Urgent Appeal Update

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed of the serious medical condition of a prominent human rights lawyer, Mr. Syed Hassan Tariq. He was brutally tortured by the police upon instructions allegedly by the provincial chief minister in Nawabshah, Sindh Province after he was arrested on 8 November 2007. Mr. Tariq […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the MASUM, a local human rights organization in West Bengal, India, regarding the brutal attack by armed activists of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI-M] against Nandigram villagers since 6 November 2007. According to the official government account, at least 3 persons […]

Dear friends, The hearings in the trial of five police officers in connection with the disappearance of prominent Thai human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit at the Criminal Court in Bangkok are drawing to a close: the second-last confirmed dates, for the hearing of defence witnesses, will run from tomorrow, November 15, to Friday, November 18. In […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from reliable sources regarding a list of extrajudicial killings of 53 persons solely for the single month of October 2007 in Sri Lanka. Even though several cases of extrajudicial killings and disappearances have been continuously reported since last year, none of those responsible have […]

Dear friends, Further to our previous appeals, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed that the freedom of the press has been denied through the two ordinances which the government has imposed regulating the media under the state of emergency. Journalists are systematically arrested, attacked and threatened with death by unknown callers, newspaper […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the police arbitrarily confiscated all copies of a magazine without the court’s decision in Phnom Penh and the provinces on 1 November 2007 in Cambodia. Whilst the police are repressing the freedom of expression, it is reported that Mr. Lem Pichpisey, a publisher […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information that on 4 July 2007, a court in Sihanoukville ordered the release of 13 men who were arrested in April 2007 while the Sihanoukville authorities were demolishing houses where 107 families had been staying. Six out of 13 men were released but seven […]

Dear friends, Further to our recent update on court orders that at least 300 men in southern Thailand could not be held at so-called “vocational training” camps against their will (UP-123-2007), the police have since rearrested three and threatened others to go back to the camps if they don’t also want to be taken back […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) regrets to inform you that the requests to appeal against imprisonment of the “Hinthada 6” and another human rights defender from the same group have all been thrown out of courts in Burma. Meanwhile, another three have also reportedly been imprisoned, while one who had been was […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is concerned that although over 300 men have been allowed to go free from a number of army camps in the south of Thailand after court orders that they cannot be detained against their will, the army is refusing to let them to return to their homes. […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) strongly condemns the alleged arbitrary arrest, detention and torture of Mr. Jahangir Alam Akash, a journalist and human rights defender based in Rajshahi city, by the personnel of the Rapid Action Battalion-5 in Rajshahi city on 24 October 2007. As a result of the severe torture, the […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the alleged attack on a student on 10 October 2007. He is the brother of a torture victim who was earlier tortured by the Vavuniya police (See further: UA-183-2007). His brother, the torture victim, has stayed in another place for security reasons. He is […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from reliable sources concerning another two cases of torture allegedly perpetrated by the same three members of the Morang District Police Office, Balram Yadav, Shyam Chaudhary and Rajendra Mehata. CASE DETAILS: Mohammad Jabbar Miya, 19, owns a meat shop at Devkota Chowk, Biratnagar Municipality […]

Dear friends, In this general update on events in Burma, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) concentrates on the following topics: – Details emerging of more deaths during September  – Denial of medical treatment for injured persons – Family members of wanted persons taken as hostages – Special concerns over women prisoners For all statements, […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you of the continuing failure by the police, particularly the Task Force Usig (TFU), to promptly afford necessary protection and assistance to the wife and two daughters of murdered activist Jose Manegdeg III. Although they did assure that they would reinvestigate to gather more […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) regrets to inform you that the family of U Than Lwin, who was assaulted in June after leading a prayer meeting in Burma for the release of political prisoners, has been jailed instead of the assailant. Four members of the family and five other people have been […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you of yet another incident whereby four activists, two of them were reported by us to have already been threatened a year ago, were kept under surveillance by unidentified men on 20 September 2007 in Angeles City. They had just finished a press conference […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed that thirteen suspects of the earlier reported extra-judicial killings have been released as their detention period has ended. However, there are still concerns that this case will likely be brought to the military court and a light sentence will be given to those responsible. […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is appealing to you to write once again to the authorities in India regarding the case of Dr. Binayek Sen who is currently detained at the Raipur prison in Chhattisgarh state. The AHRC is informed by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), of which Dr. Sen […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received further information about the signing of a confession falsely charging Jaime Rosios (a.k.a. Jimmy), a labour leader who was abducted and has disappeared since August 11. Alex Magbanua was threatened by police that he would be tortured and killed if he refused to sign the […]