Freedom of expression

SOUTH KOREA: Defamation against an activist by intelligence agency

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that on September 14, 2009 the National Intelligence Service (NIS) sued Mr. Park Won-Soon, a human rights lawyer and civil activist, for civil defamation requesting a huge amount of money in damages. The AHRC is concerned that defamation will be used by public authorities […]

SRI LANKA: Ranga Bandara MP talks to the AHRC about the arson attack on his house and office

   Mr. Ranga Bandara, a Member of Parliament gave a live interview to the Asian Human Rights Commission, based in Hong Kong, on October 6th about the arson attack and about the political environment in which this attach took place. Following is a summary of the recorded interview: A group of people entered my premises […]

UPDATE (Sri Lanka): A journalist is receiving death threats from police after his torture and arrest on false charges

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that the life of a journalist who has been twice arrested, tortured and remanded on tenuous charges, is in danger. Senake Ekanayake has complained to the National Human Rights Commission, the National Police Commission, the President and the Inspector General of Police about his illegal […]

UPDATE (Burma): Human rights defenders are among those released from jail

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is pleased to let you know that a number of human rights defenders on whose behalf we have campaigned in recent years have been released from imprisonment in Burma, as well as some of those who were involved in the September 2007 protests.  DETAINEES RELEASED:  The AHRC […]

UPDATE (Burma): Two journalists among prisoners released from jail

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is pleased to inform you that two journalists who had been imprisoned in 2008 for helping cyclone victims to contact international agencies have been released from prison. CASE DETAILS: As per our appeal in April (AHRC-UAC-033-2009), 24-year-old Ma Eint Khaing Oo and 29-year-old Ko Kyaw Kyaw Thant, […]

INDONESIA: A human rights defender is accused of criminal defamation for seeking to investigate Munir’s murder

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a leading rights activist and partner of the AHRC has been accused of criminal defamation by the former deputy chief of Indonesia’s State Intelligence Agency, after he testified against the latter for his involvement in the murder of Munir Said Thalib. Munir is […]

PAKISTAN: The trade of justice continues as police protect ruling party members who are guilty of rape and maiming with acid

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received detailed information about a case of extreme violence, corruption and impunity involving members of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), a ruling partner of the Zardari government. Police and high ranking officials are continuing to thwart all attempts by a young rape victim to prosecute MQM […]

BURMA: Four men tried for having stickers of Aung San Suu Kyi

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed of an ongoing case in Burma in which four men are being tried for having stickers of Aung San Suu Kyi. The men were arrested without basis and it was reportedly only after entering their houses that the police seized the stickers and accused […]

UPDATE (Burma): Three innocent men are tortured into confessing to a bomb plot

Dear friends,  Last year the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) issued an urgent appeal in the case of U Myint Aye, the leader of the Human Rights Defenders and Promoters group in Burma whom police and other officials arrested without giving a reason. Later the military regime there organised a press conference in which it […]

SRI LANKA: International Press Freedom Mission to Sri Lanka

The International Press , which is comprised of representatives from the world¡¦s media community, including Reporters Without Borders, is extremely concerned over the ongoing spate of violent attacks against the media. However, in spite of the military victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the deterioration of the press freedom situation in the […]

BURMA: Two elected MPs given 27 years for writing letter to UN

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) regrets to have to inform you of yet another case of gross injustice and denial of human rights in Burma through that country’s “injustice system”. In this case, two elected parliamentarians have been sentenced to 27 years in jail each for organizing a group of their peers […]

CAMBODIA: Judicial independence is the key to reducing defamation lawsuits against critics and upholding freedom of expression

Prime Minister Hun Sen is utilising much of the country’s electronic media to assert his leadership of the country and send out messages to his people through his public speeches at different functions. Now and again in such speeches he rebukes his critics and makes disparaging remarks and even or threats against them. At times, […]

PAKISTAN: A student leader goes missing after his alleged arrest by state agents; a female student demonstrator is sentenced to three years in jail

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information that a student activist has been arrested by members of a military intelligence agency, and his whereabouts are still unknown. Another female student has been fined and sentenced to three years in prison on sedition charges by the Anti Terrorism Court for heading a demonstration […]

BANGLADESH: Rights groups urged the government to probe human rights abuses and reform institutions

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following statement from the Universal Periodic Review Forum of Bangladesh, a coalition of 17 human rights, women’s rights, labour and indigenous people’s rights NGOs from Bangladesh. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- A Statement from the Universal Periodic Review Forum of Bangladesh, a coalition of […]

SRI LANKA: Journalist attacked – a civil society organisation threatened and a provocative campaign against freedom of expression continues

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AHRC-STM-125-2009 June 2, 2009 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission SRI LANKA: Journalist attacked – a civil society organisation threatened and a provocative campaign against freedom of expression continues Poddala Jayantha was abducted yesterday (June 1), and was later found with head and leg injuries. He is now undergoing treatment […]

SRI LANKA: IDPs are citizens and censorship of their conditions must stop

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AHRC-STM-113-2009 May 20, 2009 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission SRI LANKA: IDPs are citizens and censorship of their conditions must stop In a BBC Sinhala Service interview broadcast yesterday (May 19, Evening) the army commander, Sarath Fonseka was questioned about the statement by Amnesty International concerning the three doctors […]

PAKISTAN: Three journalists were arbitrarily arrested by notorious intelligence agency-I.S.I.

[NOTICE: The AHRC has developed this automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to them. Fax numbers and postal addresses of the Pakistan authorities are attached below with this appeal. Thank you.]  Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information […]

BURMA: Journalist jailed on wrong charge for shooting video of referendum vote

Dear friends,  Last week the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) issued an appeal on the case of two journalists jailed in Burma for trying to help people left homeless after Cyclone Nargis to visit international agencies. In this appeal we bring the case of another journalist jailed in Burma, in his case for taking video […]

THAILAND: Man given ten years’ imprisonment for lese-majesty online

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) condemns the latest imprisonment of an Internet user in Thailand for posting online supposedly offensive images to the country’s royal family. We are bringing you details of the case and urge you to protest strongly against this use of draconian laws, old and new, to attempt to […]

BURMA: Two journalists imprisoned for helping cyclone victims visit international aid groups

Dear friends,  In June 2008 after Cyclone Nargis devastated the Burma delta, a group of homeless residents went to request assistance from offices of international agencies in Rangoon. At that time, two reporters for local news journals went along with them. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) in this appeal is bringing you details of […]