Urgent Appeal Case

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) regrets to inform you that another female activist was killed while her husband was wounded in a shooting on 3 April 2006 in Candijay, Bohol. Activist Liezelda Estorba-Cuñado (30) was declared dead on arrival at hospital while her husband, Gerry, suffered a gunshot wound to his arm […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has come to learn of a case involving the alleged torture and extra-judicial killing of a father and son by the Weligama Police. Despite years having now passed since their suspicious deaths, little action has been taken by the authorities to properly investigate this matter, and consequently […]

SRI LANKA: Political undermining of the Human Rights Commission; absence of leadership within the Human Rights Commission; government control; failure to implement the 17th Amendment —————————————————— Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to reaffirm its deep concern regarding the future of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRC). When the HRC […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a Thai magazine has been accused of causing “public disorder and affecting moral standards” by publishing articles about the monarchy. The action appears to be an attempt at silencing the publishers of the magazine, who are known for their forthright opinions. However, it […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed by the Task Force against Torture (TFT) of Meherpur that following a misunderstanding between the villagers of Bhorat village and a group of unarmed, plain clothed police, which resulted in the latter being chased out of the area, the police returned to assault, torture, […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to strongly condemn the comments made by Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen who launched a scathing attack on a UN envoy who criticised the government’s record on human rights. At the end of his second mission as the Special Representative of the Secretary General on human […]

SRI LANKA: Brutal assault of a minor; threat and intimidation; violation of the right to freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; violation of the right to education; collapse of rule of law ——————————————————- Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) regrets to inform you that yet another case of […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) deeply regrets to inform you that another peasant leader has been seriously wounded while his wife and son have been killed following armed men firing at them in San Marcelino, Zambales on 20 March 2006. Amante Abelon, his wife Agnes and their 5-year-old son Amante Jr. were […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the brutal assault of V.M. Duminda Jayawardena by two policemen from the Mitiyagoda police station on 11 March 2006. On March 11, at around 4p.m, Mr. Jayawardena was returning home when two policemen from the Mitiyagoda police station arrested him. At the time […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed that a man was killed by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)-4 in the name of ‘crossfire’ on 9 March 2006. The man was arrested by the RAB at around 11:00am on March 8 while he was walking out of the Session Judge’s Court of […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) deeply regrets to inform you that a pregnant woman, who is diabetic patient, was tortured by the police on the street and in a prison van on 12 March 2006. This occurred in Dhaka during a demonstration of political parties while the woman was waiting outside her […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you of an incident whereby two policemen from Poddala police are alleged to have repeatedly tortured a mentally ill man, who they accused of having stolen a mobile phone. When the police were informed that the missing phone had in fact been found, they […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that seven-year-old P.W. Tharanga Kumara, a student of Gonapinuwela Saralankara School, Gonapinuwela, Galle District, Sri Lanka, was assaulted by a teacher on 2 March 2006 and arbitrarily suspended by the school principal on that day – this after his older brother, Pushpakumara, was similarly […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has come to learn of a case involving the illegal arrest and detention of a man by the Gokarella police, despite the latter being informed that the man they had arrested was not the person they were after. Mr. Sunil Premathilake was confronted by the police who […]

Dear friends, Following in the footsteps of four cases of abuse of students by their teachers in Sri Lanka in recent months, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has now learned of yet another incident of such nature. Saman Iddamalgoda, a teacher at Nitithigala Junior School, first asked 12-year-old Ranjith Kumara to remove his spectacles. […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) deeply regrets to inform you that two more activists have been killed in separate incidents on 7 and 17 March 2006 in Mabini, Bohol and Hacienda Luisita, Tarlac. Gunmen riding on motorcycles shot dead Nestor Arinque of Bohol and Tirso Cruz of Tarlac. Arinque died from 11 […]

PHILIPPINES: Extra-judicial killing; violence against activists; abduction and enforced disappearance; torture; threats and intimidation of civilians by military; inadequate police investigation —————————————————— Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) deeply regrets to inform you that another political activist was killed and two men disappeared in separate incidents on 4 March and 18 February 2006 […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) regrets to inform you that another human rights activist has been killed while another one has survived an attempt on her life in separate incidents on 10 March 2006 in Luzon, Philippines. Activist Crisanto Teodoro (a.k.a. Santi) was shot dead while driving in a car with his […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is gravely concerned by reports that officials in Rangoon, Burma beat a young man to death after which the police arrested two of his friends, who were also beaten, and have charged them with assault. Ko Thet Naing Oo and his two friends were reportedly beaten by […]

SRI LANKA: Brutal assault; falsified charges; denial of medial treatment; police inaction; failure to conduct an investigation; collapse of rule of law —————————————– Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the illegal arrest and brutal torture of Mr. P.G.R.  Jayasekera, a 56-year-old retired government servant from Ketandola, Ratnapura by the […]