Arbitrary arrest & detention

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from reliable sources regarding three cases of torture allegedly committed in the Kohalpur Area Police Office (APO) in Banke District during August and September 2007. In one case, a person was tortured and forced to drink urine. In the other two cases, the victims […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the inhuman and degrading assault of a man by the Piliyandala Police allegedly at the instigation of a third party. According to the victim, when he and his cousin visited the police station to lodge a complaint, Complaints Division, Officer in Charge (OIC) […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the inhuman torture of a man by the Panadura Police in the Kalutara District. When he tried to lodge a complaint, the police refused it and instead arbitrarily locked him up. He was then dragged to a shed outside and mercilessly assaulted and […]

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 […]

Dear friends, Further to our previous recent updates on the situation in Burma, this is the first appeal by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) since last week on specific cases of disappearance in Rangoon: it includes details about the disappearance of a 30-year-old mother of two and three teenage sisters, as well as news […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is pleased to inform you that a torture victim, Oting Mariano, whom police arrested and falsely charged on 13 January 2007 has already been released after he was exonerated from false charges. He walked out free from his detention center on September 20 after the prosecutor dismissed […]

Dear friends, As the dramatic events in Burma of the last few days are being reported throughout the entire world, in this latest update the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), gives additional information not being widely covered in the mainstream media, as follows: – Protests have continued in Rangoon, Mandalay and other towns  – Killings […]

Dear friends, As has been reported throughout the world, riot police began violently attacking protestors in Rangoon today after they refused to obey instructions to not again take to the streets to call for an end to military rule there (UP-125-2007). Meanwhile, protests have also continued in other parts of the country. Here we give […]

Dear friends, Threats from the military regime in Burma have failed to get thousands of protestors of the streets again today, 25 September 2007. Here the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) gives the latest information and some on events of recent days. Please do everything you can to support the courageous struggle of Burma’s people […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from MASUM, a local human rights organisation based in Howrah, West Bengal regarding the case of a minor who is currently detained illegally at the Narkeldanga Police Station since September 11, 2007. It is alleged that the police officers who took the boy, Mithun […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the death of a man in custody of the Kotwali Police 2 July 2007. He allegedly died in the hospital after four days of detention in the police station. Even though the dead body clearly showed bruises and remarks, the police reports were […]

Dear friends, Further to our previous recent updates on the situation in Burma, this is the first appeal by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) on specific cases of sentencing and imprisonment arising out of the protests of the last two months. Here we give the details of a man who has been sent to […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) regrets to inform you that six labour rights advocates in Burma have been given long jail terms by a special tribunal in the central prison. They were not represented, as their lawyers quit in protest after being constantly harassed by the prison authorities. Their imprisonment comes after […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been receiving daily updates on the dramatic protests against mid-August fuel price increases in Burma. On September 6, the protests went to a new level when for the first time the army intervened directly and monks responded by holding officials as hostages. More protests and arrests […]

Dear friends, Despite great personal risks, people in Burma are continuing to come on to the streets in protest two weeks after the military regime there suddenly multiplied the cost of fuels without prior warning. Since the appeal issued by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) on August 26 (UA-260-2007), daily demonstrations have spread across […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from MASUM, a local human rights organisation based in West Bengal, India regarding the illegal detention, alleged custodial torture, severe ill-treatment and subsequent disappearance of a woman and her husband. It is alleged that the lady was taken into custody, detained for 10 days, […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been following closely events in Burma since the government multiplied the cost of fuels there without warning over a week ago, prompting public protests. Latest reports from many sources indicate that at least 65 persons have now been taken into custody in connection with the demonstrations. […]

Indonesia, which received the second highest number of votes in elections to the United Nations Human Rights Council earlier this year, will celebrate its sixty second Independence Day on August 17, 2007. Given these election results, we could imagine that Indonesia is considered as being a moderate nation which consistently promotes and protects human rights. […]

Dear friends, This is the latest update by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) on the protests against fuel price increases in Burma: a leader of the protests has reportedly been tortured to death; courts in Rangoon have been closed for more than two weeks; arrests have continued, particularly in the delta area; monks in […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been following with concern the case of six men who were arrested in Burma on May Day for organising some discussions about worker’s rights. The men have been charged with sedition and were finally brought before a judge nearly three months after their arrests. Their arrest […]