Corruption

UPDATE (Cambodia): Two detained villagers allegedly forced to give confessions in exchange for their release by court in Kampot province

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information that the Kampot Provincial Court freed two villagers representing 30 families fighting for their right to land in Kep municipality, Kampot province on 25 May 2007. The two men were allegedly forced to give confessions that they have illegally lived on the land […]

CAMBODIA: Forced eviction of 92 families in Sihanoukville allegedly led by Khan Stung Hav governor

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that 92 families were forcibly evicted from their 120 hectares of land in Sangkat (commune) O’ Tress, Khan (district) Stung Hav, Sihanoukville by more than 100 armed police, military police and 20 gangsters on 23 May 2007. They were allegedly led by Khann Stung […]

INDIA: Three persons from the scheduled caste forced to work as bonded labourers in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from its local partner, the Peoples’ Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), regarding the bonded labour of three persons from the Musahar community in Asbaranpur village of Varanasi district. Musahar is a scheduled caste and considered untouchable by the caste Hindus. It is alleged […]

CAMBODIA: Arrest of four villagers after testifying in court against illegal possession of their land in Kampot province

[NOTICE: To facilitate your intervention of the urgent appeals issued by the AHRC, we have developed a new automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of all the Cambodian authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to those people. Fax numbers and […]

UPDATE (Cambodia): A human rights investigator and 5 villagers are being accused of incitement to create a secession area

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information that the Sihanoukville governor, Say Hak, lodged a file complaint against Mr. Chhim Savuth, a human rights investigator for Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) based in Sihanoukville for attempting to create a secession area in Mitapheap district in order to oppose the […]

CAMBODIA: A local journalist received public death threat from an army general

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that on 2 May 2007 at around 5:30 pm, a local journalist named Chim Chenda, who works for Kampuchea Thmei (New Cambodia), a news paper company based in Battambang and Banteay Meanchey provinces, allegedly received a death threat in a local restaurant K.O in […]

INDIA: Government pleader leads criminals to demolish houses in Kerala

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from its local partner Nervazhi, a local human rights organisation based in Thrissur, Kerala that the government pleader (Lawyer) attached to the local civil court with a group of criminals have trespassed onto private property and demolished houses to in order to settle private […]

HUNGER ALERT (India): Corruption causes starvation in Musahar community in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from its local partner the People’s Vigilance Committee for Human Rights (PVCHR) in Uttar Pradesh that the Musahar community in Dallipur-Fattepur village, Pindra Tehsil, Badagaon block in Varanasi district has been denied possession of their lands which had been allotted to them in their […]

INDIA: Man is allegedly tortured to death by police after refusing to pay bribe in West Bengal

[NOTICE: To facilitate your intervention of the urgent appeals issued by the AHRC, we have developed a new automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of all the Indian authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to those people. […]

INDONESIA: Brigadier officer assaults hospitalised teenage boy

Dear friends The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from KONTRAS Sumatera Utara about the severe torture of Mr. Aditya Panji Akbar, an 18 year-old boy while undergoing treatment at the Mental Health Ward of the Bhayangkara (Police) Hospital, by Brigadier Officer Simarmata of the Medan City Police on the 11 January 2007 […]

BANGLADESH: Extreme torture, child abuse and an extrajudicial killing in Bangladesh as Navy runs rampant

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received shocking information from local human rights group ODHIKAR regarding the murder of Mr. Khabirul Islam Dulal, Commissioner of Ward No. 6 of the Char Fashion Municipality in Bhola district, allegedly caused by a brutal assault by naval officers on 20 February 2007. Mr. Dulal was […]

SRI LANKA: Police allegedly assault and fabricate charges against three men for refusing to pay bribe

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the alleged assault of three men after illegal arrest by Galgamuwa police on 25 November 2007 in Sri Lanka. Police allegedly asked them to pay a bribe for release. One was released after paying whereas others refused. Others were forced to sign a […]

UPDATE (Cambodia): Sihanoukville governor orders 105 families to leave their homes within 7 days

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that on 19 January 2007 Sihanoukville Governor Say Hak allegedly issued a notice bearing number 0026 to evict 105 families who have been living on 17 hectares of land since 1985 in Sangkat Commune Number 4, Metapheap district, Sihanoukville, Cambodia. In the notice, all […]

BANGLADESH: Formal separation of judiciary must now be made reality

On January 16 the government gazette of Bangladesh announced that the interim president, Professor Iazuddin Ahmed, signed into law the separation of the country’s subordinate judiciary from the executive. This extremely important action was taken, after many years of delays, in accordance with an order from the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court six days […]

UPDATE (Cambodia): No investigation into injuries of two women; ten villagers sued and one still detained

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received further information that two women were severely beaten up by thugs hired by the 7NG company but the police have not started an investigation into their injuries which happened on 16 December 2007 in Dey Krahorm zone, Tonle Bassac commune, Phnom Penh. While two women […]

INDONESIA: Refusal to cooperate with United Nations human rights mechanisms in investigation of Munir’s death

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AS-275-2006 November 06, 2006   A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission   INDONESIA: Refusal to cooperate with United Nations human rights mechanisms in investigation of Munir’s death     The wife of celebrated human rights defender Munir Said Thalib, who was poisoned and died on September 7, 2004 under highly […]

THAILAND: MILITARY COUP – Junta poses grave dangers to lives and liberties

The Asian Human Rights Commission reiterates its condemnation of the military coup in Thailand and calls for immediate restoration of the constitution and civilian government. Since this morning, September 20, the coup group headed by army Commander-in-Chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin has made a series of pronouncements under martial law. These include that: 1. The democratic […]

PHILIPPINES: Police “solve” cases but killings continue

The Philippine National Police have a unique definition of the word “solved”. According to them, once a charge is filed against a suspect with the Office of the Prosecutor it is solved. Suspects not arrested? No matter, it is solved. Investigation flawed? No matter, it is solved. Requests of victim’s family for more inquiries unanswered? […]

THAILAND: The impossibility of complaint against the police

On July 17 the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) issued an appeal on the alleged torture, armed robbery, illegal detention, and attempted rape and extortion of two persons in Saraburi, just northeast of Bangkok in Thailand. According to Uthai Boonnom, he and his partner were taken–at gunpoint and blindfolded–to a house in the forest where […]

SRI LANKA:The case of Chamila Bandara, HC Kandy 231 of 2005 — The matter of the serving of the indictment on the accused

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 7, 2006 AHRC-OL-028-2006 An open letter to the Inter Ministerial Committee on Human Rights The Inter Ministerial Committee on Human Rights Thro- Hon. Mahinda Samarasinghe Minister for Disaster Management and Human Rights Parliamentary Complex Colombo 1 SRI LANKA July 6, 2006 Dear Sirs, SRI LANKA: The case of Chamila Bandara, HC […]