Human rights defenders

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, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) regrets to inform you that six labour rights advocates in Burma have been given long jail terms by a special tribunal in the central prison. They were not represented, as their lawyers quit in protest after being constantly harassed by the prison authorities. Their imprisonment comes after […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that anti-coup activist Sombat Boon-ngam-anong is detained with pending charges of criminal defamation after he expressed opinions against the coup leaders. The AHRC calls for your immediate action to urge the case to be withdrawn. CASE DETAILS: Sombat is the leader of the Citizens […]

(Hong Kong, August 30, 2007) The families of “disappeared” persons, human rights defenders and others are on Thursday gathering in Bangkok to plant a tree in remembrance of the missing. The “Tree of Life” event is being held in front of the Grand Auditorium at Thammasat University to mark the international day of the disappeared. […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes with deep concern regarding the alleged spying on and harassment of student activists and campus journalists in two universities in Metro Manila by soldiers. The soldiers covertly took photographs and video recordings of them when they enter the campus to hold meetings on the pretext of […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Right Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you regarding the torching of a house of a journalist, Phon Phat (41), in Ba Kan district, Posat on 10 August 2007. Two men drove up to his house at dawn; poured gasoline over the walls and surrounding and set fire to it. The […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the enforced disappearance of three farmers who are also members of the Anakpawis’ party list in Guipos, Zamboanga del Sur. The three were abducted along a highway on 3 August 2007 by several men riding on motorcycles. The whereabouts of the victims remain […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding repression against the representative of the workers and several human rights defenders by a company. The AHRC is seriously concerned about the developments relating to CCS Elsuma (Pvt) Ltd based at Daluwakotuwa, Kochchikade (near Negombo) which has blatantly disregarded an agreement entered into […]

Dear friends, Further to our most recent update on Burma from last week, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) regrets to inform you that another human rights defender in Burma has been sentenced to jail for three years on the pretext of giving illegal tuition. As described in the previous appeal (UP-105-2007), Ko Min Min […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) deeply regrets to inform you that another farmer has been killed and a community organizer disappeared. Policemen shot dead farmer Arturo Tolentino in front of his wife and children on October 26 2007 in Samal, Bataan. Another activist, Pedro Calilung, had been reported missing after he was […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) regrets to inform you that six human rights defenders in Burma, including one who was seriously assaulted by a gang organised by local authorities in April, have all been sentenced to prison from four to eight years on allegations of upsetting public tranquillity. A criminal complaint against […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information that the Rajshahi Metropolitan Police have recently begun its investigation into the alleged serious threats and intimidation of a journalist by an RAB official. We were informed that the initiative of the investigating body was started after they received the appeal letter about […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) deeply regrets to inform you that two activists were shot dead respectively by armed group. One activist was shot dead in front his wife and children on 17 July 2007. Another activist was dead after a shot on June 15 2007. CASE DETAILS: (based on the Alliance for […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes with deep concern that Gilbert Rey Cardiño (a.k.a. Jing), an activist who was abducted, tortured and subsequently released on June 8 (For details, please see UA-185-2007), had been charged with rebellion. It is reported that Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG XII), an investigating unit of the […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received credible information of ongoing attacks, intimidation, surveillance and threats, including death threats, against human rights defenders from West Papua that occurred in mid-June 2007, following their meeting with Ms. Hina Jilani, the UN Special Representative to the Secretary General on Human Rights Defenders. It is […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) deeply regrets to inform you that no action has been taken against the soldiers, including a lieutenant, accused in killing youth leader Nelson Asucena, six months ago in Rizal, Cagayan. No investigation was conducted despite the filing of criminal charges against them in court. In a separate […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is gravely concerned about the situation of a group of Burmese human rights defenders who were assaulted with the backing and involvement of local authorities and the police last April (UA-135-2007). Six have been charged upsetting public tranquillity and have been refused bail (UP-062-2007). Meanwhile, the criminal […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that Advocacy Forum, one of the leading human rights organizations in Nepal providing legal aid services to detainees, has been refused access to detainees at District Police Office (DPO), Banke detention centre since 29 May 2007. The denial of Advocacy Forum’s access to the DPO […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about threats to which human rights defender Mr. Jitman Basnet of Solukhumbu District, Nepal, was subjected on May 21, 2007, giving rise to serious concerns for his physical and psychological integrity. Mr. Basnet was arrested on February 4, 2004 by plain-clothed army personnel from […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from a reliable source regarding the alleged serious threats and intimidation against a human rights defender and journalist Mr. Jahangir Alam Akash for broadcasting news on the attempted extra-judicial killing of an alleged terrorist on a private television channel. CASE DETAILS: On 2 May […]