Freedom of expression

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the Nepal police has fired 4 rounds of bullets and several rounds of tear gas canons, in addition to a baton charge, on people watching documentaries of Dr. Raut in Baluwa Bazaar of Mahottari District on Tuesday evening at around 8 p.m. Around 25 people […]

Freedom of the press is the cornerstone of every democracy. However, in states where democracy is little more than fascism in the façade of democracy, press freedom is the first casualty. This is the case in Pakistan, where journalists are suffering from an epidemic of violence. The latest attack has been on Geo News Bureau […]

On Thursday, July 23, police in Indagaw Township in Bago (Pegu) Region of Myanmar arrested human rights defender Ma Su Su Nwe and took her to the local court, where she was remanded in custody charged with trespassing under section 447 of the Penal Code: a section of law now being used with monotonous regularity […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the Nepal Police has clamped down on peaceful protesters at the Shree Ram Naresh Yadav Model Higher Secondary School, located at Dhakdhai 1, Rupandehi District. The incident occurred during an opinion collection drive for the draft constitution. Mr. Salman Khan, a news reporter […]

This Week’s Roundup begins in the Indian state of Kerala where AHRC follows up on the unique police modernisation process underway. Featured in the programme is footage of Member of the State Legislative Assembly V.T. Balram, debating this critical reform process in the Kerala Legislative Assembly. The programme then revisits events in China where more […]

The scope for the right to privacy and freedom of expression is being narrowed further in Pakistan, according to a report published by Privacy International. The report claims that Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies are closer than ever to removing internet privacy and increasing surveillance of the private data of average citizens, an exercise which […]

An Announcement by the Asian Human Rights Commission This week’s Roundup begins in the Indian state of Kerala. The state government has initiated a process of police reforms. This unique initiative involves enabling the police to undertake scientific crime investigation. AHRC TV interviews AHRC Executive Director Bijo Francis to learn more about the outlook for […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding a writer who was charged and prosecuted for allegedly committing a religious offence. He has now been sentenced to two years imprisonment with hard labour. An excerpt of his speech, which excoriates extremists and jingoists, intended for the benefit of Buddhism, spread […]

A Statement from the International Solidarity for Thai Students and Teachers forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Fourteen Thai students were arrested on 26 June 2015 and are currently being detained in Bangkok after a series of peaceful protests against the military dictatorship of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO). They have […]

In the past few months, the Nepal Police has made its presence conspicuous in the vicinity of the residence of Dr. CK Raut in Rajbiraj, Saptari District. The number of personnel ranges from 2 to well over a dozen, rising when they think Dr. Raut has reason to leave his home. They have placed Dr. […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the harassment and threats received by the frontline human right Defender Ms Noor e Maryam Kanwer. Ms Kanwer is the Chairperson/Director of Pakistan Youth Alliance, an NGO working in fields of counter-extremism, peace-building, conflict resolution and social welfare. Since the past one year she has been […]

In this week’s special Roundup, AHRC TV joins a panel discussion from last week’s Folk School Meeting held in Hong Kong. Human rights defenders from several Asian countries joined a weeklong conference to discuss solutions to human rights impediments in the region. Participants of this panel discussion were Adilur Rahman Khan from ODHIKAR in Bangladesh, Bushra […]

An Article by the Asian Human Rights Commission HONG KONG/PHILIPPINES: Remember who we were to knowwho we are by Danilo Reyes (Note: this article was first published in the June 7, 2015 issue of the Sunday Examiner) Wala namang espesyal dito (there is nothing special here),”a female staff from a hostel where I was staying in Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro, told me. I was […]

by Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena On the 9th of January 2015, the people of Sri Lanka astounded themselves and many others in the world. An authoritarian ruling family cabal which had ruthlessly stripped the country’s democratic institutions and systems of their basic integrity and legitimacy, subordinated the highest Court in the land and unforgivably repressed and alienated Sri […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information of another attack on the Christian community in Punjab Province; members have been attacked with arms, some houses have been burned, and a Church has been ransacked by an enraged mob under the leadership of a local mosque leader. This attack has taken place […]

Pakistan, in a short time, has witnessed several positive laws being promulgated in favour of equality for women. The women selected to special seats at the federal and provincial levels, including the few elected directly have been asserting their position to increase women’s participation in every walk of life and to eradicate violence against women, […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information regarding a brutal attack on farmers by the Indonesian Army. The alleged attack in Ramunia Village, Pantai Labu Sub-district of North Sumatera Province, came with the intent of grabbing farmers’ land. Army personnel of Regional Military Office, North Sumatera Province (Kodam I Bukit Barisan), along […]

An Article by Basil Fernando  This is a speech delivered by Basil Fernando at  The Fifth  Human Rights Cities Forum-  As the Keynote address for the Special  Session on Asian Human Rights – Human Rights in Asia and Vision of Human Rights City- 16th May 2015. It is useful, I think, to recall the aims […]

by Javeria Younes The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has initiated a series of articles on the proposed Prevention of Electronic Crime Act, 2015. The Bill has draconian provisions that seek to muzzle the freedom of expression and speech over the Internet to discourage dissent and stifle intellectual discourse. The Bill has been presented in Parliament […]

Wolfgang Kaleck interviewed by John Clancey Wolfgang Kaleck is a German civil rights attorney and the General Secretary for the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights. Against huge odds he has sought prosecution charges against a number of US officials and personnel in connected with the alleged human rights abuses at Abu Ghraib and […]