Freedom of expression

In May 2011, the government of Thailand announced that the country would go to a national election on July 3. It might have been expected that this announcement would result in a lessening of the threats against, and arrests of, persons trying to exercise free speech. In fact, the opposite is the case. Since the […]

PAKISTAN: The Baloch Noam Chomsky is dead Malik Siraj Akbar There is renewed anger across Balochistan over the dreadful assassination of one of the most popular icons of Balochi literature and civil society, Dr. Saba Dashtiyari. A professor of Islamic studies at the University of Balochistan, the fifty-eight-year old university educator was gunned down when […]

By Shamsul Islam A ban has been imposed on all government officials from interacting with the media under the new Protection and communication of official information rule. As per Rule 46 of the Punjab Government Rules of Business 2011, which was recently circulated among all provincial departments all government employees are hereby forbidden to speak […]

Mr. Hameed Haroon, the chief executive officer of the Dawn, a leading daily newspaper of Pakistan and the president of the All Pakistan Newspaper Society, an organization of owners of the print media, has confirmed that the slain journalist, Mr. Saleem Shahzad, had received threatening messages from Pakistan’s notorious intelligence agency, the ISI on at […]

Saleem Shahzad, who had earlier announced the danger to his life from the intelligence services (ISI) in Pakistan was abducted last Sunday, May 29, and his body was discovered on May 31. This is one more of the mysterious abductions and extrajudicial killings that have been taking place in Pakistan on a regular basis. He […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a senior journalist of Asia Times, a Hong Kong-based news agency, was abducted by unidenfied persons from Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan. Mr. Saleem Shahzad was going to a private television channel to give an interview on his revelation about the militants […]

Dear friends,  After the Manokwari District Police in West Papua arrested peaceful protesters following a flag raising event on 14 December, 2010, seven persons were charged with rebellion. The detainees were ill-treated and denied medical care for weeks resulting in serious health conditions. Police forced the victims to sign the dossier of the case before […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the police and parliamentarians protect the criminals that attempted to murder Mr. Billal Hossain Robin, a journalist based in Narayanganj district. The police primarily refused to register a complaint and then deliberately delayed the process of registering the complaint after the attack on […]

Dear All,  The Asian Human Rights Commission has earlier informed you about the attack on FMA Razzak instantiated by army officer, Major Mustafizur Rahman Bokul and his family, who attempted to gouge out Razzak’s eyes. The right leg and hand were broken with several bones suffered fractures. The police have not yet started a credible […]

(Hong Kong, May 7, 2011) At a meeting held today, 7 May, at a local cooperative society’s meeting room in Paikgachha, Mr. Sohrab Ali Sana, Member of Parliament for the Paikgachha-Koyra (Khulna-6) constituency, demanded the arrest of all suspects relating to the attack on FMA Razzak and his brother, which took place on 29 April. […]

(Hong Kong, May 5, 2011) The inhabitants of Paikgachha have again held a rally demanding the arrest of Mustafizur Rahman Bokul, a major in the Bangladesh army, and his aides for gouging the eyes of human rights defender FMA Razzak and his brother Bodiuzzaman Bodiar. The rally was held at the zero point of Paikgachha […]

(Hong Kong, May 4, 2011) Hundreds of men, women and children at Paikgachha have taken to streets demanding arrest of eye-gouger Mustafizur Rahman Bokul, a major in the Bangladesh army, and his aides for gouging eyes of human rights defender FMA Razzak and his brother Bodiuzzaman Bodiar. They spontaneously participated in a procession in protest […]

At a press conference in Thailand on 24 April 2011, Somsak Jeamteerasakul and several coalitions of academics, human rights activists, and journalists released statements calling for the protection of freedom of speech in Thailand. These statements were in response to a series of blatant threats made towards Somsak over comments that some people have considered […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) regrets to inform you that the Asahi Kosei (M) Sdn. Bhd. Company, a firm whom we earlier reported to have threatened to commence legal action against a human rights lawyer, Mr. Charles Hector Fernandez, for blogging about alleged violations of the migrant workers rights the company has […]

The continuous persecution by the Sri Lankan government of the Lanka-E-News publication reached a new stage when its editor, Bennet Rupasinghe was arrested and detained yesterday. For many months now Lanka-E-News has been under severe attack and one of its reporters, Prageeth Eknaligoda has been missing for over one year now. His family has accused […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward to you the following press release from Reporters Without Borders. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong A Press Release from Reporters Without Borders forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) Reporters Without Borders / Reporters sans frontières 31-03-2011 Eng : http://en.rsf.org/sri-lanka-authorities-step-up-intimidation-31-03-2011,39927.html fr : http://fr.rsf.org/sri-lanka-l-intimidation-continue-le-31-03-2011,39926.html?var_mode=calcul Reporters […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Barak Human Rights Protection Committee (BHRPC) that a group of journalists were assaulted at the Assam University campus in Assam. It is alleged that the proctor of the university is behind the incident. The journalists claim that the security staff who attached […]

A Statement from a group of concerned media organisations in Sri Lanka forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission 24th March 2011 In view of insecurity created by a series of incidents in the aftermath of the arson attack of Lanka e-News, staff of Lanka e-News, concerned media and human rights organizations in Sri Lanka […]

Dear friends,  Since Saturday April 16, 2011 several farmers have been injured by military violence in Kebumen regency, Central Java. The actions of the military personnel included beating, kicking and shooting, allegedly with rubber bullets caused several persons injured. Ten villagers were arrested after they protested against the occupation of their land by the military. […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that working journalists and newspapers employees of Pakistan have been denied an increase in minimum wages since 1996. Due to the ongoing litigation in the higher courts the owners of the media houses are enjoying the benefits of the delay in justice. The 7th […]