Fabrication of charges

The Pakistani National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information Technology approved the Cyber Crimes Bill 2015 on September 17 for a second time, after making some cosmetic changes to clauses that curb free speech. Legislators from the ruling party are determined to pass the Bill; the Chairman of the Standing Committee is the son in-law of […]

An article from the Kathmandu Post forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission I am a Chhetri man, born and raised in Kathmandu. Today, the new constitution of the Federal Republic of Nepal will be officially promulgated and it is my constitution – it has been drafted by people who share my gender, my complexion, […]

The rights of tribal people and other forest dwelling communities are set to be assaulted again, as the Indian government is warming up to the to the idea of public private partnerships in forest management. Though the details of the proposal are still unclear, a report in the Hindustan Times suggest that the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate […]

The Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, abandoned the practices of the previous government delegations to the UN Human Rights Council in the recent years, has frankly admitted before the Council the mistakes of the past and the weaknesses of the Sri Lankan institutions. Previous delegations came with the sole purpose of denying all allegations […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) deeply regrets to inform you of the harassment and assault of several persons by military officers of the 73rd Infantry Battalion in separate incidents. In one instance, soldiers restricted the victims from buying supplies, accusing them of buying excess goods for rebels. In another instance, the soldiers […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is gravely concerned to have learned that Pravit Rojanaphruk, journalist for the Nation newspaper and freedom of expression advocate, is being detained in an undisclosed location by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO). The conditions of his detention are arbitrary and a clear derogation of the Government […]

This week’s Roundup begins in Bangladesh, where the breakdown of the rule of law is in an ever-worsening downward spiral. On International Day for Victims of Enforced Disappearances, intelligence agencies in the country threatened family members of the disappeared and 27 out of 35 scheduled meetings were cancelled. Next, AHRC TV reports on the shocking […]

September 11, 2012 will remain etched in the collective memory of Pakistan. On that day 259 labourers were burned alive inside a garment factory. The incident is unprecedented in the industrial history of Pakistan, and was termed a 9/11 for the laboring class of Pakistan. The fire was caused by a short circuit and quickly […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is concerned about the prolonged general strike that has made life very difficult in the southern plains of Nepal. Curfews have been set in Terai Districts to deter any untoward incidents. There is severe shortage of essentials and medicines. Shops and factories are closed. Daily wage earners have difficulty […]

Article on 3rd anniversary of the fire at two factories where 325 workers were burnt alive Abbas Haider Occupational Safety and Health (OHS) has become a focus of workers organizations and media in Pakistan following the two factory fires that resulted in the death of more than 325 workers in September 2012. These accidents were […]

A Statement from Hong Kong Campaign for the Advancement of Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines (HKCAHRPP) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission As human rights and peace advocates in Hong Kong, we are outraged by the spate of killings perpetrated against the lumads (indigenous people) in Mindanao, Southern Philippines. The heightened militarisation […]

A new wave of target killings of journalists and attacking on the media houses have again started. With in the span of 24 hours two media persons were killed by, as usual, “unknown persons”. The score comes to five during the current year. According to Dunya Tv during the last five years 65 journalists were […]

An Article published in the ‘Ceylon Today’, on 9th September 2015, forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission By Ruwan Laknath Jayakody The available statistics show that almost 80% of the victims of torture are innocent persons and almost always from the poorer communities, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) noted. Director of Policy and Programmes […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you of the arbitrary arrest and detention of two university students in Central Luzon over a year ago. The victims were conducting research when the military illegally arrested them. They were interrogated about the whereabouts of the New People’s Army (NPA) and its firearms, […]

Mr. Joko Widodo  President of the Republic of Indonesia Jl. Veteran No. 16, Jakarta Pusat, INDONESIA Tel: +62 21 3458 595 Fax: +62 21 3484 4759 E-mail: webmaster@setneg.go.id Dear President Widodo: On 7 September 2004, the Intelligence Agency (BIN) killed prominent Indonesian human rights defender, Mr. Munir Said Thalib, onboard a Garuda Indonesia flight from Jakarta […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission regrets to inform you that eight persons were arbitrarily arrested while three men were tortured in separate incidents in Mindanao. All the victims were detained on the basis of fabricated charges. They were also accused of being rebels and members of the New People’s Army (NPA). CASE DETAILS: […]

This week’s Roundup begins in Nepal where the violence that has plagued the small Himalayan nation during the last few weeks has intensified. Clashes between Tharu protesters and police in Kailali District resulted in the death of a 2-year-old child and the lynching and burning of 8 policemen. Next, AHRC TV reports from China. Following […]

A joint statement by the Commission for the Disappearances and Victims of Violence (KontraS) and the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) The Indonesian government is planning to provide an Rp 781 Billion (USD 62 Million) loan to PT Minarak Lapindo Jaya (MLJ), a national company, to complete the compensation to victims of the mudflow disaster […]

An article from The Nation forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission R Umaima Ahmed In August 2009, following the efforts of Clement Shahbaz Bhatti Federal Minister for Minorities who had earlier founded the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance in 1985, Mr Asif Ali Zardari the then President and Yousaf Raza Gilani the Prime Minster declared […]

We are presenting a discussion held on the ‘Subha Udesanak” (Good Morning) Programme, on Rupavahini with Mr Basil Fernando, Director of Policy and Programmes, Asian Human Rights Commission, Hong Kong, and popular film director Dharmasiri Bandaranayake, moderated by Mr. Chitral Perera. In this discussion the challenges faced by the new government due to the damage […]