Freedom of expression

When shall we ever learn that the nation is more important than the power quarrels and ambitions of this or that person? Last week we saw that we shall never learn. A few politicians led a crowd to the street, not for the sake of the nation but, in fact, against the very idea of […]

Avinash Pandey Delhi, the national capital of India, has witnessed another gory incident involving the rape-murder of a minor. This time, a 16-year-old was allegedly raped, strangled, and then set on fire in her own house in East Delhi. The police reportedly tried to pass off the crime as suicide, filing a case of rape and […]

Notorious for its enactment of arbitrary laws such as the Hudood ordinance, Blasphemy laws and the Protection of Pakistan Act, the Pakistan government has now added the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act 2015 to the increasing list of laws infringing upon citizens’ fundamental freedoms. The bill has been approved by both the houses and sent […]

The pretext of blasphemy has once again led to communal violence in Sindh, with one teenager Hindu shot dead and another critically injured. The violence started after a newly converted Muslim drug addict allegedly burned pages of the Quran. Twenty-four hours after the incident and his arrest, agitators in the presence of police and the […]

This week’s episode begins with the surprising decision of Indian activist Irom Sharmila to end her 16-year fast, and join politics. Sharmila, known as Manipur’s ‘Iron Lady’, has been spearheading the state’s struggle to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. Just Asia caught up with Babloo Loitongbam, Director of Human Rights Alert and long […]

The district police of Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkha (KP) province has ordered the externment of the transgender community for an indefinite period. The order will affect more than 1100 transgenders who are scattered throughout the district. Nowshera’s District Police Officer (DPO), a fundamentalist and extremist, issued the order of kicking out the transgender community from the […]

Dear President Widodo: The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), a Hong Kong-based, regional human rights organization, expresses its concern regarding government plans to execute approximately 14 death row inmates. Those to be executed are Mr. Fredi Budiman (Indonesia), Mr. Eugene Ape (Nigeria), Mr. Humphrey Jefferson (Nigeria), Mr. Seck Osmane (South Africa), Mrs. Merri Utami (Indonesia), […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is gravely dismayed by President Joko Widodo’s decision to appoint retired Army General Wiranto as a Cabinet Minister of Politics, Law and Security (Menkopolhukam). An individual with such a dubious human rights record should be prosecuted for his actions, rather than given a seat in government. According to the […]

A fact-finding team of the Dalit Civil Society has concluded that Ajit Mijar, found dead at Kumpur – 3 in Dhading District, did not die as a result of suicide. His was, rather, a staged murder. They have made this declaration in a report, based on the facts and findings collected during their three-day visit […]

By Phattranit Yaodam and Samira Saran August 7, 2016 is scheduled for the constitutional referendum by the Thai Military government and the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), the junta-ruling body. It is during times of political change that the right to freedom of expression is most essential, ensuring that a well-informed and empowered […]

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has expressed concern over moves to revive the Protection of Pakistan Act (POPA), which had expired on July 15, and urged the government to avoid resorting to laws that violate the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution. In a statement issued on Friday, the Commission said: “HRCP notes […]

By Basil Fernando It has been 33 years since Black July, 1983. These 33 years have been part of our lifetime. We have witnessed not only the horrendously criminal acts of July 1983, but also what happened by way of justice after those serious crimes. I would like to illustrate my point in terms of […]

Naseer Memon The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) have released a report “Multidimensional Poverty in Pakistan” which depicts a grim picture of social well-being in the country. The concept of poverty has evolved over time. As knowledge about the complexity of human societies is growing, poverty has […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from MASUM about yet another starvation death in Dumchipara Tea Garden owned by Duncans group. The tea plantation has been shut down for a while now and this has exposed workers to hunger and starvation. The AHRC demands immediate intervention and urges the authorities […]

Introduction Many of the essays published in this booklet were initially published in several publications, such as Ceylon Independent, The Nation, and Colombo Telegraph. All these articles are linked to a common theme, which is the need for recognising that the legal system in Sri Lanka, and in particular the criminal justice system, is facing the threat […]

This week’s episode begins with the murder in Nepal of 18-year-old Ajit Mijar. Ajit married his non Dalit girlfriend Kalpana Parajuli on July 9, and the couple were forcibly separated by police and Kalpana’s family on July 11. On July 14, Ajit was found hanging near Phurke Khola, Dhading district. To learn more, Just Asia […]

The statement made by Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa the former head of state in Sri Lanka, that ‘establishing the office of the Missing Persons is a betrayal of the armed forces’ is a statement unbecoming of a former head of the state and a prominent political leader in Sri Lanka. What it directly says is that […]

The extent to which Pakistan has complied with human rights standards set out in the International Convention of the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), will be assessed by a United Nation’s expert committee in Geneva on August 16-17, this year. The committee will look at a report to be presented by the government of Pakistan, […]

Avinash Pandey Gujarat is simmering again. Dalits are agitating over criminals indulging in criminality. These criminals, who are fondly referred to as “cow vigilantes” by the mainstream media, have recently stripped and flogged four Dailit youth in Una. The resultant protests have claimed two lives: a policeman has reportedly been killed in stone pelting in […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) condemns racism, insults and assaults against indigenous Papuan students in the Papuan students dormitory at the Kamasan I Jalan Kusumanegara, Yogyakarta province, Indonesia. Since Friday morning, July 15, police officers have surrounded and forcibly closed the Papuan students’ dormitory. Inside there were approximately 100 Papuan students. The police did […]