Human rights defenders

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the case of Kiettisak Thitboonkrong that on 7 June 2011 at 9 am at the Criminal Court in Bangkok, the witness hearings of the defendant will continue in the case of Mr. Kiettisak Thitboonkrong, who was one of the 28 victims of […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward to you the following press release from Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong UNJUST A Documentary Film by Josefina Bergsten, followed by Q & A 8pm Tuesday June 7, 2011 At Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand Non-members 300 Baht, […]

Mr. Hameed Haroon, the chief executive officer of the Dawn, a leading daily newspaper of Pakistan and the president of the All Pakistan Newspaper Society, an organization of owners of the print media, has confirmed that the slain journalist, Mr. Saleem Shahzad, had received threatening messages from Pakistan’s notorious intelligence agency, the ISI on at […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information from the fact finding team that conducted a fact finding mission concerning two deceased fisher folk activists murdered by a land mafia on May 6, 2011. The police initially refused to register the case against the alleged murderers, and the Medico Legal Officer […]

Saleem Shahzad, who had earlier announced the danger to his life from the intelligence services (ISI) in Pakistan was abducted last Sunday, May 29, and his body was discovered on May 31. This is one more of the mysterious abductions and extrajudicial killings that have been taking place in Pakistan on a regular basis. He […]

Dear friends,  With regard to two cases that we have asked the Ombudsman to conduct investigations into one involved threats to the lives of an activist and his family. No investigation had been conducted in this case. They did investigate the second one which involved the torture of three activists but did not provide a […]

States and state agents have historically used violence to stifle public debate, and silence their critics. In many countries around the world today, states no longer rely heavily upon overtly coercive methods and instead acknowledge the need for authentic debate. But in many others, states and state agents continue to resort primarily to coercive methods. […]

(Hong Kong, May 27, 2011)  Societies are silenced by the use of violence by the state. This has gone on for centuries in many countries. Such silencing ended in North America and Western Europe by the end of the 19th century, but that is not the case in many other countries. Those who try to […]

We reproduce below a letter written to the Chairperson of the NHRC by the Asian Human Rights Commission complaining about their failure to investigate the complaint relating to the attack on FMA Razzak which took place on April 29, 2011. Prof. Mizanur Rahman Chairman National Human Rights Commission 10th Floor, Gulfeshan Plaza 8, Journalist Selina […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission this morning issued two urgent statements of extreme concern for the situation of human rights defenders in Bangladesh, and in particular over the disappearance of a young human rights activist, Dipal Barua, yesterday, May 24. Dipal has been working for the last few weeks on the efforts for the life […]

An article from the Sri Lanka Guardian forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission SOME GOUGE OUT THE EYES OF OTHERS Basil Fernando Cry, Tagore, cry. Your nation knows you not. Yes, they have ceremonies, Exhibiting your photos, Repeating your songs. Talking about the 150th anniversary, They may even build a temple for you, these […]

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following article from the Sri Lanka Guardian, written by Basil Fernando. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- An article from the Sri Lanka Guardian forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission SOUTH ASIA: A poem for Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary — some gouge out the […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a human rights defender, who belongs to the Kohli group, a scheduled caste Hindu, was booked in a murder case whereas on the day of murder of a land grabber he was 500 kilometers away. He was attending a daylong conference of the […]

Dear All,  The Asian Human Rights Commission has earlier informed you about the attack on FMA Razzak instantiated by army officer, Major Mustafizur Rahman Bokul and his family, who attempted to gouge out Razzak’s eyes. The right leg and hand were broken with several bones suffered fractures. The police have not yet started a credible […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the Property Bailiff officer Mr. Nelson Hettiarachchi attached to the Negombo Municipal Council has been suspended illegally by the Municipal authorities. He was formally attached to the Sub Office of Thalahena. He had executed his duties with due diligence and with high discipline. […]

Basil Fernando  The attempted eye gouging incident in at Paikgachha village, where a human rights defender and journalist, FMA Razzak and his brother were attacked by a about 40 persons mobilized by a major in Bangladesh army, Mustafizur Rahman Bokul, is a painful experience to all. It is necessary to learn from this experience so […]

(Hong Kong, May 11, 2011) Staff and graduate students of the Australian National University on Wednesday submitted a letter to the diplomatic mission of Bangladesh in Canberra voicing their concern over the eye-gouging attack on Bangladeshi human rights defender Abdur Razzak.  Representatives of the Asia Rights group at the ANU met with the first secretary […]

