activist last year.

The army said on May 12 that its top commander, General Raheel Sharif, had confirmed the death sentences.

It said the five men perpetrated a May 2015 attack on a bus in the southern city of Karachi in which about 45 members of the minority Ismaili community were killed.

The Islamic State extremist group claimed responsibility for the attack.

The military said the men were also involved in other attacks, including the killing of rights activist Sabeen Mehmud in Karachi in April 2015.

Pakistan reinstated the death penalty and established military courts after gunmen stormed a school in the northwest in 2014 in an attack that left more than 150 people dead.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP

Kyrgyzstan’s parliament has voted to reject a bill on nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that receive foreign funding.

After the bill’s third reading on May 12, lawmakers voted 65-46 against the legislation, which rights activists denounced as discriminatory and contrary to international human rights standards.

Originally proposed in 2013, the bill was based on Russia’s 2012 “foreign agents” law, which NGOs say has been used to silence dissent.

In April, the latest draft of the proposed Kyrgyz legislation switched the controversial “foreign agent” label to “foreign noncommercial organization.” It also watered down the heavy reporting burden for NGOs that receive foreign funding to a simpler requirement to publish annual expenditure and funding reports online.

Despite the changes, rights advocates continued to oppose the text.

Based on reporting by 24.kg and The Diplomat