Extrajudicial killings

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has obtained information that Yosias Syet was found dead in his house on 17 October 2008. The autopsy confirmed that he had been murdered and it is alleged that the murder was designed to threaten the Head of the Papuan Customary Council, Fokorus Yaboisembut, since Yosias Syet […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) regrets to inform you that a torture victim as well as a complainant in a bribery case against the police was assassinated by unidentified gunmen while driving with his son on 20 September 2008. Before this assassination took place, the victim had repeatedly asked relevant authorities for […]

(Please note that a similar letter was also sent to the Secretary to the Ministry, Prof Rajiva Wijesinghe) September 21, 2008 Hon. Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights 2, Wijerama Mawatha Colombo 7 SRI LANKA Fax: +94 11 269 3284  E-mail: info@dmhr.gov.lk  Dear Mr. Samarasinghe, Re: A man who sought your […]

Prompt enquiries from a competent and independent special police unit needs to be conducted into to the assassination of Siyaguna Kosgodage Anton Sugath Nishantha Fernando, who was a complainant in a torture case before of the Supreme Court and a bribery case before the High Court against several police officers attached to the Negombo Police […]

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

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

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you that a group of lawyers in Mindanao has joined appeals for the authorities to exhaust every effort in solving cases of vigilante killings in Davao City and calling for an end to the killings. Their appeal came days after a police director tried […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed by MASUM, a local human rights organisation in West Bengal that a young boy of 15 years of age was killed by a BSF officer in West Bengal on 23 July 2008.  The officer was reportedly trying to find a group of smugglers along […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you that the police authorities, in particular in Davao City, are now trying to exonerate themselves from their continued failure to have each of the vigilante killings solve and effectively prosecuted, by putting the blame on either the lack of witnesses or refusal to […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you that vigilante groups have murdered another 13 persons, two of whom are minors, in separate incidents from February 2 to June 13 of 2008.   Of these, ten victims had been murdered in the city of Davao. Investigation into each of these cases has […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been receiving information continuously that more persons have been murdered recently, including minors and women, on the pretext of “vigilante killings”. The police, once again, instead of thoroughly investigating each of these cases, justified the murders as being due to the victim’s criminal records. UPDATED INFORMATION: (According […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a civilian was arrested and murdered by security personnel in Manipur. It is reported that this incident is yet another case of a notorious ‘pick up’ that usually results in torture, killing or enforced disappearances.  When the wife of the victim tried to […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is informed by MASUM, a local human rights organisation in West Bengal involving the Border Security Force (BSF) officers stationed in West Bengal. It is reported that the BSF officers who killed two persons in December 2007, are now threatening their family to keep them silent. Despite […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that a journalist named Khim Sambor who worked for a local newspaper, Moneaksekar Khmer, and his son were shot dead on 11 July in Phnom Penh.  Both father and son were travelling on a motorcycle after finishing their exercise at the city’s Olympic stadium when […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that the police allegedly ordered parents to pay a bribe of 150000 riels (US$37.5) each if their sons were not to be arrested after these youths had damaged a party sign in Soeung commune, Bor Keo district, Rattankiri province. On 2 July 2008, they arrested […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed that another six persons have been killed on the pretext that they were either involved in criminal activities or had criminal records in General Santos City. The AHRC is seriously concerned by the continued failure by the concerned authorities to prevent these murders and […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes with deep concern regarding the continuing failure by the police and the local government to ensure protection and prevent the systematic murders in General Santos City. At least 29 persons, five of whom are minors, have already been killed from February 4 to May 16, 2008 […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) deeply regrets to inform you that a farmer leader who had been the object of an overt surveillance and continuing threat had been shot dead on 15 May 2008 in Davao City. The victim, who had been receiving threats from December 2007, had tried to escape from […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed that prison guards at the central prison in Burma allegedly opened fire on prisoners on 2 May 2008 at the time that the recent cyclone hit the country, killing 36 and injuring around 70. Another four prisoners were also allegedly tortured to death afterwards […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from MASUM, a local human rights organisation from West Bengal, India about the murder of a 14-year-old boy by the Border Security Force (BSF) took place on 24 December 2007. However, no investigation has been conducted like many other similar cases committed by BSF. […]