An Open Letter from the Asian Human Rights Commission to Prof. Mizanur Rahman, Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh Prof. Mizanur Rahman Chairman National Human Rights Commission 10th Floor, Gulfeshan Plaza 8, Journalist Selina Parvin Road Mogbazar, Dhaka BANGLADESH Fax: +88 02 8333219 Dear Professor Rahman, BANGLADESH: An Open Letter to the Chairperson of […]

2011年5月9日，亞洲人權委員會、亞洲專訊資料研究中心、亞太學生及青年協會、香港記者協會、Interfaith Cooperation Forum、香港融樂會及世界基督徒學生同盟聯合向孟加拉駐香港領事館遞交公開信表示關注孟加拉人權捍衛者及記者拉扎克先生（FMA Razzak）受到嚴重襲擊及被企圖弄盲雙目的事件。  請願團體關注拉扎克先生（FMA Razzak）在孟加拉庫爾納地區遇到嚴重襲擊。根據亞洲人權委員會收到的消息，在2011年4月29日，拉扎克先生和弟弟受到一班凶徒的襲擊後嚴重受傷。據稱凶徒是受到穆斯塔菲茲.拉赫曼.寶庫爾少校（Major Mustafizur Rahman Bokul）的指使，企圖弄盲拉扎克先生雙目，他們用手指及硬物挖雙目，導致出血。拉扎克先生家人引領警察找到劫持地點，將兩名受害者送往醫院。  目前，拉扎克先生在醫院接受治療。由於事件受到公眾高度關注，孟加拉衛生及家庭部長哈取爾醫生（Dr. AFM Rahul Haque）於5月3日探訪拉扎克先生。現時拉扎克先生的狀況十分嚴重，手腳骨折，雙目嚴重受傷，可能永久盲目。另外，拉扎克先生家人的處境也十分危險。  最新發展是當地警察收到拉扎克先生家人的投訴後逮捕四名人士。然而，主要犯事者仍逍遙法外，特別是穆斯塔菲茲.拉赫曼.寶庫爾少校（Major Mustafizur Rahman Bokul）還保持軍中職務。  請願團體代表向孟加拉駐香港領事館遞交公開信，並與領事阿曼德先生(Ashud Ahmed)會面。公開信要求孟加拉政府將以下事情列為首要工作：  1．向拉扎克先生提供最好的醫療照顧，費用由國家支付，直至完全或達至最好的康復。  2．立刻暫停穆斯塔菲茲.拉赫曼.寶庫爾少校（Major Mustafizur Rahman Bokul）的職務，待此案進行全面的偵查。  3．確保進行認真的刑事偵查，以逮捕及檢控所有犯事者。  4．在整個偵查及往後審訊期間，向拉扎克先生及其家人給予完全的保護以至居住及其他方面的需要，並確保他們獲得全面的補償，保證他們日後的安全。  亞洲人權委員會政策及項目發展主任巴西爾. 費爾南多（Basil Fernando）表示：“這是十分殘暴的襲擊，顯示孟加拉軍人侵犯人權的問題相當嚴重，孟加拉政府必須採取果斷行動，展開認真及全面的刑事偵查，使犯事者受到法律的制裁。孟加拉政府應該利用今次事件明確表示不容許軍人侵犯人權的行為。”  巴西爾. 費爾南多（Basil Fernando）還呼吁：“保護受害者及其他證人的安全至關重要，這影響到偵查及檢控能否成功。孟加拉當局應立刻暫停穆斯塔菲茲.拉赫曼.寶庫爾少校（Major Mustafizur Rahman Bokul）的職務，並採取有效措施保護受害者及其他證人。  可於以下鏈接找到詳細資料：  http://www.humanrights.asia/campaigns/attack-on-fma-razzak   http://www.humanrights.asia/news/urgent-appeals/AHRC-UAU-023-2011   http://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrc-news/AHRC-STM-058-2011   查詢可致電852-26986339或 發電郵至media@ahrc.asia.

(Hong Kong, May 9, 2011) On 9 May 2011, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), Asia Monitor Resource Centre, Asia Pacific Students and Youth Association, Hong Kong Journalists Association, Interfaith Cooperation Forum, Unison – Hong Kong, World Student Christian Federation jointly made a petition to the Consulate General of Bangladesh in Hong Kong to express […]