In the 39th episode of Human Rights Asia Weekly Roundup, AHRC TV reports on the recent conviction of 65 farmers in Burma. They have been imprisoned for “trespassing” on their own land. Hundreds of others are awaiting similar sentencing in a court in Kanbalu Township in northern Burma, with the military dictating the actions of judges.
The military usurped the land from the farmers, did not provide compensation, and is now ordering the courts to imprison any farmer trying to reclaim their land. (AHRC TV will continue to report on land rights in the next episode of the Weekly Roundup.)
Next, in this week’s programme, AHRC TV tracks an Ahmadi community targeted by fanatics in the Gujranwala district of Pakistan. A mob attacked a settlement of 19 families, following a hate-speech and bigoted blasphemy accusations. One woman and two children were killed when the mob burned down houses and businesses belonging to Ahmadis. Pakistan’s Ahmadis suffer intense persecution, being constantly targeted in hate-violence attacks.
Lastly, AHRC TV reports on a recent incident in Colombo, Sri Lanka. A civil society meeting with family members of disappeared persons was disrupted by a mob of 30-odd individuals, which included eight fundamentalist Buddhist monks. The mob shouted abuse and threatened the participants. Police have refused to investigate the incident, claiming that the meeting was illegal. Attacks and hate-speech by Buddhist monks against ethnic and religious minorities and civil society groups are becoming increasingly common in Sri Lanka.
The bulletin can be watched online at AHRC YouTube. We welcome both human rights feeds to be considered for weekly news bulletin and your suggestions to improve our news channel. Please write to news@ahrc.asia. You can also watch our Weekly Roundup on Facebook.
