Freedom of expression

INDIA: Where has all the COVID aid gone? The world demands accountability from India

Article | India | 07-05-2021

This article is part of the Anatomy of a pandemic series. Click here for the first part.) By Avinash Pandey The World sent India millions in Covid Aid. Why it is not reaching those who need it most screams the headline of a CNN report. A reporter in the daily press briefing of the United States’ Department of State raised […]

ASIA/WORLD: A New Publication – NEGLECT & LOSS

The link to the newsletter is as follows. Neglect and loss is a newsletter containing reports and commentaries on current problems in several Asian countries. The purpose of the newsletter is to highlight many forms of unnecessary human suffering imposed on ordinary people in these countries due to the neglect of authorities to carry out their […]

BURMA/MYANMAR: Myanmar Situation Update

A Statement from Anfrel forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission The pro-democracy protests continued across the country while the Myanmar community outside of the country also conducted the protests in places such as London, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo and Seoul. The protests started again in Yangon last week just before the ASEAN summit after a […]

BANGLADESH: UN Rights Chief needs to act to address excessive use of force leading to extrajudicial killings and torture amidst mass arrests

The Bangladesh Government continues using dis-proportionate lethal force and brutal crackdowns on dissidents. The authorities have been using the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the excuses for denying the rights of liberties and livelihoods to the people. The Bangladesh Government, in its signature style, chose to crackdown on protesters for staging two peaceful protests. They were aimed […]

BURMA/MYANMAR: Myanmar Situation Update

A Statement from ANFREL forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Download the Full Statement Here The protests continued for the 12th week across the country despite the brutal crackdown. After a weeks- long absence, protesters returned to the streets in downtown Yangon ahead of the ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting. The media also reported that more than […]

INDONESIA: Long Journey of the Work of AHRC Empowering and Inspiring

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) and its sister organization, the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), have long history of journey working with local human rights networks and organizations in Indonesia. In addition, the AHRC also has long experiences working with association of victims and family of victims of past human rights abuses such as […]

SRI LANKA: Rule By Gazettes Leads to Impoverishment and Insecurity

By Basil Fernando It is not for fun that the Government established processes for taking decisions and implementing them. It is the age old wisdom gained through various experiences throughout history that led to the establishment of these processes before making decisions and also for implementing and following up on them. The most underlying principle […]

INDONESIA: A Journalist brutally attacked while carrying out media coverage

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION – URGENT APPEALS PROGRAM Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-005-2021 April 16, 2021 ——————————————————————— INDONESIA: Journalist Brutally Attacked While Carrying Out Media Coverage ISSUES: Freedom of expression, freedom of the press, access to justice, fair trial, impunity —————————————- Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding violence against a […]

NEPAL: NHRC must respond to the letter sent by the GANHRI

We, the four organizations—Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), Advocacy Forum, Lawyer’s Association for the Human Rights of Nepal’s Indigenous Peoples (LAHURNIP) and Terai Human Rights Defenders Alliance (THRDA)—would like to urge the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to timely respond to a letter sent by the Global Alliance for Global Alliance of National Human Rights […]

WORLD: An Interview with Basil Fernando on his book Body, Mind, Soul, and Society

You may watch the interview at the following link.  Some comments of the book as follows. This is a unique and important book… One learns invaluable lessons from this insightful book and, for that, one is grateful to the author for contributing to our understanding of what it means to be working for the promotion and […]

SRI LANKA: Black Sunday- Mourning the Death of Criminal Investigating Capacity

By Basil Fernando In answering the call of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Sri Lanka, the faithful living in various parts of the country wore black and attended the churches as a protest against the failure to provide justice for all those who were killed in the Easter Sunday bombings in 2019. They also participated […]

INDONESIA: Analisa Saya Terkait Pemekaran Provinsi di Papua Barat

Written by Mr. Theo Hesegem (Executive Director of the Papua Justice and Human Integrity Foundation) Menurut Direktur Yayasan Keadilan dan Keutuhan Manuaia (the Papua Justice and Human Integrity Foundation), Theo Hesegem, Pejabat di Jakarta sangat pintar hebat dan luar biasa, tetapi menurut saya tidak pernah berpikir dan menganalisa resiko dan masalah yang akan berdampak konflik […]

SRI LANKA: Rupavahini Incident: Unanswered Questions

by Basil Fernando In a separate article, I reported a recently delivered judgment by the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka regarding an arbitrary termination of broadcast by the Rupavahini Corporation in 2008. The purpose of this article is not to recapture the findings of that judgment but to go into some of the factual information […]

WORLD: Free eBook copies of Body, Mind, Soul, and Society available in Amazon from 24th to 28th February 2021

The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes to inform you about a free eBook copies of Body, Mind, Soul, and Society available in Amazon from 24th to 28th February 2021. Choose when the promotion starts and ends. Start and end dates are midnight Pacific Time. For example, if you enter a start date of January 3 […]

SRI LANKA: SC Condemns Imperious Attitude In Abruptly Terminating A Broadcast

by Basil Fernando In 2008, an incident took place at a panel discussion organized by the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation. Three panelists were invited by the producer of the programme , ‘Ira Anduru Pata’ to comment on the new set of regulations called ‘Private Television Broadcasting Regulations of 2007’ issued and published in the Gazette […]

INDONESIA: Special Interview on controversial of Job Creation Law & Human Rights in the time of Covid-19

The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes to inform you about an interview with Mr. Ken Budha Kusumandaru, a survivor and also a human rights activist from Indonesia. Mr, Ken Ndaru was detained under Soeharto regime due to his involvement in the opponent group against the regime. He is also a former member of the People […]

NEPAL: Instead of hearing out civic voices of the marginalized groups, the government is becoming more authoritarian

Article | Nepal | 09-02-2021

On 21st November 2006, ‘The Comprehensive Peace Accord’ (CPA) was signed between the Government of Nepal and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). With this, a decade long armed-conflict ended and the nation started to be recognized as the ‘New-Nepal’. The dream of development began to germinate. Citizens started to have belief in the Government. […]

SRI LANKA: Wasted Years – Short Essays on the 1978 Constitution

Download the full  English Version here Download the full  Tamil Translation here On the occasion of seventy-three years of independence, the Asian Human Rights Commission has published an online book entitled “Wasted Years – Short Essays on the 1978 Constitution”. This online publication is a collection of many essays that were previously circulated in several publications. They covered a […]

INDONESIA: Labor Activist, after delivering a public speech, is criminally charged under Articles of Criminal Defamation

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION – URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-001-2021  January 22, 2021 ——————————————————————— INDONESIA: Labor Activist, after delivering a public speech, is criminally charged under Articles of Criminal Defamation ISSUES: Freedoms of Expression and Opinion, fabricated cases, Rule of Law, access to Justice  ——————————————————————— Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) […]

NEPAL: The struggle to establish democracy

Article | Nepal | 18-01-2021

Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari on December 20 sent shockwaves across the country as she approved the Cabinet’s recommendation for the dissolution of the Lower House of Parliament. The president’s move has pushed the Himalayan country deeper into the quagmire of instability even as it had been attempting to find its footing in democratic politics. […]