Forwarded Urgent Appeal

AUSTRALIA: Fear of forcible repatriation – Refugees stranded off Australian coast

Dear Friends, Regarding our earlier urgent appeal (28-08-2001) on the refugee crisis in Australia, we are forwarding the following appeal by Amnesty International in Australia for your urgent action. The Norwegian freighter, Tampa with 438 asylum-seekers on board still remains about four nautical miles off of Christmas Island despite the Australian government’s request for it […]

SOUTH KOREA: Exposing suspicious deaths in South Korea

Dear Friends, We’re forwarding you the following appeal made by Beginning a Solidarity Electronically in the 21st Century (BASE21) in South Korea. After President Kim Dae-jung took office, the South Korean government set up the Presidential Truth Commission on Suspicious Deaths (PTCSD) to bring to light suspicious deaths that took place during the last dictatorial […]

PAKISTAN: Death Sentence for Alleged Blasphemy

Dear Friends  We are forwarding the following appeal from the National Commission For Justice and Peace for your urgent action to try to stop the killing of Ayub Masih by the military government of Pakistan under the infamous Blasphemy Law 295-C. Under this law, the only evidence needed is one ‘reliable’ man’s word that the […]

UN: Memorandum – Include Caste in WCAR

Dear Friends Take a minute today or tomorrow to appeal for an end to caste discrimination! We are forwarding the following urgent appeal from the National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights (India). We have been working with the NCDHR and other groups for the past year to have the caste issue included in the agenda […]

MALAYSIA: 41 arrested on 100th day of ISA detentions

Dear Friends We are forwarding you the following Urgent Appeal from Suaram, a highly respected human rights organisation in Malaysia. Yesterday, July 15th – marked 100 days since the government of Malaysia started arresting those perceived to be their political opponents under the infamous Internal Security Act. In the last 100 days, 12 persons have […]

MALAYSIA: Denial of right to freedom of association and expression, continuous arrests under the ISA

Dear Friends, Regarding continuous crackdown in Malaysia, we are forwarding the following appeal by SUARAM, one of prominent human rights group in Malaysia. Recently two student leaders were arrested under the ISA. The students join the six other political prisoners (Tina Chua, Mohamad Ezam Mohd. Nor, Saari Sungib, Hishamuddin Rais, Lokman Adam and Badaruddin Ismail) […]

NEPAL: Newpaper editor jailed

PUBLIC AI Index: ASA 31/010/2001  UA 142/01 Prisoners of conscience 6 June 2001  NEPAL Yubaraj Ghimirey, editor-in-chief of the Kantipur  Binod Raj Gyawali, director of the Kantipur  Kailash Sirohiya, managing director of the Kantipur  Yubaraj Ghimirey, Binod Raj Gyawali and Kailash Sirohiya, the editor-in-chief, director and managing director of the main Nepali newspaper Kantipur, have […]

JAPAN: Re-writing of history books

We are forwarding you an appeal from 12 Bishops of Japan, who are protesting the revision of history text-books. The newly approved texts give a positive view of Japan’s past, colonial invasion of the Asia-Pacific region. We have put their letter on our website, and it is available for you to sign online at: http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/japan/appeal.htm […]

SOUTH KOREA: Workers’ blood decorates the gold Nobel Peace Medal

Dear Friends, We’re sending you following appeal made by Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) in South Korea. We urge you to draw your attention and to send protest letter to South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency. Thank you. Urgent Appeals Desk Asian Human Rights Commission ================================================ […]

INDIA: UN must give status to Dalit World Conference

We received the following Appeal from the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights. Dalits (meaning ‘oppressed’) are the group of some 160 million people in India formerly known as ‘Untouchables’, who STILL suffer extreme discrimination, exploitation and violence simply because they were born into an ‘outcaste’ family. The UN World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discriminatino, […]

PHILIPPINES: Denial of rights of indigenous people, murders and assaults with impunity

Dear Friends, We are forwarding you an appeal from WITNESS, a human rights monitaring NGO, based in New York, regarding the attacks on indigenous people in Mindanao, Philippines during recent months. Please read the following report and take the action suggested by WITNESS. If you need further information, please visit www.witness.org to view “Rule of […]

PHILIPPINES: Twenty six workers and union leaders illegally dismissed in Negros

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is forwarding to you an appeal about the illegal dismissal of 26 workers and union leaders of a retail company when union leaders successfully won the election replacing officers allegedly appointed by the company in Negros. The newly elected officers were supposed to represent the rank and […]

VIETNAM: Arrest and arbitrary detention of four Vietnamese

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is forwarding to you an appeal from the Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT-France) regarding the arrest and arbitrary detention of four Vietnamese. If you have further question, please contact them at Tel: +33 1 40 40 42 43; or their office address at […]

FORWARDED APPEAL (Sri Lanka): Plight of the Tamils

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward an appeal from the Irish Forum for Peace in Sri Lanka regarding the conditions and treatment of Tamil civilians in the north of the country. The government is still barring independent monitoring bodies and press members from entering the territory, making it impossible to […]

FORWARDED APPEAL (Singapore/Malaysia): Death penalty of three Malaysians in Singapore

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward an appeal received from Amnesty International regarding the death penalty of three Malaysians in Singapore. Please intervene in this case in order to save their lives and urge the relevant authorities in Singapore to join the international community for the moratorium on executions. If […]

FORWARDED APPEAL (Singapore): Petition for Chee Soon Juan

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is forwarding to you a petition issued by the World Forum for Democratization in Asia (WFDA). The petition calls for the Singaporean authorities to restore the civil rights of Dr. Chee Soon Juan, the co-founder of WFDA and chairman of the Alliance for Reform and Democracy in […]

FORWARDED APPEAL (Philippines): A learning center run by religious groups allegedly torched by military agents in Aurora, Luzon

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is forwarding to you an appeal from KARAPATAN (Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights), a human rights organization based in Manila. The group reported that a learning center, Bataris Formation Center, which was built by the religious groups, was torched by unidentified men believed to be […]

SRI LANKA: Recently declared emergency may cause the increase of offences by the security forces

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is forwarding a statement issued by Civil Rights Movement (CRM) of Sri Lanka on 13 January 2005, regarding the emergency (namely Part II of the Public Security Ordinance was brought into operation by Presidential proclamation) declared by President Chandrika Kumaratunga in 14 districts on 4 January 2005. […]

SOUTH KOREA: Immigration service ordered union leader to leave for his activity

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward an appeal from Migrants Trade Union (MTU) regarding the visa cancellation and deportation order by March 7, 2011 of the president of the MTU Mr. Michel Catuira, allegedly based on his activities for the union. The migrant workers working at the MTU have continued […]

FORWARDED APPEAL (Indonesia): Alleged unlawful arrest of an activist

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward an appeal regarding the arrest of Mr. Muhammad Rusdi, a farmer in Karang Mendapo village who has been actively involved in campaigning against land-grabbing by a private company. It is reported that the reason for his arrest was to silence other farmers on the […]