Human rights defenders

THAILAND: Trial of webmaster charged for computer crime resumes tomorrow

[RE: AHRC-FPR-006-2011: THAILAND: Calling to observe for court trial of Chiranuch Premchaiporn, director of Prachatai website, on 4 – 17 February 2011, 9.00am – 4.00pm at the Criminal Court] ——————————————————————— Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is calling for court observers at the resumption of the trial of Chiranuch Premchaiporn, director of the […]

SOUTH KOREA: Rising attacks on rights defenders under the National Security Act

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to strongly protest against the search and seizure of seven places including the offices of several rights group and of houses belonging to their staff by National Intelligence Service (NIS) on February 9, 2012 under the National Security Act (NSA) and is concerned with the increase in legal […]

SOUTH KOREA: Appeal against a lawyer should be withdrawn

[RE: AHRC-UAC-083-2010: SOUTH KOREA: A criminal charge filed against a lawyer for providing legal advice] ——————————————————————— The State of Human Rights in South Korea in 2011 http://www.humanrights.asia/resources/hrreport/2011/AHRC-SPR-010-2011/view ——————————————————————— Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the case of Mr. Kwon Young-gook, a lawyer who faced criminal charges for obstruction the […]

PAKISTAN: Shahzad Commission results marred by free ride for ISI

Government has to Take on Military and Intelligence Services and end Impunity  (New York, January 30, 2012) – The Pakistani government should redouble efforts to find the killers of the journalist Saleem Shahzad, following the failure of the judicial inquiry commission to identify those responsible, Human Rights Watch said today. The commission concluded in its […]

PAKISTAN: A human rights defender working on fishermen’s rights was killed by land grabbers

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a fisher folk activist and human rights defender was attacked and killed by land grabbers in December 2011. Three persons were injured in the attack and they have not been provided any medical assistance by the authorities The police were reluctant to file […]

PHILIPPINES: Protect journalist facing threats to his life

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes with deep concern that a community journalist had been threatened for condemning the murder of his colleague in General Santos City. The threats made to him sent via his mobile phone cannot be taken lightly as there had been a pattern of targeted attacks against journalists […]

PHILIPPINES: False murder charges on activist must be dropped

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes with deep concern on the continued prosecution of Temogen “Cocoy” Tulawie, a human rights defender, for murder charges based on evidence taken by way of forced confessions. We call on the Department of Justice to (DoJ) to drop the charges on him promptly due to serious […]

PHILIPPINES: The concept of human rights stands accused in trial of Sulu activist

The continued prosecution of human rights activist Temogen “Cocoy” Tulawie, on murder charges based on forced confessions, indicates how human rights are understood in his society of Sulu, and by the public officials ruling it. The case against him questions not only the legality of evidence or the denial of due process, but also reveals […]

PHILIPPINES: Arrest and detention of human rights defender Mr Temogen Tulawie

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward to you the following press release from Front Line Defenders regarding the case of Temogen “Cocoy” Tulawie. You can also visit http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/17068  to take action. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- A Press Release from Front Line Defenders forwarded by the Asian Human Rights […]

PHILIPPINES: Temogen Tulawie case – prosecutors uses forced confessions as evidence

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is deeply concerned by the continued prosecution of Temogen “Cocoy” Tulawie, a human rights defender of Tausug roots (one of the indigenous Muslim tribes), and four of his co-accused, for charges of murder in connection with a bombing incident on May 13, 2009 in Patikul, Sulu. The evidence against them was […]

SRI LANKA: The New Year Wish List- 2012

All Sri Lankans will wish that the coming year will not be like the last one and, in fact, that it be different from previous years also, years in which deep insecurity has been prevailing due to the failure of the political system, resulting in serious problems in the legal system. People reduced to powerlessness […]

SRI LANKA: TISL recognizes human rights activist

The citation read at the NIA presentation recognizing the unyielding integrity, personal commitment and courage of J C Weliamuna, former Executive Director – TISL & Director – Transparency International. Born on the 29th of August, 1961 in Walasmulla, Beliatta in the Hambantota District and educated at St. Aloysius College in Galle, Sri Lanka Law College […]

SRI LANKA: The disappearances of Lalith Kumar Weeraju and Kugan Murugan

Two human rights organisations, the Sri Lanka Human Rights Centre and the Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CAFFE) issued a statement on December 11, 2011 expressing concern and shock regarding the disappearances of Lalith Kumar Weeraju and Kugan Murugan while they were engaged in activities in preparation of the Human Rights Day. Both of […]

PHILIPPINES: Inability to protect has created a ‘parallel system’

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the Occasion of the International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011 The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) today published its 25-page report containing its analyses on what it has observed as the irreparable ‘social and systemic impact’ of the ongoing violations of human rights in the […]

SRI LANKA: International human rights agencies failed to notice the collapse of the Sri Lanka’s public institutions of justice

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the Occasion of the International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011 The international community, including leading human rights agencies and organisations, has failed to understand the depth of collapse of rule of law in Sri Lanka and have failed to make any effective intervention in this […]

BURMA: Abuses remain “systemic, entrenched”, AHRC warns

(Hong Kong, December 9, 2011) Despite signs of political change and the easing of restrictions on freedom of expression in Burma, rights abuses remain “systemic, deeply entrenched and vast in scale”, the Asian Human Rights Commission said today in its annual State of Human Rights in Asia report.   The 17-page Burma report, entitled “From blinkered […]

INDIA: Human rights a utopia without justice

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the Occasion of the International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011 The state of human rights in a country is directly proportional to the extent of justice achieved in that jurisdiction. Justice is not a physically quantifiable concept. It is “truth in action” as held by […]

PAKISTAN: The government dodges the international community on civil and political rights

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the Occasion of the International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011 The full report is available for download at http://www.humanrights.asia/resources/hrreport/2011/AHRC-SPR-008-2011/view. The state has become dysfunctional in providing basic human rights to the people. Though the parliament exists it either cannot assert its constitutional duties or does not […]

SOUTH KOREA: Human Rights in 2011 – Systematic setup to restrict rights vs. systematic failure to protect rights

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the Occasion of the International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011 On the occasion of the International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011 the AHRC is publishing the annual report on the State of Human Rights in South Korea in 2011. The full report is available […]

BANGLADESH: State appears bankrupt in protecting rights

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the Occasion of the International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011 International Human Rights Day is going to be ‘observed’ in Bangladesh amidst numerous victims facing gross abuses of human rights without an access to legal remedies from the existing criminal justice system. On the eve […]