Press Release

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward to you the following press release from the Thai Netizen Network (TNN) under Computer-related Crime Act of B.E.2550. For further information, see recent AHRC statements on the raid of independent news outlet Prachatai and arrest of its director (AHRC-STM-051-2009, AHRC-STM-054-2009), on lese-majesty (AHRC-STM-028-2009), and a […]

(Hong Kong, 20 May, 2009) The Asian Human Rights Commission has broadcast an interview with Ms. Mandira Sharma, prominent human rights lawyer and director of Nepalese NGO, Advocacy Forum. In the interview last month, Sharma explained to the AHRC’s Norman H. Voss that the high rate of human rights violations in Nepal stems from a […]

US Re-Engagement and Defeat of Azerbaijan Are Positive Results (New York, May 12, 2009) – The United Nations General Assembly’s election of Human Rights Council members today was marred by lack of competition in three of the five UN regional groups, the NGO Coalition for an Effective Human Rights Council said. Although Azerbaijan was defeated […]

(Phnom Penh, 22 April 2009) The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) and Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) are pleased to announce that a coalition of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) – coordinated by the Alliance for Freedom of Expression in Cambodia (AFEC) and assisted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) – has made a joint […]

General Assembly Members Should Not Reward Rights Abusers with Votes (New York, April 20, 2009) — Serious human rights violations in Azerbaijan, China, Cuba, Russia, and Saudi Arabia undermine their candidacies for the May 12, 2009 election to the United Nations Human Rights Council, a global coalition of international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) said in a letter released today.  […]

HONG KONG/PHILIPPINES: Complaints filed against a local newspaper and journalists over ‘super bug’ report (Hong Kong, April 8, 2009) The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has filed separate complaints against a local newspaper, a reporter and the newspaper’s editor-in-chief before the Hong Kong Journalist Association (HKJA) and the Hong Kong Press Council (HKPC) over its […]

(Hong Kong, April 6, 2009) A Catholic priest, Fr. Roberto Reyes, who had been campaigning for the release of the Abadilla Five, has criticised as “wrong” the pardon and subsequent release of three convicts, while the Abadilla Five case continues to suffer prolonged delay.  Those already released after the commutation of their prison terms and […]

(Hong Kong, March 27, 2009)  Vincent P. Reyes smoked Philip Morris cigarettes for twenty years. He stopped and after a few years discovered he had lung cancer. He struggled against the disease from December 2000 until the end on December 1, 2004. He is survived by his widow and two sons. The cost of treatment […]

Regional Groups Should Honor the Spirit of Council Membership Standards on Human Rights  (New York, March 25, 2009) — More than 30 human rights organizations from around the world today wrote to each state in the United Nations’ five regional groups to urge them to present competitive slates for election to the Human Rights Council. In […]

(Hong Kong, March 27, 2009) The AHRC is happy to announce that this book by one of the world’s best known authorities in the field of human rights is now available in our website by the kind permission of the author.  This book may be seen at: http://www.alrc.net/doc/mainfile.php/documents/550/ Dr. Bertrand Ramcharan who was the UN High […]

(Hong Kong, March 16, 2009) The Asian Legal Resource Centre has produced a new report in the latest volume of article 2 (volume 8, No. 1) on the abuse of police powers of arrest and detention for money making by the police. The cases studied are from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Burma, Philippines and Pakistan. It […]

(Hong Kong, March 10, 2009) The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) on Tuesday launched a new Burmese-language human rights web blog.  The AHRC has set up the blog to cover a range of current affairs and issues on Burma to a Burmese-language audience.  “In the last few years the amount of Burmese-language material on the net […]

(Hong Kong, March 6, 2009) Two rights lawyers in Burma who were last year imprisoned for contempt of court were both released this morning after serving their full sentences.  Supreme Court advocates U Aung Thein and U Khin Maung Shein were reunited with their families at Bassein and Myaungmya prisons respectively after serving their four-month […]

(Hong Kong, March 6, 2009) In the fundamental rights case filed by two lawyers, Amitha Ariyaratne and H.R.D.G. Mendis, a husband and wife who are both Attorneys-at-Law, filed against the Inspector General of Police and 12 other police officers, in which they complained of violations of their rights, the Supreme Court yesterday (5th March) granted […]

(Hong Kong, March 3, 2009) In response to a newspaper report that Filipinos are reportedly more liable to contract community-based infectious diseases (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus or MRSA) or to be carriers of this disease themselves, the Center for Health Protection in Hong Kong clarified that the report published in The Standard newspaper were “not the views” of the […]

(Hong Kong, February 26, 2009) After his case was exposed it has been learned that claims for payment of accident compensation are possible.  When Tibio Melvin Delos Reyes, a 20-year-old Filipino worker, and his mother, Cheung Babelyn, were first interviewed after seeking assistance from the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), they had no idea as […]

(Hong Kong, February 19, 2009) Member of Parliament, Mr. Saber Hossain Chowdhury has filed a notice yesterday to the parliament, proposing a Private Member Bill to incorporate the United Nations Convention against Torture into the law of Bangladesh.  This is the first time in the history of Bangladesh that such legislation is proposed. Speaking about […]

(Hong Kong, February 18, 2009) A twenty-year-old Filipino waiter, who suffered second degree burns to his face and chest caught fire in a work related accident has now sought compensation for the injuries he has suffered.  It was on 21 January 2009 that the waiter, Tibio Melvin Delos Reyes, meet with the accident when a […]

The interview can be viewed on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7lza-rVu9k On February 5, 2009, Fr. Frank Nally, former Columban priest missionary in the Phillippines and human Rights activist came to Hong Kong to discuss the content of a new report showing the intimate connection between mining and food production. Fr. Frank’s expertise draws from his experience as a […]

Hong Kong, January 31, 2009 SRI LANKA: Human rights lawyer’s office burnt down The office of Amitha Ariyaratne, Attorney-at-Law, situated in front of his residence at No. 53, Temple Road, Horapay was burned down yesterday at around 9pm by an unknown arsonist who fled the scene. On the 27th January 2009, Mr. Ariyaratne was threatened […]