Freedom of expression

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed of yet another killing of an activist subsequent to receiving continuing threats on his life in 17 January 2008 in Tagbilaran City. He was in front of a pharmacy buying medicine when one of the two gunmen riding on a motorcycle shot him at […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that a journalist working for Koh Santepheap newspaper, Try Vantha, 46, has been threatened by a senior official of the social affairs department in Preah Vihear province. On 13 November 2007, Try was in a restaurant where the official, Kim Thany, was also present. While […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) regarding the executive magistrate in Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh assaulting journalists. It is reported that magistrate D. P. Singh assaulted the journalists at the Cantonment Police Station, along with police officers. The officer assaulted […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from an official of the Cambodian Government Garment Workers Democratic Union (CGWDU), a human rights activist and other reliable sources, that on the morning of 29 November 2007 some 200 police officers armed with assault rifles, electric batons, tear gas and anti-riot shields used […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights (CCHR), human rights organization in Cambodia that police force prevented the holding of a public forum which CCHR organised on 27 November 2007 in Rattanakiri province. The police set up a roadblock to prevent the organizers from […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed that charges have been filed against the policemen involved in violently dispersing a group of public school teachers holding a peaceful demonstration in Manila. They were charged with criminal offenses by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and the Office of the Prosecutor in […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the continuing threats of social workers by the Army Special Forces in Papua since September 2007 to get location of Father Johanes Djonga working for human rights. The AHRC has earlier raised the alarm about the army’s threats against the Father Djonga […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed that Mr. Jahangir Alam Akash, a journalist and human rights defender based in Rajshahi city is once again threatened by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) for exposing the atrocities committed by the RAB in Bangladesh. Mr. Akash is the coordinator of the Task Force […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the police arbitrarily confiscated all copies of a magazine without the court’s decision in Phnom Penh and the provinces on 1 November 2007 in Cambodia. Whilst the police are repressing the freedom of expression, it is reported that Mr. Lem Pichpisey, a publisher […]

movement On 30 October 2007, the Constitutional Court of Indonesia read out its verdict on the constitutional review of the Narcotics Law that provides for the death penalty in several articles. The court ruled that capital punishment in cases of drug trafficking is not unconstitutional and does not violate the constitutional right to life. The […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) strongly condemns the alleged arbitrary arrest, detention and torture of Mr. Jahangir Alam Akash, a journalist and human rights defender based in Rajshahi city, by the personnel of the Rapid Action Battalion-5 in Rajshahi city on 24 October 2007. As a result of the severe torture, the […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from reliable sources concerning several cases of extrajudicial killings and threats to media personnel in Sri Lanka since 2004. Few cases have been investigated and to-date not a single person has been brought before the court. The AHRC is concerned by the impunity of […]

Dear friends, In this general update on events in Burma, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) concentrates on the following topics: – Details emerging of more deaths during September  – Denial of medical treatment for injured persons – Family members of wanted persons taken as hostages – Special concerns over women prisoners For all statements, […]

Dear friends The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from SUARAM, a human rights organisation in Malaysia that on 10 November 2007 the police cracked down on a peaceful demonstration for fair and free elections in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Police used teargas and water cannons to disperse the peaceful rally, which caused injuries […]

Dear friends, As the dramatic events in Burma of the last few days are being reported throughout the entire world, in this latest update the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), gives additional information not being widely covered in the mainstream media, as follows: – Protests have continued in Rangoon, Mandalay and other towns  – Killings […]

Dear friends, As has been reported throughout the world, riot police began violently attacking protestors in Rangoon today after they refused to obey instructions to not again take to the streets to call for an end to military rule there (UP-125-2007). Meanwhile, protests have also continued in other parts of the country. Here we give […]

Dear friends, Threats from the military regime in Burma have failed to get thousands of protestors of the streets again today, 25 September 2007. Here the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) gives the latest information and some on events of recent days. Please do everything you can to support the courageous struggle of Burma’s people […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you that the policemen involved in attacking peaceful demonstration of public school teachers in Taft Avenue, Manila on 5 October 2007 have not been held to account. The teachers were holding their activity in a park where the demonstration should have been allowed to […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is deeply concerned that Mr. Jahangir Alam Akashi, a journalist, as well as a human rights defender based on Rajshahi city, has been implicated with an alleged false extortion charge on 28 August 2007. The charge against Mr. Akashi is based on a complaint lodged by Mr. […]

Dear friends, Further to our previous recent updates on the situation in Burma, this is the first appeal by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) on specific cases of sentencing and imprisonment arising out of the protests of the last two months. Here we give the details of a man who has been sent to […]