Urgent Appeal Update

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) would like to inform you that in August 2008, the Kavrepalanchowk district police finally registered a complaint made by a widow of Arjun Bohadur Lama, whose disappearance in April 2005 allegedly involved Maoists. It took over one year for the widow to register her complaint after the […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you regarding further delays in the conclusion of the Petition for Review on Certiorari that the Abadilla Five has filed. We previously reported that the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) was required by the Supreme Court to submit their comment on the petition; […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is pleased to inform you that the five persons, three of whom are activists, illegally arrested and falsely charged in April 2006, were released on August 28, 2008. The court hearing their case dismissed the charges filed against them. We are also reproducing a copy of the […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you that, a Pastor whom we reported in October 2006 to have been harassed by armed men, is once again being threatened with death. The threat to him was carried out in the following way.  After officiating at Sunday Mass, he was given an […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you that a group of lawyers in Mindanao has joined appeals for the authorities to exhaust every effort in solving cases of vigilante killings in Davao City and calling for an end to the killings. Their appeal came days after a police director tried […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Guria, a local human rights organisation working on women trafficking in Uttar Pradesh regarding the death threats on human rights defenders associated with Guria. Four unknown persons allegedly engaged in human trafficking in Varanasi threatened to kill the activists associated with Guria. The […]

[NOTICE: The AHRC has developed this automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. Please click the button for your participation. We also 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 below with this appeal. Thank you.] Dear friends, The […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the assault of a journalist by military police on 25 July 2008 at their headquarters in Sihanoukville. An investigation was begun following the journalist’s complaint but military police have ill -treated the journalist during the investigation. UPDATED INFORMATION: (Based on testimony from the […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you that the police authorities, in particular in Davao City, are now trying to exonerate themselves from their continued failure to have each of the vigilante killings solve and effectively prosecuted, by putting the blame on either the lack of witnesses or refusal to […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you that vigilante groups have murdered another 13 persons, two of whom are minors, in separate incidents from February 2 to June 13 of 2008.   Of these, ten victims had been murdered in the city of Davao. Investigation into each of these cases has […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed that the Supreme Court (SC) has already required the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) to comment on the Petition for Review on Certiorari the legal counsels of the Abadilla Five filed on May 5. The SC’s resolution was issued on June 16 but […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been receiving information continuously that more persons have been murdered recently, including minors and women, on the pretext of “vigilante killings”. The police, once again, instead of thoroughly investigating each of these cases, justified the murders as being due to the victim’s criminal records. UPDATED INFORMATION: (According […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is informed by MASUM, a local human rights organisation in West Bengal involving the Border Security Force (BSF) officers stationed in West Bengal. It is reported that the BSF officers who killed two persons in December 2007, are now threatening their family to keep them silent. Despite […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed about the post-mortem court inquiry on June 30 into the death of an Imam while in military custody. It confirmed the earlier autopsy report that his broken ribcage and punctured lungs were a result of severe beatings. The Acting-Commander is trying to exonerate himself […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you that the five men, collectively known as the Tagaytay Five, whom we reported to have been missing but were later found in police custody two years ago, will have their petition seeking the dismissal of their case heard tomorrow, July 18. The five […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is gravely concerned by the constant, serious threats and attacks on women rights activists who have been working for justice for the deceased Ms. Laxmi Bohara, who had been allegedly killed by her husband on 6 June 2008. For details of the alleged killing of Laxmi, please […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the case of H.M. Susantha Herath who was brutally tortured by the Gokarella police on 4 July 2005 (UA-146-2005). It is almost three years since the incident and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRC) has finally made recommendations dated 26 […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed by the Muslim Attorney Center (MAC) that the first inquest day regarding the death of Imam Yapa in Narathiwat, southern Thailand. He was allegedly tortured to death in a military camp on 21 March 2008. The trial will open in Narathiwas provincial court. The […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes with deep concern on the issuance of a decree banning a religious minority, Ahmadiyah, from spreading their religious practices by the government on 9 June 2008. The AHRC is concerned that the decree would encourage other Muslim groups critical of them to carry out more attacks […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you that a police sergeant, who was found by the court to have violated a torture victim’s fundamental rights and is still facing another charges for torturing him nearly two years ago, had been reinstated. UPDATED INFORMATION: We have already reported that on 21 […]