Human rights defenders

Hello. On 9 May 2016, Tanya Shrivastava, a 21-year-old journalism student, made a distress call to 1091, the toll free womens’ helpline. An intern with The Times of India, a prominent Indian newspaper, Tanya had just survived an attempted kidnapping right outside her newspaper office. As she dialled, her kidnapper was trying to get way. What […]

The pattern on display in the Bombay High Court yesterday, 9 May 2016, was not that of the cycle of drought affecting millions. It was that of callous – bordering on malicious – governance. According to media reports, like this one, the Maharashtra state government informed the Court that it would declare drought in over 29,000 […]

The Chief Justice of India, Mr.T.S. Thakur, has once again appealed to the Government of India regarding the immediate need to appoint judges in the country. Citing reports of the National Law Commission from 1987, Justice Thakur said that the Commission had assessed that to tackle court delays the country required at least 40,000 judges […]

Militants in Karachi assassinated a prominent human rights defender, Khurram Zaki, on May 7. He was on the hit lists of ISIS, Taliban, and their affiliated outfits. He had informed the police, and the governments of Sindh Province and Pakistan, about the death threats he had been receiving. But as per usual, in the policy […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Independent Journalist Alliance (AJI) of Yogyakarta province, that the police along with vigilante groups forcibly dispersed the commemoration of the world press freedom day. By taking sides with vigilante and intolerant mobs, the police have failed to guarantee the freedom of press, […]

On 27 April 2016, Ms. Sirikan (“June”) Charoensiri, a lawyer at Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, received a summons to report to the public prosecutor at the Office of Special Prosecutor at Subdistrict 3 Court (Dusit) in Bangkok on 12 May 2016 at 10.00. Under Thai law, after the police have concluded an investigation and decide […]

This week’s episode covers World Press Freedom Day, marked annually on May 3. Journalists are at risk in many Asian countries, facing either threats to their lives or legal repression. According to Reporters without Borders’ 2016 World Press Freedom Index, the media freedom situation has worsened significantly or stagnated in the region. The majority of […]

Now, there is a new Attorney General and a new Inspector General of Police. Whatever be the disputes about the manner in which their appointments were made, they are now the operators of two of the most vital systems of the state apparatus in Sri Lanka, the Attorney General’s Department and the police service. That […]

A statement on World’s Press Freedom Day-Pakistan is the fourth most dangerous country in the world for the journalists The freedom of press is a precious privilege that no country can afford to forgo; it is the fundamental right that affords the citizen their right to information and acts as a vigilante force against tyranny […]

Saturday, 30 April 2016, was the fifth anniversary of the imprisonment of Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, a long-time labour rights activist and human rights defender. On 30 April 2011, Somyot was arrested on allegations of violating Article 112 of the Criminal Code. He was held for six months of pre-trial detention and then hearings in his case […]

Keynote address at the Conference on Human Rights Solidarity Bangladesh, May 2016, Bangkok, Thailand Discussing Bangladesh’s situation from the human rights perspective is no doubt a difficult issue, given the chaotic situation that has developed in both the country’s political and criminal justice systems, during recent times. It may not be of much comfort to […]

This week, Just Asia continues its report on the prosecution of Indonesian activists for crimes against public authorities. Hundreds of labor activists have been demonstrating peacefully outside the court, calling for an end to their unfair trial and criminalization. For more details, Just Asia presents the speech of Michael, one labor activist, and a short […]

Last Sunday, the Chief Justice of India, Justice T.S. Thakur, made an emotional plea to the Executive to increase the number of judges and fill up the vacant posts to fix the issue of the severe shortage of judges in India. A visibly crestfallen man, the Chief Justice spoke in detail about the challenges faced […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) strongly objects to the arrest of Nepali journalist and civil society leader Kanak Mani Dixit on corruption charges. He has been arrested on the orders of the country’s anti-corruption body, the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), on 22 April 2016. According to the CIAA’s press release […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward an interview by Mr. Basil Fernando, Director – Policies & Programmes of the AHRC in Sirasa TV, News 1st, Live on 26th April 2016. In the interview Mr. Fernando speaks on the modalities of appointments to the public services including the police service, the Attorney General’s Department, […]

April 24, was the frightening Sunday for the poor families including shepherds and daily wage earners of different parts of the Baluchistan in a drive to punish Baloch folks for boycotting by-elections conducted under the supervision of military to get the candidate from ruling party to win. The separatist and nationalist groups claim that the […]

An article from Kissan Committee forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission By Farooq Tariq A massive repression of the peaceful peasant movement, the Anjuman Mozareen Punjab (AMP), is underway. Most of its leadership has been arrested under false anti-terrorist laws. Dozens of members are missing, while over 50 remain behind bars. All have been […]

That the Pakistan Military has been extending its tentacles to envelop the State apparatus is no secret. However, a lesser-known aspect is the economic hegemony it is perpetuating over peasants in the shape of Military Farms Okara. Illegal land grabbing is now being used as a most profitable business for the force, which has anyway […]

This week Just Asia begins with nine mothers cementing their feet in front of the Indonesian Presidential Palace on April 12. The mothers are calling on President Widodo to stop the development of a cement factory in Rembang, Central Java, which will damage a resource rich environment. Just Asia speaks to Mr. Ki Bagus Hadi […]

On 9 April 2016, a massive explosion at the Putingal Temple near Paravur in Kollam, Kerala, resulted in the death of more than a hundred people and injured more than 350 others. A fireworks display had been in operation for the Temple festival, and initial reports suggest that a firecracker fell into a stockpile, causing […]