Land rights

INDIA: The Assam government’s eviction drive in Karimganj violates human rights

The Government of Assam has sent a 160 member-strong task force of forest officers to forcibly evict both the ‘encroachers’ and ‘other traditional forest dwellers’ living in the reserve forests of Karimganj district. A huge police force from both the state police and the central reserve police force (CRPF) have been placed at their disposal. […]

PAKISTAN: No inquiry has yet been initiated in to the case of the torture to death of a school teacher

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) condemns the recent ruthless, barbaric, and torturous murder of Mr Abdul Qudoos Ahmad, a school teacher, Ahmadi religious group of Islam. The AHRC calls on the Pakistan government to immediately bring the perpetrators to justice. The level of ruthless barbarity seen in this murder is unacceptable and seldom. It […]

PAKISTAN: A year of unjust and impunity for the murderer of two Fisherfolk activists

The Fisherfolk community in Pakistan is considered the poorest of the poor, dwelling in slum settlements along the 1129 kilometres coastline with no basic amenities. A high level of poverty prevails in all the capital assets and makes a sustainable livelihood for the fishermen in Pakistan extremely difficult. Human poverty, social poverty, financial poverty and […]

INDONESIA: Land dispute led to indiscriminate shooting against villagers in Mesuji

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding indiscriminate shooting by police officers against local villagers on 10 November 2011 in Mesuji, Lampung. The shooting was triggered by a land dispute between local villagers in several villages in Lampung and two palm companies. It resulted in the death of Jailani, 50-years-old, […]

PAKISTAN: A year of unjust and impunity for the murderer of two Fisherfolk activists

The Fisherfolk community in Pakistan is considered the poorest of the poor, dwelling in slum settlements along the 1129 kilometres coastline with no basic amenities. A high level of poverty prevails in all the capital assets and makes a sustainable livelihood for the fishermen in Pakistan extremely difficult. Human poverty, social poverty, financial poverty and […]

INDONESIA: Police shoot and injure five farmers in Riau during land rights protests

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding police shooting at farmers on 2 February 2012 in Rokan Hulu regency, Riau Province. The farmers were peacefully protesting against the activities of a palm plantation company, PT Mazuma Agro Indonesia (PT MAI), on disputed land, when the police opened fire against them. […]

PAKISTAN: Fisherfolk Blues…

By Qurat Mirza I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; “and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.” […]

SRI LANKA: Possibility of new opportunities – successful UN resolution

The successful United Nations Resolution on reconciliation and accountability should pave the way for a new period of commitment to cure the wounds of a long conflict, caused upon individuals as well as on the institutional structure of democracy and the rule of law in Sri Lanka. A responsible approach to dealing with the past […]

SOUTH KOREA: Licence of arrest granted to police and military in Gangjeong, Jeju Island

Despite heavy criticism from inside and outside the country (AHRC-STM-041-2012), South Korean police have been arbitrarily arresting and detaining rights activists and villagers in Gangjeong village where a navy base is under construction. Meanwhile, several media organizations reported allegations that the Navy and construction companies are violating laws relating to the environment and cultural assets. […]

NEPAL: Community threatened with eviction, no alternative housing offered or provided

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the threat of forced eviction faced by thousands of slum dwellers. According to the information we received from WOREC and the National Alliance of Women Human Rights Defenders the government is planning to evict thousands of landless slum dwellers living along the banks […]

INDIA: Prospect is in inaction

Statement | India | 14-03-2012

The national debate regarding India’s position about the proposed resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council concerning Sri Lanka is limited to a Tamil view of the issue. The views exchanged in both houses of the country’s parliament and in the media reflect this. This parochial view about the resolution exposes the widespread lack […]

INDIA: A corpse of rights without justice at its soul

Article | India | 29-02-2012

One of the sad truths that we have to live with today is that the people’s struggles for human rights are highly fragmented in India. Equally disheartening is the fact that whenever or wherever human rights comes up for discussion, it is addressed in piecemeal, ignoring and leaving far behind a comprehensive approach to rights […]

BANGLADESH: Rights activists and inhabitants of Mayadip are under threat by illegal sand-miners in connivance with the police and civil administration

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding continuous death threats to environmental rights activists at Sonargaon in Narayanganj district for resisting the illegal mining of sand from the Meghna Rivera that threatens the existence of 900 families living in Mayadip and Nunertek islands under the Sonargaon sub-district of Narayanganj. […]

BURMA: Farmers’ land fight celebrated in new booklet

(Hong Kong, January 10, 2012) A Burma-based rights group has released a new publication documenting and recounting the courageous fight against land expropriation, intimidation and false prosecution of a group of rural villagers.  The 38-page Burmese language booklet, “Forced expropriations of farmlands and partial victories”, written and published by the Farmers’ Rights Defenders Network, retells […]

INDIA: Manipur police assault protesting women at Loktak Lake

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Citizens’ Concern for Dams and Development, Manipur concerning a brutal police action upon women protesting against the forced eviction at Loktak Lake. The incident happened on 19 December. It is reported that about 10 women were injured in the incident when the […]

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 […]