Freedom of expression

NEPAL: Government finally agrees to medical reforms after 27 days of Dr. Govinda K.C.’s hunger strike

Statement | Nepal | 27-07-2018

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) salutes the undeterred courage of Dr. Govinda K.C., who singlehandedly brought Nepal’s government to its knees after staging a fast-unto-death hunger strike for 27 days. Dr. Govinda K.C. started his 15th hunger strike from Jumla district on 30 June 2018, demanding that the medical education law should be drafted based on […]

BANGLADESH: Civic space denied and ruling party takes laws in hand

Bangladesh’s human rights situation has alarmingly deteriorated over the past years, and it tends to get worse. Exercising of basic freedoms by the ordinary people appears to be impossible under the current regime. Freedom of peaceful assembly and association is being denied and dealt with cruelty. Both the law enforcement agencies of the state and […]

INDONESIA: Police and government staff forcibly dispersed movie screening in Papuan students’ dormitory

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding intimidation, harassment and forced dispersal of a discussion and movie screening organized by Papuan students in their student dormitory in Surabaya, East Java province. The head of Tambaksari sub-district, along with the police, civil service police unit (satpol PP) and military personnel, forcibly […]

AHRC TV: Death toll rises in Pakistan’s third deadliest attack and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 228

This week Just Asia begins with Pakistan, where 149 people have died in a suicide bomb attack in Balochistan’s Mastung district. A suicide bomber detonated his explosives at an election rally of the Balochistan Awami Party on Friday afternoon. The death toll continues to rise, with more than a hundred others injured. This was the […]

INDIA: Peaceful student protesters met with police brutality in Manipur

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Youth’s Forum for Protection of Human Rights(YFPHR) regarding the brutality of Manipur’s police personnel against protesting students of the Democratic Students Alliance of Manipur (DESAM) CASE NARRATIVE: On the 16th of July, 2018, the members of the Democratic Students Alliance of Manipur […]

INDIA: Dangerous polls and irresponsible reporting

An article from The Mint forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission On 26 June 2018, the Thomson Reuters Foundation released the results of a perception poll that declared India to be the most dangerous country in the world for women, ahead of Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia and Saudi Arabia. The rankings were based on the […]

INDONESIA : Menanti kebijakan HAM Presiden Joko Widodo untuk Papua

By Chris Biantoro1 Sejak Suharto lengser pada tahun 1998, dan reformasi telah berjalan selama lebih dari 18 tahun, Papua belum menikmati arti perubahan yang sesungguhnya, sebagaimana dinikmati oleh wilayah lain di Indonesia. Inisiatif untuk menyelesaikan kasus-kasus pelanggaran Hak Asasi Manusia (HAM) di provinsi Papua dan Papua barat, sebenarnya telah beberapa kali muncul, misalkan yang diinisiasi […]

AHRC TV: Indian journalist gunned down and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 224

This week Just Asia begins with India, where Shujaat Bukhaari, editor of the newspaper Rising Kashmir, was gunned down outside his office in Srinagar on June 14. A highly respected journalist, Bukhaari was known for his consistent advocacy for peace and dialogue in Kashmir. His assassination, along with that of journalist Gauri Lankesh in Bangalore […]

INDIA: APDP & JKCCS welcome the report of the UN Office of High Commissioner For Human Rights on the situation in Jammu & Kashmir

A Press Release from Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society and Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) June 14th, 2018 Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) and Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) welcome today’s important report by the Office of the High […]

SRI LANKA: A Gratuitous Relationship for the Promotion of Human Rights – AHRC and Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Report for 2017 2017 was a decisive year for Sri Lanka, showing what progress had – and hadn’t – been made in the past few years. In January 2015, a new government was elected with a massive intervention on the part of the people. For 10 years, their premiere, Mahinda Rajapaksa, ran an […]

AHRC TV: Indian youth lynched in Assam and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 223

This week Just Asia begins with India, where two young men were lynched on the suspicion of being child abductors. Niloptal Das and Abhijeet Nath were artists based in Goa, who had come to Assam to celebrate the Bohag Bihu festival and do some sight-seeing. A mob stopped their SUV at night, believing a child […]

NEPAL: Communist government moves to curtail civil liberties

By Supriya Manandhar The Nepal Communist Party (NCP) government has announced two new policies that have oversight to infringe on civil liberties in Nepal. The National Integrity Policy 2018 places tighter controls over non-governmental space and is currently under discussion, while the Foreign Nationals Monitoring Directive 2018 provides greater surveillance and intervention over foreigners residing […]

WORLD: Gratuitous cooperation between AHRC and Nervazhi

Statement | World | 11-06-2018

This is a joint statement of the Asian Human Rights Commission and Nervazhi, Kerala, India. Nervazhi is one of the many organisations that the AHRC works with throughout Asia. In question and answer form we are explaining the basic aspects of the relationship between the two organisations. The AHRC, based in Hong Kong, and Nervazhi […]

WORLD: Lies and filth are no conversation

Article | World | 08-06-2018

By Basil Fernando, Avinash Pandey The world has seen a lot of debate over falsehood being spread in the name of facts recently. This, though, is not a chance encounter. There is a very definite method in this madness. Lowering the quality of the conversation has always been a very well working mean of creating […]

AHRC TV: Thai activists charged for walking and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 222

  This week Just Asia begins with Thailand, where police issued summons to at least another 47 individuals on May 29, for exercising their freedom of peaceful assembly to call for elections and democracy. Fifteen others were charged by the police earlier, also for participating at an assembly held at Thammasat University and the UN […]

WORLD: Is not Nilantha Ilangamuwa a congenital liar: a personal reply by Mr. Basil Fernando

Statement | World | 04-06-2018

Like the proverbial animal with thousands of horns, Ilangamuwa has many titles such as “One of the” Editors of Sri Lanka Guardian, a correspondent for Sri Lanka Guardian, Special Correspondent and a spokesman from a concerned group of journalists that does not exist. He also claims that he is publishing from London, Boston, South Africa and […]

INDIA: Police violence in Tuticorin a gross violation of due process and rule of law

Statement | India | 27-05-2018

On May 22, 2018, the people of Thoothukudi(Tuticorin) were protesting for the 100th day against the environmental damage caused by the copper smelter unit of Sterlite Copper company, a unit of Vedanta Group. 100 days of protests that turned violent on May 22nd, with police firing on the protesters and killing, as on date, 13 […]

INDIA: People’s Watch condemns the indiscriminate and random police violence in Tuticorin

A Press Release from People’s Watch forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) People’s Watch calls for the order of immediate closure of Sterlite Copper Smelter Plant No. 1 and for the stoppage of construction at the Copper Smelter Plant No.2, by the Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy. People’s Watch would like to highlight that […]

WORLD: Asian Human Rights Charter represents the spirit of the Gwangju uprising

Statement | World | 23-05-2018

Mr. Basil Fernando’s keynote address delivered on 16 May 2018 at the Gwangju Human Rights Forum The 2018 Gwangju Human Rights Forum was jointly organized by the May 18 Foundation and AHRC It is a great honor to be speaking to you all today when we have gathered to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the […]

WORLD: Right to Justice – A speech by the Chairperson of AHRC delivered on 17 May 2018 at the Gwangju Human Rights Forum

Statement | World | 20-05-2018

The 2018 Gwangju Human Rights Forum was jointly organized by the May 18 Foundation and AHRC RIGHT TO JUSTICE Systemic Ways to Ensure Human Rights Are Protected A. Human Rights and the Violation of those Rights Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start. When you read, you begin with A, B, […]