Human rights defenders

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is forwarding the information from the The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the FIDH and the OMCT, that three “Tiananmen Mothers”, Ding Zilin and two others, have been arrested on March 28, and their homes have been subsequently searched by […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is gravely concerned of a prominent human rights lawyer, Mr. Somchai Neelaphaijit, who has been missing since 12 March 2004. It is alleged that the police have been upset with Somchai after he accused of excessive use of force against five of his clients accused of taking […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a 30-year-old woman named Ms. Hidayat was allegedly killed by her husband, Mr. Momin Ali Mahar in Dal village, Lakhi Ghulam Shah Town, Shikarpur District, Sindh Province, Pakistan on 29 February 2004. The case was registered at the Chak Police Station. However, a human […]

Dear friends The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is gravely concerned that an attempt was made on the life of Mr. Michael Anthony Fernando when he failed to withdraw the complaints he had made against those who have violated his rights. Tony was admitted in the hospital after surviving the attempt on his life and […]

Dear friends The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has just learned that there was an attempt on the life of Mr. Michael Anthony Emanuel Fernando (Tony) early this morning (2 February 2004). Mr. Fernando went to see a friend on the main road Kalubowila Hospital Road. As his friend was not there he went to […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is gravely concerned about the murder of two social activists, Sarita and Mahesh Kant in Gaya (Bihar) on 24 January 2004. The victims were shot by the armed men on the way back to the Fatehpur Block Recouse Centre from Shabdo. The perpetrators are believed to be […]

Dear friends The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is gravely concerned with the death threats received by Mr. James T. Godwin in Mahim, Mumbai, India.  Mr. Godwin, a person who has been challenging corruption in the society for several years, has filed various complaints with the Mahim Police Station regarding the illegal activities carried out […]

Dear friends The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is forwarding the urgent appeals of the Asian Center for the Progress of Peoples (ACPP) on the conviction of Mr. Zheng Enchong, a Shanghai lawyer, who has been involved in defending the economic and social rights of displaced people affected by redevelopment projects in Shanghai.. On 28 […]

[RE: UP-45-2003: Michael Anthony Fernando freed and given an Asian human rights award, UP-26-2003: Update on Mr Michael Anthony Emmanuel Fernando (‘Tony’), UP-19-2003, UP-14-2003, UA-09-2003: Human rights defender tortured and denied the fundamental right to a fair hearing] ———————————————————————- UP-49-2003: SRI LANKA: Michael Anthony Fernando receives death threats SRI LANKA: Update on Michael Anthony Fernando […]

Dear friends The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the police searched the premises of the People’s Watch-Tamil Nadu, a prominent human rights organization in Tamil Nadu on 5 November 2003. More seriously, it is alleged that the police had threatened the executive director of the organization during People¡¦s Watch¡¦s public hearings […]

SRI LANKA: Update on Michael Anthony Fernando (Tony) ———————————————————————- Dear friends The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is very happy to inform you that Michael Anthony Fernando (Tony), a trade unionist as well as human rights activist, was freed on 17 October 2003 after being declared as a winner of the inaugural Human Rights Defenders […]

Dear Friends Amnesty International has highlighted five appeal cases against torture from around the world. (http://ai-stoptorture.c.tclk.net/maabc0oaaYRL8bcN4R0b/ ), Together Against Torture. We are forwarding one to you, regarding Eren Keskin, who is a lawyer and human rights activist in Turkey. Although Turkey is outside the geographical remit of an Asian NGO, we feel the cause Eren is fighting […]

Dear Friends We are forwarding information from The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint program of FIDH and OMCT China. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact them. *********** Paris – Geneva, 26 August 2003 The Observatory, an FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection […]

INDONESIA: attacks on human rights defenders reaching crisis point ——————————————————————- Fourteen months after the attack on the Jakarta office of Kontras which we reported to you in UA-11-2002 (16 May 2002), the office and staff of Kontras have again been violently attacked by civilian militias.  This follows our two recent appeals describing the abduction and […]

SITUATION: On 21 April 2003 five Human Rights activists were abducted and two of them tortured and killed in Naujan Town, Oriental Mindoro province, Southern Tagalog. The bodies of Eden Marcellana, Secretary General of the Alyans sa Pagsusulong ng Karapatang Pantao in Southern Tagalog (Karapatan-ST), and Eddie Gumanoy, Chairperson of the peasant group, KASAMA-TK (Kasapian ng mga […]

Dear Friends Thomas Hundall, a 22 yr old British Human Rights activist, was shot dead by Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip while defending some Palestinian children by standing between them and IDF troops. Thomas Hundall was a member of the International Solidarity Movement, and is the third international peace activist in less than one […]

SITUATION: Two Human Rights activists, Mukhlis Ishak, aka Choy, 27 yrs old, from Darussalam Banda Aceh, and Zulfikar, aka Joul, 24 yrs old, from Kramat Banda Aceh, have disappeared. The Banda Aceh Legal Aid Institute (LBH Banda Aceh) has found proof of the kidnap and disappearance of the two men. On Thursday, 27 March, 2003, […]

Dear Friends, A local solidarity group for Mr. Michael Anthony Emmanuel Fernando (aka Tony) in Sri Lanka has launched a petition for release of him. AHRC has launched a petition on behalf of Tony on 21 March 2003. When you sign this petition on line, your name will be added to the list of signatories […]

On 8 October 2002, Singaporean Court sentenced Chee Soon Juan, Singaporean opposition leader, and Ghandhi Ambalam for five and four weeks jail for breaking Singapore’s Public Entertainment and Meeting Act by holding a public event without a permit, after they refused to pay a S$4,500 (USA$2,540) and S$3000 fine, respectively. Ambalam has since been released, as his family paid the fine, but Chee continues to be imprisoned.

Dear Friends, The following is a forwarded appeal from Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) regarding a case of harassment of a human rights activist. According to the following urgent appeal, Mr. Johnny F. Diozon, one of the staff members of TFDP who is in charge of the Northern Luzon region, has been harassed […]