Enforced disappearances and abductions

The common perception in Pakistan, that ordinary citizens are not free to express their thoughts, has been validated with state inaction against hate mongers and clamping down on social media activists. What began as a crackdown on blasphemy and hurting religious sentiments has quickly spiralled into curbs on free speech, unveiling the true intentions of the state: […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the case of, Mr. Sajid Hussain, a Kashmiri frontline human rights defender facing deportation to Pakistan from Belgium. We are informed that Hussain has been a vocal advocate for the independence of Kashmir associated with United Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP). We […]

Two recent reports prove the predictions that the Asian Human Rights Commission has been making for several years, that Bangladesh is likely to become a major refugee producing country in the Asian region. The UK basedIndependent published a report on 5 May 2017, with the title “Bangladesh is now the single biggest country of origin for refugees on boats as new route to Europe […]

This week Just Asia focuses on World Press Freedom Day, annually celebrated on May 3. The day is marked by celebrating the fundamental principles of press freedom, assessing the state of these freedoms globally, and paying tribute to those journalists who have lost their lives supporting a free press. In its 2017 World Press Freedom […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes to inform you about the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC). It concerns the third cycle of the UPR. The ALRC’s submission focuses on the criminal justice system, the normative legal framework, impunity for past human rights abuses, the freedom of expression, peaceful assembly […]

This week Just Asia begins with a call from Filipino lawyer Jude Josue Sabio, asking the International Criminal Court to charge President Duterte with mass murder and crimes against humanity. A 77-page complaint to the Court on Monday states Mr. Duterte was the “mastermind” of a campaign that has killed more than 9,400 people since […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes to inform you about an essay with title “Considering Victims to Strengthen Truth and Reconciliation Commission.”This essay reflect from the book “Just and Unjust Peace and Ethic of Political Reconciliation.” The writer also used other books to extend his view on politic of reconciliation. This essay is also reflect to the experience of politic of reconciliation in Indonesia, […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the new wave of enforced disappearances in Pakistan’s Sindh province, which has been under the Rangers’ operation for the last two years. The law enforcement agencies have cracked down against Sindhi nationalist groups, and in April itself, one government officer, a school […]

An article, titled “Prime Minister Hun Sen Was A Successful Wartime Leader But Certainly Not One In Peacetime Cambodia” by Mr Ou Ritthy, forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission By Ou Ritthy Cambodia’s historic “July 22, 2014” ended disputing political parties’ electoral political deadlock and violence. It unleashed a “culture of dialogue” between Hun Sen’s ruling […]

This week Just Asia begins with Nepal, where violence in the Terai region shows little sign of abating. Protests and killings have been occurring since 2015. In early 2016, more than 50 people died. During the March protests this year against the nationwide campaign conducted by the CPN UML, police started shooting to contain the […]

Since Suharto stepped down in 1998, and political reform occurring for the last 18 years, Papua has yet to enjoy real reform, as enjoyed by other provinces in Indonesia. While there have been initiatives to address human rights problems in Papua and West Papua provinces, they have not resulted in significant improvements on the ground. […]

This week Just Asia begins with Malaysia, where more than one hundred foreigners in immigration detention centers have died in the past two years. There were 83 deaths in 2015, and at least 35 in 2016, from various diseases and unknown causes. More than half of the 118 dead are from Burma. A commissioner from […]

Radio Sweden has published the recording of a conversation with an officer of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). In it, the officer confirms the widespread practice of extrajudicial killings practiced by the RAB, targeting those it considers a threat to national security and those regarded as opponents of the incumbent Bangladesh government. The officer explains how persons […]

by Cluadia Wadlich The UN offers different mechanisms against the Enforced Disappearance of people, but not all of them lead to efficient results. For example, because of the need of ratification on the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CPED) – a legally binding Convention for States – it is […]

This week Just Asia begins with Sri Lanka, where five police officers have been arrested in connection with the custodial death of a suspect at the Peliyagoda Police station. The 42-year-old Chadik Shyaman Wickramarachchi was arrested on February 25, following information provided by another suspect. The next day, Chadik’s body was recovered by his family at the Police Mortuary […]

Following a suicide attack on Lahore’s Mall Road on February 13, which claimed the lives of at least six police officials, Punjab’s law enforcement agencies launched a province-wide crackdown on the ethnic Pakhtun (Pathans) minority. Administrative officials in some Punjab districts issued informal orders asking the population to keep an eye on suspicious individuals who […]

A Statement from United Nations Independent Experts of Human Rights forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission GENEVA (24 February 2017) – United Nations human rights experts* are calling on Bangladesh to act now to halt an increasing number of enforced disappearances in the country. The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances says […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information that Pakistan Rangers and police have conducted joint operations against Sindhi political activists after the suicide bomb blast at the shrine of Shahbaz Qalander, Sehwan, wherein 88 persons were killed and 288 were injured. Although ISIS, the international terrorist organization conducted the blast, […]

This week Just Asia begins by speaking to Adem Carroll, the Burma Task Force director for New York and UN programs regarding the dire situation faced by the Rohingya in Burma. Carroll calls for an independent commission of inquiry into the military abuses against the Muslim minority group. He also says that citizens of ASEAN […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has information regarding the last two years of President Joko Widodo’s administration. It appears that the government has not yet made any effort to resolve past human rights abuses. After President Widodo won the presidential election in 2014, victims and their families had great expectations of him. Instead of […]