Freedom of expression

SRI LANKA: Why do they threaten us ? — ‘Maubima’ Editors

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward to you the following statement from the editorial board of Maubima, a Sunday newspaper. Some of their staff are alleged to have been harassed, arrested and detained for political reasons. When this same newspaper attacked the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) baselessly in December […]

PAKISTAN: New attacks on media workers and organizations

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) would like to inform you new attacks on media workers and organizations in Pakistan. We were informed that the Pakistan government has stopped publishing advertisements of government departments and public firms on the Daily Dawn, one largest English newspaper in Pakistan, since December 2006 allegedly due to its […]

CAMBODIA: Malicious criminal lawsuits must be stopped

The legal system in Cambodia is today rife with malicious criminal lawsuits by the rich and powerful against apparently innocent persons. The suits have variously related to political parties’ management of assets, land disputes, labour disputes, loan and service contracts, and freedom of expression. Some of those that the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has […]

THAILAND: New protests announced; censorship up 500%

(Hong Kong, January 17, 2007) A coalition of anti-coup groups has announced new protests against the military junta in Thailand, while another concerned about media freedom has reported a sharp increase in censorship there. The 19 September Anti-Coup Network announced on Wednesday that it will call for street protests on January 19 and 21. “We […]

INDONESIA: Increase in violence against human rights defenders by paramilitary groups

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from local human rights organization KONTRAS regarding two separate cases of violence and intimidation against human rights defenders by paramilitary groups in Surabaya and Bandung in Java province on 12 and 14 December 2006 respectively. The unlawful behaviour of the paramilitary groups and the […]

CAMBODIA: Forced eviction of 229 families in Sihanoukville

[NOTICE: The AHRC have developed a new automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of some of the Cambodian authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to those people. Fax numbers and postal addresses of the Cambodian authorities are […]

GENERAL APPEAL (Cambodia): Police disperse people’s march protesting against land grabbing

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you that a group of indigenous people peacefully marching to protest against land grabbing in the northeastern province of Rattanakiri were dispersed on 19 December 2007. The police used water cannons and briefly took one of the organisers into their custody. This is the […]

UPDATE (Cambodia): Detained university lecturer is denied to access proper medical attention

[NOTICE: The AHRC have developed a new automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of some of the Cambodian authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to those people. Fax numbers and postal addresses of the Cambodian authorities are attached below […]

PHILIPPINES: Delays in prosecution causes prolonged detention of two farmers

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you about the prolonged detention of two farmers in Davao Oriental province, the Philippines. Both of them have been detained for almost three years without any progress in their case because the prosecution witnesses failed to appear in court on six occasions. One of […]

PAKISTAN: An alleged abduction and torture of a journalist by military personnel and the banning of a Sindh television channel by the government

[NOTICE: The AHRC have developed a new automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of some of the Pakistan authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to those people. Fax numbers and postal addresses of the Pakistan authorities are attached below […]

PAKISTAN: Serious issues remain over closure of radio station

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is writing to you concerning the closure of the Mast FM 103 radio station in Balakot, North West Frontier Province, in response to your letter of 6 November 2006 (Ref. No. F-10-4[109] Gen-2006) informing us that “the matter is closed”. We beg to differ. You will recall that the […]

INDONESIA: Refusal to cooperate with United Nations human rights mechanisms in investigation of Munir’s death

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AS-275-2006 November 06, 2006   A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission   INDONESIA: Refusal to cooperate with United Nations human rights mechanisms in investigation of Munir’s death     The wife of celebrated human rights defender Munir Said Thalib, who was poisoned and died on September 7, 2004 under highly […]

UPDATE (Thailand): Women’s rights defender acquitted in criminal libel case

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is pleased to inform you that a prominent women’s rights defender Ticha Na Nakorn, was acquitted on 19 October 2006 in a criminal libel case filed by a former national police chief. Ticha Na Nakorn, the former coordinator of the Women and Constitution Network, and 16 other defendants–journalists […]

UPDATE (Thailand): Websites and radio stations shut down by military junta

THAILAND: Military rule; martial law; threats to human rights defenders; restrictions on freedom of assembly & expression ——————————————————————— Dear friends, The military junta that since September 19 has taken over government in Thailand has shut down at least two critical websites and also numerous local radio stations. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) calls for […]

CAMBODIA: Government again silencing critics

At the beginning of this year there were hopes for more freedom of expression and the improvement of democracy in Cambodia. Prime Minister Hun Sen had dropped his defamation lawsuits against human activists whom he had arrested in 2005, pardoned two opposition parliamentarians whom he had had convicted in the same year, and had removed […]

PAKISTAN: A radio station was discriminatorily closed down by the government

NOTICE: The AHRC have developed a new automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of some of the Pakistan authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to those people. Fax numbers and postal addresses of the Pakistan authorities are attached below […]

GENERAL APPEAL (Pakistan): Government’s inaction regarding a series of attack on journalists

NOTICE: The AHRC have developed a new automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of some of the Pakistan authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to those people. Fax numbers and postal addresses of the Pakistan authorities are attached below […]

CAMBODIA: A journalist convicted for exposing alleged corruption of the deputy prime minister

[NOTICE: The AHRC have developed a new automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of some of the Cambodian authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to those people. Fax numbers and postal addresses of the Cambodian authorities are attached below […]

THAILAND: MILITARY COUP – Junta poses grave dangers to lives and liberties

The Asian Human Rights Commission reiterates its condemnation of the military coup in Thailand and calls for immediate restoration of the constitution and civilian government. Since this morning, September 20, the coup group headed by army Commander-in-Chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin has made a series of pronouncements under martial law. These include that: 1. The democratic […]

THAILAND: MILITARY COUP – Restore civilian government immediately

The Asian Human Rights Commission condemns the military coup in Thailand and calls for immediate restoration of civilian government. At approximately 10pm on September 19 a group of officers headed by army Commander-in-Chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin took power while Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was attending the UN General Assembly in New York. The group, […]