Inhuman And Degrading Treatment

INDIA: Middlemen chop the hands of two bonded labourers in Odisha

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received disturbing information from  local media KBK Samachar and CGNET Swara regarding two bonded labourers in Kalahandi district of Odisha who have had their hands chopped by middlemen. The AHRC has learnt that the middlemen illegally confined the labourers for almost a week before the incident. […]

BANGLADESH: Attorney General’s Office Supersedes High Court

The Asian Human Rights Commission has learned that direct intervention from the Attorney General’s Office of Bangladesh is preventing the release of ASM Nasiruddin Elan, Director of Odhikar, a Bangladesh based human rights organisations, despite the High Court having granted bail to the prominent human rights defender. That the Attorney General’s Office can impede a high […]

PHILIPPINES: Immediately stop eviction drive against 250 poor families of R10, Tondo

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Defend Job Philippine regarding eviction notice served on 250 families living along the R-10 or Road 10 in Tondo, Manila by the government authorities. The planned forced eviction, without compensation, will not only jeopardize living conditions of the people but also expose them […]

INDIA: Unprepared authorities let Encephalitis kill more than 172 children

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding continued deaths of children by Encephalitis in Eastern Uttar Pradesh from Manoj Singh, a local journalist working with a reputed Hindi newspaper. The toll has gone up frighteningly and now stands at 172 and counting. Sadly this is the state of affairs despite […]

SRI LANKA: Focus on civilian policing

by Basil Fernando Within just a few days of the announcement of the new ministry, the Ministry of Law and Order, a rather unusual level of interest has emerged, judging by the many articles that have appeared in response to the government’s move. Though such quick responses are unusual, they are not surprising. If anyone […]

INDIA: Villagers forced to get their rations from a PDS shop 11 kilometres away

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the plight of tribal villagers residing in a forest village named Dhurkuch, Gram Panchayat Kota in Jawa block of district Rewa in Madhya Pradesh from Panchsheel Sewa Sansthan,a local voluntary organization. Sansthan found that there is no Public Distribution Shop (PDS) shop, earmarked […]

INDIA: Welfare schemes reached a person only after he starved to death in Odisha.

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received disturbing information regarding the recent spurt in cases of starvation deaths in Odisha from a fact finding team. The team comprising of one member each from Regional Centre for Development Cooperation and the AHRC visited the Jalpankel village of Khaparakhol block, Balangir district on 25th […]

PHILIPPINES: Immediately stop threatening a community with demolition and displacement

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received disturbing information from Defend Job Philippines regarding the threats of a demolition drive affecting more than 5500 families, or 30000 people of San Roque, North Triangle, Quezon City. The aforesaid demolition and eviction drive for making way to the implementation of the Vertis North Project […]

BANGLADESH: The government must save the elderly and destitute widows of Gaibandha now

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received further information regarding several elderly women living in destitution in the Palash Bari area of the Gaibandha district of the Rangpur division. As in the earlier cases reported by the AHRC, most of the victims have no one to look after them and are physically […]

PHILIPPINES: Immediately relocate the victims of demolition drive in Quezon City

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about allegedly illegal demolition of around 120 houses in Florentino St., Sto. Domingo, Quezon City on April 10-11, 2013. The information sent to the AHRC by Barangay Sto. Domingo Settlers Association through Defend Jobs Philippine asserts that the demolitions were carried out in violation […]

BANGLADESH: Penury keeps hounding the old and invalids in Gaibandha

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about several elderly people being pushed into starvation in the Palash Bari area of the Gaibandha district of Rangpur division. Most of these elderly people are living in penury with no family to look after them and are forced into begging or living on […]

NEPAL: Resettle inhabitants of Balapur with adequate compensation to save them from imminent inundation

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received worrying information regarding the imminent inundation and subsequent loss of livelihood for the inhabitants of Balapur Village, Mahadevpuri VDC, ward no. 6, Banke district. This follows a recent field visit undertaken with colleagues from FIAN Nepal. The inundation, caused by the completion of a canal […]

NEPAL: Ensure tapped water supply to Dalits of Duma in Mugu district

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding chronic water shortage plaguing the lives of Dalit residents of Duma village in Mugu district of Nepal during a field visit undertaken together with colleagues from FIAN Nepal. In absence of tapper water supply to their village, they have to fetch their water […]

INDIA: Roll back steep hike in user fee in the NTPC hospitals

Dear friends,             The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding an indefinite hunger strike (fast unto death) undertaken by the people affected by the steep hike in user fee in the Sanjeevani Hospital run in Shaktinagar by the National Thermal Power Corporation. The AHRC has learnt that […]

PHILIPPINES: Vendors of the Luneta Park forcibly evicted

[RE: AHRC-HAC-004-2013: PHILIPPINES: Vendors face forced eviction and food insecurity] Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information Defend Job Philippines about the eviction of vendors of the Luneta Park. The National Parks Development Committee evicted the vendors from their livelihood places inside Luneta Park on 27 February, 2013 despite the protest […]

PHILIPPINES: Save 78 poor fisherfolk families from forced eviction and starvation in the Freedom Island of Paranaque City

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learnt about 78 families belonging to fisherfolk community facing threats of imminent eviction during a field visit undertaken by its Programme Coordinator for Right to Food Programme together with a representative of Defend Job Philippines. The local authorities had served the notice of eviction to these […]

BANGLADESH: Destitution pushes several single elderly women into starvation

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about several elderly single women being pushed into starvation in the Ghorabandha village of the Gaibandha district of Rangpur division. Most of these destitute women have been widowed for decades with no family to bank upon and have been forced into begging to ensure […]

INDIA: Malnutrition kills 28 more children while the administration looks the other way in Madhya Pradesh

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Sahyog, Support in Development about the death of 28 children belonging mostly to the Sahariya community; a scheduled tribe ravaged by malnutrition and diseases related to it. Most unfortunately, the deaths have occurred despite the administration being well aware of the situation. Hunger […]

INDIA: 23 tribal children die of malnutrition in Sheopur, Madhya Pradesh

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Sahyog, Support in Development about the death of 23 children belonging to Sahariya community, a scheduled tribe, of malnutrition and diseases caused by it within a short span of time. The AHRC has also learnt that the local administration was made well aware […]

INDIA: History repeats in Omkareshwar protest

(Hong Kong, September 05, 2012) “This is taking the Ghandhian method to the water. To be submerged in water continuously for so many days is more difficult, in fact, than fasting…” Mr. Basil Fernando, Director – Polices and Programmes said referring to the ongoing protest in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, India by the villagers who lost […]