All eyes on Balochistan, İmamoğlu in jail, orientalist "White Lotus"
Issue 419: How not to report on Eastern Congo, NASA's feminist graphic novels that vanished from the website, and Vietnam's coolest province right now
This issue focuses on human rights in Balochistan, and the latest IOM report that confirms what many journalists had been saying all along: 2024 was the deadliest year for migrants ever. Plus, Turkey's Erdogan and Israel's Netanyahu are sacking their political and legal enemies, an Indonesian TikToker was jailed for telling Jesus to get a haircut, Sudan's army is gaining some ground in the capital (we're almost back to square one), how not to report on Eastern Congo, why "White Lotus" is orientalist, Vietnam's hottest province, and a real-life Ratatouille in Japan. And so much more.
One of Pakistan's most prominent human rights activists has been arrested
What happened (Dr.) Mahrang Baloch, one of Pakistan’s most well-known human rights activists, was arrested on March 22 in Quetta, along with 17 other protesters. They were part of a protest organized by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) — a grassroots group that fights for Baloch rights and speaks out against enforced disappearances.
Why this matters: This isn’t just about one protest or one arrest. It’s the latest episode in a decades-long tug-of-war between the Pakistani state and the Baloch people — a marginalized ethnic group in a resource-rich province that’s still somehow the poorest in the country. And Mahrang isn’t some fringe voice. She’s become the face of peaceful Baloch resistance, and the fact that the state arrested her? Not a great look. Human rights groups, both local and international, are now saying: this isn’t just a crackdown — it’s a pattern.
So, what led to the protest? It depends on who you ask. The official version: The Balochistan government claims BYC was protesting in support of militants killed in a train hijacking earlier this month. They say the police were just “managing the crowd.” Activists — and outlets like the BBC — say something very different: The protest began after 13 unidentified bodies were buried in Quetta without without notifying families or confirming who they were. Many feared they were forcibly disappeared Baloch men — something that’s sadly routine in the region. Authorities insisted the bodies were militants. But there's no independent proof, and the protesters were asking for the bodies to be identified and returned.
Things escalated. Fast. Three protesters were killed, over a dozen injured. BYC says police opened fire, then came back at 5:30 a.m. with a pre-dawn raid: batons, tear gas, water cannons — the whole riot gear starter pack. They also say the bodies were seized before funeral prayers could happen. The government says protesters attacked a hospital and were armed. Both sides are pointing fingers––classic he said/she said, only one side brought tear gas.
What happened next? Mahrang was like, “Cool. Let’s shut the whole place down.” She called for a province-wide strike, and Balochistan listened. Cities like Turbat, Gwadar, Mastung, Khuzdar, Dalbandin––all shut. Roads were blocked, tyres were burned, and protests popped up across the province. And while all this was happening, internet and mobile services in Quetta mysteriously went offline — no official reason. Oh, and just to really hammer it home: Mahrang and the rest were charged with terrorism, sedition, and murder.
Who actually is Mahrang Baloch? Mahrang’s activism began when she was 16, after her father Abdul Gaffar Langove went missing in an alleged enforced disappearance. He was a well-known Baloch nationalist who once worked for the Pakistani government, but later left to focus on advocating for Baloch rights and safety. In early 2009, he disappeared, and his body was found three years later.
She now is one of the leaders of BYC, which campaigns for justice and visibility for Baloch people. In 2024, TIME named her one of its “TIME100 Next” rising leaders, but Pakistan blocked her from traveling to the U.S. to attend the event. She’s since become a symbol of peaceful resistance — especially in a region where protests are increasingly led by Baloch women in the absence of their missing brothers, fathers, and sons.
How are people reacting?
UN Special Rapporteur Mary Lawlor said she was “very concerned” about Mahrang’s arrest.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) condemned the use of force and wants all the protesters released — like, now.
The Balochistan Bar Council boycotted courts in protest.
Akhtar Mengal, head of Balochistan’s moderate nationalist party (BNP-M), said she was arrested for “speaking the truth.”
Even PTI, the main opposition party, called the crackdown “brutal” — and they’ve never been super into Baloch issues.
South Asia scholar Michael Kugelman warned the government that arresting a woman with this much global attention? Big mistake. It’s just going to amplify the cause.
Quick history lesson: What is the Baloch struggle about? The Baloch are an ethnic group who mostly live in Balochistan, a large region that stretches across Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. In Pakistan, they live in a province also called Balochistan — a region annexed by Pakistan in 1948, months after independence.
Balochistan makes up 44% of Pakistan’s land but only 6–7% of its population (about 15 million people). It’s rich in natural resources — copper, gold, coal, gas — but it’s also the poorest province in the country.
Many Baloch feel the federal government profits off their resources, while locals get little in return — not in infrastructure, jobs, or political power. Some groups demand more autonomy, others push for full independence.
Good to know: Who is the BLA? The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) is a militant separatist group fighting for Balochistan’s independence. Pakistan, the UK, and the US all call them a terrorist organization.
The BLA has carried out bombings, assassinations, and just two weeks ago, on March 11, the group has hijacked a train in southwestern Pakistan (the one I mentioned earlier), holding 400 passengers hostage for 36 hours. The standoff ended with dozens killed, including civilians and militants.
