Freedom of expression

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you that two of the 23 detainees, one of whom is a minor, were released on bail on February 8. The AHRC welcomes the granting of bail and the release of these detainees; however, it notes with apprehension that 21 others remain in detention. […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes with deep concern regarding the continued detention of 23 persons, composed of labour leaders, garment workers and others, whom police and military arrested in separate incidents on the 2nd and 3rd January, 2014, for holding protests demanding an increase of the monthly minimum wage to USD160 […]

The Friday Forum 2, Greenlands Avenue, Colombo 5, Sri Lanka E-Mail; chandraj111@gmail.com Telephone; 0773634444   Fax; 2504181 PRESS RELEASE 27th January 2014. There has been, in recent times, public discussion in regard to whether our country is moving towards an authoritarianism that undermines democratic governance. The President, Ministers and government spokespersons have consistently denied this allegation. They refer in particular to the […]

For Freedom, Justice and Love – My Closing Statement to the Court Xu Zhiyong, 22 January 2014 This is Xu Zhiyong’s closing statement on January 22, 2014, at the end of his trial. According to his lawyer, he had only been able to read “about 10 minutes of it before the presiding judge stopped him, […]

A media house issuing adverse reports on the Taliban is attacked and three employees were killed The Pakistani Taliban, a brutal and bloody organisation, has accelerated its attacks in different parts of the country. During the last four days from January 15, a total of 52 people have been killed in suicide attacks and targeted […]

The Military Special Command Unit 911 in Cambodia firing live ammunition at garment factory workers asking for the increase of the minimum wage has been internationally condemned. The firing led to the deaths of four persons and injuries to at least 39 more. Nonetheless, on a subsequent day, the military arrested 23 people, including human […]

Wednesday, January 8, 2014 (All day) The true or genuine creative writer of the calibre of a sensitive poet writes not for the entire public but for a self expression of some of his intimate feelings and experiences for one’s sake. Perhaps he or she writes for a particular reason, for a vanishing few admirers. […]

The AHRC condoles the death of Mr. Khurshid Anwar, a writer and activist reputed for his life-long struggle for upholding the rights and dignity of the downtrodden, not only in India but the whole subcontinent. Unable to cope with the mental torture of relentless social media trial over a case of an alleged rape which […]

Democracy and human rights were taboo under the military regime until the movement of democratisation which took place in 1987 triggered the 9th Amendment to the Constitution in the country. This Amendment guaranteed at least ‘procedural’ democracy. Those terms were released from constraints that had been kept for decades by the military forces. After they […]

Commemorating the 64th Anniversary of Human Rights Day, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has released a comprehensive report, State of Human Rights in Asia 2013, covering Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Hunger in Asia. The report can be accessed here. The global theme for this year is 20 Years: Working for your rights. […]

Dear friends, On 11 December 2013, at 9 am in the Bangkok Southern Criminal Court on Sathorn Road, the Supreme Court verdict will be read in the case of Bantit (last name withheld), charged with violating Article 112 of the Criminal Code in Black Case No. 725/2548 (Red Case No. 1483/2549), will be read. The […]

PRESS RELEASE, December 10, 2013 Thma-U-Rangli-Juki (TUR), a progressive people’s organisation, will hold a street corner meeting on the draconian Meghalaya Preventive Detention Act (MPDA), 1995 and Meghalaya Maintenance of Public Order Act (MMPO) to observe International Human Rights Day on 10th December at Khyndai Lad, Shillong at 2 p.m. This will kick off the […]

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on Human Rights Day Sinhalese The full report is available for download at: http://www.humanrights.asia/resources/hrreport/2013/AHRC-SPR-006-2013.pdf/view International human rights day is a day for the celebration of human dignity. It is an appropriate date to take stock of what progress, if any, has been made in the promotion and protection […]

English The full report is available for download at: http://www.humanrights.asia/resources/hrreport/2013/AHRC-SPR-006-2013.pdf/view අන්තර්ජාතික මානව හිමිකම් දිනය මානව අභිමානය සමරන දිනයකි. එහිදී, ශරී   ලංකාවේ මානව හිමිකම් පර්ත වර්ධනය හා ආරක්ෂාව සම්බන්ධයෙන් යම්කිසි දියුණුවක් ලබා තිබේ නම් එම දියුණුව කුමක්දැයි සලකා බැලීම සඳහා මේ දිනය යොදාගැනීම සුදුසු ය. අවාසනාවකට මෙන් මේ සම්බන්ධයෙන් පරුසුගමනයක් දැකගත නොහැකි අතර ඒ වෙනුවට පැහැදිලිවම […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from civil society groups regarding death threats, arbitrary detention and harassment of members of the Meyor community, a group of indigenous people in Arunachal Pradesh. They are being targeted for their activities on conservation of community land and natural resources. The Meyor community with […]

The full report is available for download at: http://www.humanrights.asia/resources/hrreport/2013/AHRC-SPR-002-2013.pdf/view In commemoration of Human Rights Day on December 10, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is issuing a brief report on the state of human rights in Indonesia. Using the examples of events which took place in 2013, the report highlights three crucial subjects which have been […]

The full report is available for download at: http://www.humanrights.asia/resources/hrreport/2013/AHRC-SPR-005-2013.pdf/view A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on Human Rights Day AHRC releases its Report on the State of Human Rights in Pakistan, 2013 In 2013, the people of Pakistan have remained at the mercy of state and non-state actors who resort to violence as a […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the imminent threat of arrest and harassment of New Delhi based journalist, feminist activist and human rights defender Ms. Sheeba Aslam Fahmi. She informed AHRC that in August 2012, she received email from unknown source threatening her of dire consequences for expressing her […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission has learned that direct intervention from the Attorney General’s Office of Bangladesh is preventing the release of ASM Nasiruddin Elan, Director of Odhikar, a Bangladesh based human rights organisations, despite the High Court having granted bail to the prominent human rights defender. That the Attorney General’s Office can impede a high […]

Nine journalists suffered the worse kind of suppression with assassinations and attacks ( Graphic Courtesy: pakistanfoemonitor.org ) With the successive governments the reality of freedom of expression grows thinner and thinner as the right guaranteed by the Constitution of Pakistan is further constricted. Apart from blatant interference by the government, freedom of expression is also being […]