Enforced disappearances and abductions

Karapatan condemns the listing of more than 600 persons, human rights defenders and critics of the Duterte government in the proscription petition filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ), through Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Peter Ong, at a regional court in Manila on February 21, 2018. The petition not only seeks to declare the Communist […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward an appeal from KARAPATAN Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights For more information, please contact: Cristina Palabay, Secretary General, 0917-3162831 Thank you.  Urgent Appeals Desk  Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)  ———————————————————————– Urgent Appeal for Solidarity and Action for Activists, Human Rights Defenders and […]

This week Just Asia begins with Amnesty International’s annual report, highlighting a worldwide worsening of human rights. Released last Thursday, the report covers 159 countries. It claims that world leaders are increasingly “undermining the rights of millions,” either by turning a blind eye to rights abuses, or by perpetrating them. The ‘epicenter of human tragedy’ […]

A reflection on the Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Sri Lanka at the 37th Session of the Human Rights Council, 26 February–23 March 2018 by Basil Fernando The idea of good governance in Sri Lanka seems to be – to make lot of good promises and thereafter to ignore […]

On 8 February 2018, Fatou Bensoula, prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague announced her decision “to open a preliminary examination” into the Philippine government’s war on drugs, which ‘potentially falls within the Court’s jurisdiction’ (read full text of her speech here). The Republic of the Philippines is State party to the Rome […]

This week Just Asia begins with Hong Kong, where abusive and racist remarks were hurled last week at Principal Magistrate Bina Chainrai after she sentenced police officer Frankly Chu to three months in prison. In response, human rights lawyer Philip Dykes, legal scholar Johannes Chan and four other barristers made a statement saying such “racial […]

Pakistan has recently been placed on a special watch list for severe violations of religious freedom by the United States’ Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. This was done under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. A brief announcement by the United States’ State Department said that for the first time it has created a […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding a unique type of disappearance of a peasant leader and lawyer who was disappeared from inside the jail after his bail was granted by the sessions court. When the peasants submitted surety bonds for Mr. Nabi’s release, the police and jail authorities […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the abduction of a Christian employee, serving as a car driver, by local group Baldia town. It was the second time he was kidnapped and since December 19 was reported to have been tortured by the member of the assembly. Five months […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned about an alleged case of crimes against humanity. It took place on 24 December 2011 in Sape Port, Lambu sub-district, Bima Regency, West Nusa Tenggara Province. Based upon investigations, a report was issued by the Commission for the Disappearances and Victims of Violence (KontraS), a national, prominent, […]

Glamorizing terrorists as born again saviours of humanity is the new tactic adopted by the state to abet home grown terrorism The month of December in Pakistan is akin to March for the Romans, when an empire was brought down. The historic day of December 16 has been particularly bloody, as it was on this […]

A Statement from International Peace Observers Network (IPON) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission The repressions against human rights activists in the Philippines have been increasing dramatically. With the end of the peace talks and the declaration to label left-progressive organizations as terrorist groups, President Duterte not only threatens the Communist Party of the […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received the following up-dated information. It concerns the enforced disappearance of a 21 year-old student from one of Karachi University’s canteens. He was abducted by plainclothes persons in the presence of a good number of Rangers. The abductors came in a white car and on two […]

On the occasion of international human rights day, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) observes the major human rights issues of concern in Indonesia. Impunity and a fragile criminal justice system have let down victims of human rights abuse and those seeking justice. According to research by the Indonesian Legal Roundtable (ILR), Indonesia’s rule of […]

Pakistan is a signatory to several international human rights conventions. The country has in its constitution a good set of fundamental rights. Yet, the human rights situation in Pakistan is deteriorating. All human rights are violated in Pakistan with impunity. Rights of women and children; access to justice; labour rights; rights to: housing, life and fair trial, education, […]

(Hong Kong, 9 December 2017) The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed that different human rights groups across the country will hold protests and a series of other events tomorrow, December 10, to mark the International Human Rights Day. Today, the Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights (Karapatan), an alliance of human […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the abduction and disappearance of a peace and civil society activist, Mr. Raza Mehmood Khan. Since he was abducted from his house by unknown persons on December 2, his whereabouts are unknown. Fellow peace activists blame the military establishment for his abduction […]

Just Asia completes its 200th episode this week. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)’s news programme was launched on 14 October 2013 as the Weekly Roundup, and provided a platform for the stories of those fighting for human rights throughout the Asian region. On its 100th episode, the news program evolved into Just Asia. Basil Fernando, Director […]

Declassified US Embassy documents reveal Indonesian Military involvement in the 1965 -66 Indonesian Massacre that killed nearly 500,00 persons. Many believe the number to be much larger as much as 2.5 Million persons. These killings were a part of a well-planned massacre in order to completely destroy the Indonesian communist party, which was then the […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Ko Ko Linn, a Rohingya community leader who was living in Bangladesh, has been picked up from a bus on 17 November 2017. Ko Ko Linn was travelling by bus from Cox’s Bazar to Chittagong in the evening of that day. The […]