Enforced disappearances and abductions

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is forwarding an announcement about a programme to be held in Bangkok this Sunday, March 11, to mark the third anniversary of the abduction by the police of human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit with a discussion on forced disappearances in Thailand. After three years, the forced disappearance […]

The admission by the Chief of Police in Sri Lanka that the police, army and the army deserters are responsible for abductions and killings of civilians is a bold move. However, for the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) this is no news since the AHRC has been in the past calling for intervention and warning […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) forwards below a list of persons recently abducted in Sri Lanka, based on a report issued by the Civil Monitoring Mission on February 7, 2007. The names of persons abducted are follows. The full report of the Civil Monitoring Commission is available at http://srilankahr.net/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=161&cid=7.   LIST OF PERSONS ABDUCTED: 1. […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward to you the following press statement by Professor Philip Alston, Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- A Forwarded Statement by the UN Special Rapporteur PHILIPPINES: Press Statement by […]

[NOTICE: The AHRC have developed a new automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses 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 below with this […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward to you the following statement issued by Reporters without Borders (RSF ASIA) – Tamil newspapers correspondent goes missing in the North. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- A Forwarded Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) SRI LANKA: Tamil newspapers correspondent goes […]

The alleged abduction of three persons belonging to the Railway Workers Union who are also associated with the publication of the union’s journal, Akuna, was reported in many publications including the BBC Sinhala Service. Reporters without Borders also reported these abductions on the 6th February, 2007. The names of the three persons are Nihal Serasinghe, […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) received information has received updated information about the case of arbitrary arrests of over 400 political and human rights activists in the end of November 2006 (See further: UA-386-2006). We were informed that 15 activists, who had been arrested during this time, were allegedly sent to different prisons […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is gravely concerned about the information regarding alleged disappearance of another four persons within the first week of February 2007.  Forced disappearances in Sri Lanka are now targeting well known union activists, journalists and businessmen.  In January 2007, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Mangala Samaraweera, […]

Why is it that judges in Pakistan seem completely unable to apply the fundamental legal principle of habeas corpus and order police or military officers to produce detained or arrested persons in court? In the latest hearing on persons alleged to have disappeared after being detained by state officers, the Sindh High Court on January […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from a local NGO,  the Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance (FIND), that on 18 September 2006, two young men of indigenous ethnicity, Mr. Nicolas Sanchez (27) and Mr. Heherson Medina (29) from the Tarlac Province, were allegedly abducted by 30 military soldiers in […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding abductions of three men who have been missing after allegedly being arrested by state secret agents in Sindh province. Interestingly, in all three cases, the alleged abductors came in a white double cabin jeep bearing same registration number GS-0162, which was followed by […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you that a farmer who was repeatedly stabbed after he was forcibly abducted, tortured and held in captivity survived an attempt on his life on 12 December 2007 in Compostela Valley, Mindanao. There are allegations that those responsible could have been soldiers deployed in […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received the information that Mr. Salim Baloch, the acting president of Jamhoori Watan Party was allegedly abducted once again by secret service personnel on 31 December 2006 just 15 days after his release from an army torture cell. His present whereabouts are unknown. The AHRC has […]

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

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes to inform you of two more alleged disappearance cases from Sindh province in Pakistan which separately took place in July and August 2006. To date the whereabouts of the victims remain unknown. The victims have gone missing after allegedly being taken by police and army personnel. In […]

During year 2006 there has been no relief in Human rights violations.  On the contrary, as in previous years cases such as torture, disappearances and violence against women has increased. The government lacks the capacity to carry out its obligations under international norms. Pakistan is remains in the severe grip of military control it has […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) received information from its partner organisation, Action Committee for Civic Problems (ACCP), regarding the disappearance of two political party leaders after being arbitrarily arrested by the police during the peaceful protest meeting in Karachi city, Sindh province, Pakistan on 3 December 2006. The victims were allegedly shifted […]

In addition to the general statement issued by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) for International Human Rights Day on December 10, we are also making the brief comments below on the human rights situation in several Asian countries. A more comprehensive report will be available soon. Sri Lanka The most violent place in Asia […]

Discontent over malfunctioning democracies and legal systems and the consequent setbacks these shortcomings cause for human rights and the rule of law, as well as aggressively expressed aspirations to resolve such problems, are marked features that define the year 2006 in many Asian countries. Specifically, Asia’s people feel discontent over the authoritarianism of democratically elected […]