Urgent Appeal Case

PAKISTAN: Two persons murdered after an anchor person proposed the widespread lynching of Ahmadi sect followers

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that an anchor person working for a prominent television channel has incited Muslims in Pakistan to kill – to devastating effect. The targets are followers of the Muslim Ahmadi sect, a group which has been declared non-Islamic under the constitution of Pakistan. The first […]

BURMA: A man charged for having contact with overseas radio station

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received detailed information on the case of a man who has been arrested and charged in Burma for having had contact with an overseas radio station, even though it is not illegal to do this. The man, Win Maw, was arrested following the nationwide protests in Burma one year ago for sending news abroad and has been charged with upsetting public tranquillity. […]

BANGLADESH: Whereabouts of a man remain unrevealed after being arrested by the Rapid Action Battalion in Barisal

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that thewhereabouts of Md. Shafik Ullah Monayem, a politician, has not been known for 9 months following an arrest by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in Barisal. His relatives have appealed to top officials, including the head of the government, since his disappearance but no investigation has been conducted. CASE DETAILS: Mr. Md. Shafik Ullah Monayem, aged 38, was aformer cultural affairs secretary of the Barisaldistrict unit of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (student wing of the Bangladesh Awami League). He was an inhabitant of Kuniya area of Barisalcity, a southern city of Bangladesh, around […]

INDIA: Fifteen-year-old girl abducted and sold while police did nothing

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Guria, a local human rights organisation in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh that a 15-year-old girl was abducted by human traffickers, and sold for sexual exploitation.  In the absence of any police assistance or investigation, the father of the child contacted Guria to rescue his […]

INDIA: A schizophrenic man is detained in solitary confinement without medical treatment

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed through its local contacts in Rajasthan that a man, Roy Varghese, has been detained in solitary confinement in prison for the last five years. He is a schizophrenic and is not receiving medical treatment. The prison officials at the Central Jail, Jaipur, Rajasthan, have […]

SRI LANKA: Police allegedly hung a man upside down and poured the juice of chilies in his eyes and nose in order to extract information

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a man was severely tortured by Panadura South Police while he was illegally detained in police custody on August 21, 2008. Police hung him upside down and poured the juice of chili peppers into his eyes and nose in order to extract information […]

PHILIPPINES: A man falsely charged with terrorism

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you that a man, whom a prosecutor had falsely charged for committing acts of terror, has been continuously held in detention for six months to face a trial on an offense that has not been substantially proven. CASE DETAILS: (According to information from the Task […]

INDONESIA: Eight people in Aceh convicted of disseminating pamphlets

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that eight human rights activists accused of disseminating pamphlets on the allegation of land expropriations were sentenced by the district court on 14 August, 2008 in Aceh, Indonesia. The case is currently pending in the High court after the prosecutor lodged an appeal. It […]

SRI LANKA: Alleged assault and ill treatment of a woman by police and jailors

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the ill-treatment of a woman by police officers and jailors in late June 2008. The lady was involved in a private argument with another woman whose husband is a high ranking government officer. This case shows how this officer abused his official position […]

BANGLADESH: A man is killed by the Rapid Action Battalion in Barisal

[NOTICE: The AHRC has developed this automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of some of the Bangladesh authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to those people. Fax numbers and postal addresses of the Bangladesh authorities are attached […]

PAKISTAN: Murder of mother and daughter on the pretext of honour killing

[NOTICE: The AHRC has developed this automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of some of the Pakistan authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to those people. Fax numbers and postal addresses of the Pakistan authorities are attached […]

INDIA: Ongoing violence against the Dalits in Orissa must be prevented immediately

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) and the International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN) hasten to bring to your urgent attention the ongoing violence reported from the state of Orissa, India. It is reported that as of now in Orissa, particularly in parts of the state […]

SRI LANKA: Police allegedly assault family members

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that police officers allegedly assaulted a man who intervened in another assault by the officers on 23 July 2008 in Sri Lanka. Those officers threatened him and attempted to stop him from getting his injuries treated at the hospital. CASE DETAILS: (Based on the testimony […]

PHILIPPINES: Four activists receiving threatening messages for investigating disappearance

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes with deep concern that four human rights activists, all of whom are staff members of the Alliance for the Advancement of Peoples Rights (KARAPATAN) in Cebu City, have been receiving threatening messages on their mobile phones. The message contains warning they will “suffer the consequence” if […]

SRI LANKA: Police allegedly mishandle a case by using threats

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that police in Sri Lanka have allegedly ill- treated and threatened a man with imposition of false charges  dating from April 2008.  Meanwhile, the man has lodged several complaints but up to now no investigation has been undertaken. CASE DETAILS: (Based on the testimony of […]

BURMA: Three men charged for harbouring a monk after 2007 protests

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) regrets to inform you that yet another three persons have been charged over the protests of last September 2007 in Burma. The three are charged with harbouring a monk who was involved in leading the protests, but as in other cases like it, the police have come […]

THAILAND: Dismissal of a union leader wearing a protest shirt

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a union leader was dismissed allegedly for wearing a protest T-shirt while outside of work on July 30, 2008. While a protest regarding her dismissal has continued, tens of colleagues who held a protest were threatened with dismissal and suspension. CASE DETAILS: Body […]

CAMBODIA: Police fail to arrest persons who mutilated the fingers of an alleged thief in Banteay province

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that a group of villagers had badly beaten a teenager named San Seng, aged 18. They cut off two fingers on his left hand for allegedly stealing two mobile phone sets on 9 September 2008 in Palilay village, Poipet commune, O Chreou district, Banteay Meanchey […]

PAKISTAN: A fishing community is made hostage by landlords and police

[NOTICE: The AHRC has developed this automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of some of the Pakistan authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to those people. Fax numbers and postal addresses of the Pakistan authorities are attached […]

INDIA: BSF torture a man to death and then bribe the victim’s family to ensure their silence

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed by MASUM, a local human rights organisation in West Bengal that the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel of Battalion No.90, E Company stationed at the Bamnabad Border Security Force Camp arrested and tortured a man to his death. It is reported that to keep […]