The BLA also targets Chinese workers and infrastructure, especially anything tied to CPEC — a US$62 billion China-backed megaproject building roads, ports, and pipelines through Balochistan. They see it as modern-style colonial exploitation, with China and the Pakistani state profiting off Baloch land while locals are excluded.
How has Pakistan responded? The state has responded to Baloch militancy — and even peaceful protest — with military crackdowns, surveillance, and enforced disappearances. People, often young activists, are picked up by security forces and vanish without trial. Families go years without answers. Activists say thousands have been disappeared in the last two decades.
2024 was the deadliest year on record for migrants
What happened At least 8,938 people died while trying to migrate in 2024 — making it the deadliest year since the International Organization for Migration (IOM) started tracking this data over a decade ago. That’s even more than 2023’s record of 8,747 deaths.
Why this matters: This isn’t just a humanitarian crisis — it’s a policy failure. Migrants are taking deadly routes because safer, legal options are out of reach. Plus, the actual number is probably way higher.
Tell me more
The deadliest regions included:
Asia: 2,778 deaths
Africa: 2,242 deaths
Mediterranean Sea: 2,452 deaths
Caribbean: 341 deaths (a record high)
Darién Gap (Central America): 174 deaths (another record)
(I'm paraphrasing) “It’s heartbreaking and shouldn’t be happening. These rising numbers aren’t just statistics — every single one is a person, and their death affects families and communities. The fact that so many people are dying in different parts of the world shows we need a global plan to stop this from getting worse,” said Ugochi Daniels from the International Organization for Migration.
What now? The Missing Migrants Project is releasing a detailed report soon. I'll stay tuned for you.
what else happened
Bad
Turkey: President Erdogan just jailed his biggest political threat, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, on corruption charges — days before he was set to be announced as a 2028 presidential candidate. Cue mass protests, travel bans in and out of Istanbul, and over 300 people arrested. Markets freaked out: the lira tanked, stocks dropped, and borrowing costs spiked. The government says “nothing political here,” but İmamoğlu's diploma was also mysteriously revoked last week. Timing? Suspicious. (Bloomberg)
Cuba / Haiti / Nicaragua / Venezuela: U.S. President Trump is canceling temporary protections for over half a million migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela — all of whom entered legally under a Biden-era humanitarian parole program (known as CHNV). The program let people flee crisis-hit countries and enter the US if they had a sponsor. The deadline? April 24. Yep, less than a month for people to figure out if they can legally stay or risk deportation. (BBC News)
Indonesia: An Indonesian TikToker named Ratu Thalisa just got slapped with nearly 3 years in jail for telling a picture of Jesus to “get a haircut” during a livestream. She’s a Muslim trans woman with a big following, and the internet came for her hard—Christian groups filed blasphemy complaints, and the court said she was spreading hate and “disrupting religious harmony.” (BBC News)
Afghanistan: Afghanistan just kicked off a new school year — but once again, girls beyond sixth grade are locked out. The Taliban’s education ban has effectively robbed millions of girls of their right to learn. (Associated Press)
Environment: The glaciers are melting too fast. Two billion people (billion with a capital B) are impacted by this directly, says a new UNESCO report. (The Guardian)
Israel/Gaza: There is no ceasefire anymore. Israel has ramped up its Gaza offensive again, killed more than 500 Palestinians, including 200 children, over the course of five days, issuing new evacuation orders and pushing into Rafah and Beit Hanoun. Over 50,000 people have been killed since the war began, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Thousands are now fleeing on foot during Ramadan, with no vehicles allowed, tents running out, and aid blocked at the border. One senior Hamas official was killed in a strike on a tent — in an area Israel itself had labeled a “humanitarian zone.” Meanwhile, thousands protested in Jerusalem after the government moved to fire both the attorney general and the head of Shin Bet. Protesters called it what it looks like: a suspect (Netanyahu) trying to sack their investigator. A Haaretz op-ed asks: how people can protest for Israeli democracy in Tel Aviv while ignoring mass killings in Gaza? Plus, The Israel-Lebanon border just saw its worst violence since a truce four months ago. Israel says it’s retaliating for rocket attacks—Hezbollah denies launching them. (The New York Times, Associated Press, Haaretz, Haaretz, PBS)
Interesting...
Sudan: After two brutal years, Sudan’s civil war has looped back to where it started: Khartoum. The army (SAF), led by Gen. Burhan, just recaptured the presidential palace and central bank from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This is sort of a big win. The RSF is still fighting in parts of the capital and just took a strategic town in Darfur. Experts warn Sudan might split in two again. Over 12 million people have been displaced, famine is setting in, and both sides are accused of war crimes. (FT)
Science: New data from a mega telescope project called DESI suggests dark energy — that mysterious force causing the universe to expand faster and faster — isn’t as constant as we thought. It actually might be changing over time. (The New York Times)
Japan / China / South Korea: Japan, China, and South Korea just had a big diplomatic meet-up in Tokyo. Japan’s foreign minister said we’re at a “turning point in history”, and the trio agreed to prep for a trilateral summit later this year. On the agenda: birthrates, aging populations, and whether China could please un-ban the import of Japanese seafood. South Korea and Japan also pushed China to help rein in North Korea’s nukes and stop its bromance with Russia. Meanwhile, China’s like, “Let’s boost trade and be global power players together.” (Reuters)
DRC: President Félix Tshisekedi just announced plans to launch political talks to form a “unity government”. Everyone's invited. Why? "To prevent the security crisis in the country's eastern part from escalating into a broader regional conflict." According to the UN, about one million people, including around 400,000 children, have had to flee their homes since late January. Fighting is still ongoing in North and South Kivu. (Nation.Africa)
Good
Biology: A giant iceberg the size of Chicago just snapped off Antarctica’s George VI Ice Shelf — and while that’s a climate red flag, it gave scientists the opportunity to investigate an area never before accessible to humans. What they found? A surprisingly thriving ecosystem with coral, sponges, sea spiders, and maybe even new species. The big mystery: how life survives without sunlight or surface nutrients under 150 meters of ice. Ocean currents might be the secret sauce. (euronews)
Diseases: A 75-year-old woman named Kate just became the first person in the U.S. to get a real-time, brain-responsive Parkinson’s treatment — and it worked. Doctors at CU Anschutz used a computer-controlled system to zap electric pulses to electrodes in her brain, easing tremors and helping her move more smoothly on the spot. The tech, recently FDA-approved, could slash the need for meds (read: lower costs) and boost quality of life. It’s a massive medical win — but here’s the twist: it was funded by NIH, which is now facing budget cuts under President Trump. (Colorado Public Radio)
Health: Turns out, cutting sugar early really matters — and WWII just helped prove it. A recent study looked at health data from people who grew up during sugar rationing and found they had lower rates of chronic diseases later in life. Translation: less sugar in the womb and early childhood = healthier adults. (The Washington Post)
recommendations
Watch... Season 3 of "White Lotus", but bear this mind: "It does Thailand dirty," writes Andrew Russell for The Conversation. The tragi-comedy is back for its third season — this time set in Thailand. As usual, the show follows wealthy, mostly white tourists behaving badly in a tropical paradise. There’s drama, awkward relationships, and of course, a mysterious death. Russell has researched on screen representations of Thailand and finds: "the few Thai characters we are introduced to are subservient and constantly smiling, always there to please" and "All these facets together create a version of Thailand that is seen through the lens of orientalism. This is a western way of looking at non-western places as full of mysticism, eroticism and exoticness, where nothing normal occurs." Read the entire review here.
Read... "How not to report on Eastern Congo", an article by Toussaint Nothias for Africa Is A Country. We have talked about the M23 rebel group advancing through Eastern Congo. What you probably haven’t seen? Accurate, nuanced reporting, writes Nothias. Western media coverage of the conflict in the DRC has been riddled with factual errors, reductive framing, and old-school racial bias. Instead of informing the public, it’s reinforcing dangerous myths. Nothias breaks down four examples. "These basic factual inaccuracies, distortions, and lack of context would not pass editorial scrutiny if the conflict was not happening in Africa. This is part of a long and tired tradition. These biases are as much the result of structural forces shaping international news production as the reflection of culturally and sociologically ingrained racism in the journalistic field." Read the entire article here.
Listen to... NASA's feminist graphic novel. NASA quietly removed all traces of its two interactive graphic novels — First Woman: Dream to Reality (2021) and First Woman: Expanding Our Universe (2023) — from its website, YouTube, and even official photos… without any public explanation. These novels followed a fictional character named Callie Rodriguez, the first woman to walk on the Moon, and were part of a broader effort to inspire a new, diverse generation of explorers (aka the “Artemis Generation”). This was likely part of a broader federal rollback on diversity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.... because nothing about white men has been taken down. Anyway, Nasa Watch found them for you. You can still read Volume 1 (pdf) and Volume 2 (pdf), or you can also listen to the audio version of the first novel at SoundCloud. Kind reminder: Once something’s on the internet… it’s never really gone.
video of the week
Vietnam's hottest province right now I PSA: If you’re not ready to fall down a music-video-meets-cultural-tourism rabbit hole, proceed with caution. The Vietnamese hit “Bắc Bling (Bắc Ninh)” is doing more than topping charts — it’s putting the northern province of Bắc Ninh on every traveler’s radar. The music video, starring Hòa Minzy, NSƯT Xuân Hinh, and Tuấn Cry, shows iconic locations in the province such as the nearly 800-year-old Phù Lãng pottery village (which has been producing ceramics for nearly 800 years), even involved over 300 residents from Lạc Xá village in the production.
Tourism boost? Big time. Some 85 million people have seen the video, and since the release, interest in Bắc Ninh’s heritage has surged. The province is now offering free tours of the locations featured in the video.
on a funny note
Japan’s beef bowl chain Sukiya is in hot water after a customer in Tottori City found an actual rat floating in their miso soup back in January.
The customer flagged it at 8 a.m. (breakfast ruined), and yes, the company confirmed it was indeed a rat.
Ratatouille?