Right to fair trial

INDONESIA: Judges of Central Jakarta District Court refuse Prosecutor’s indictment and order rehabilitation of 26 defendants

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been updated by Jakarta Legal Aid regarding the prosecution against 23 labor activists, two public lawyers, and one university student in the Central Jakarta District Court. The Judges have stated that there is not enough evidence to punish the 26 defendants, and therefore the judges have […]

INDIA: Mr. Khurrum Parvez’s arrest exposes a system that lacks justice at its core

Statement | India | 28-11-2016

Mr. Khurrum Parvez is a human rights defender, the chairperson of Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances, working in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. On 14 September 2016, the immigration officers stationed at the international airport in New Delhi, prevented Parvez from leaving the country. Khurrum had arrived at the airport to travel to Geneva […]

SRI LANKA: UN body grills Sri Lanka over torture allegations

Kingsley Karunaratne Delegation says Sri Lankan government has zero tolerance for torture, but critics say police ‘enjoy impunity’ The United Nations Committee Against Torture (UNCAT) is in session in Geneva, Switzerland from Nov. 7 – Dec. 7 and Sri Lanka has been called to account for allegations of ongoing abuse. The Sri Lankan government sent […]

AHRC TV: Mass destruction in Burma and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 149

Article | Asia | 25-11-2016

This week Just Asia begins with Burma, where satellite evidence shows mass destruction in Rakhine state, home to the persecuted Muslim Rohingya minority. The latest images from Human Rights Watch indicate that some 820 structures were burnt in five villages between November 10-18. The rights watchdog is calling for an urgent UN investigation into the […]

SRI LANKA: A woman’s complaint against the Magistrate and several police officers in Mahiyanganaya

The Asian Human Rights Commission has received a detailed complaint from Mrs. Herath Mudiyanselage Podi Kumarihami of Poojanagaraya, Mahiyangana, in the Badulla District. Her complaint reveals that the Magistrate of the Mahinganaya Magistrate’s Court, Ms. Thisani Thenabadu has taken several actions against. The Petitioner alleges that the said Magistrate has been harassing her and violating […]

नेपाल: बाधक नियत कि घुम्टो ?

शैलेन्द्र प्रसाद हरिजन (अम्बेडकर) वि.सं. २०७३ मंसिर १ गते “तराई जस्टिस सेन्टर” का तर्फबाट अधिवक्ता दिपेन्द्र झाले आगामी दिनमा न्यायाधीश नियुक्ति गर्दा समानुपातिक समावेशी सिद्धान्तका आधारमा नियुक्ति गर्नका लागि न्याय परिषद्मा ध्यानाकर्षण पत्र बुझाएका थिए । ध्यानाकर्षणमा संशोधित न्याय परिषद् ऐनको दफा ५ तथा न्याय सेवा आयोग ऐनको दफा १०(२) र नेपालको संविधान २०७२ को […]

BANGLADESH: Mahmudur Rahman finally freed after more than three years in arbitrary detention

Paris-Geneva-Hong-Kong, November 24, 2016 – After 1,322 days in arbitrary detention, journalist Mr. Mahmudur Rahman has been finally released on bail this afternoon. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (FIDH-OMCT) and the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) welcome his long-overdue release, and urge authorities to drop all pending charges against him. Acting […]

INDONESIA: Sukamulya villagers fight for their land but face attacks and criminalization

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from national human rights organizations regarding forced evictions and police brutality. These actions have been taken against residents of Sukamulya village, Kertajati sub-district, Majalengka regent, West Java province. Local government supported by the police forcibly evicted residents of Sukamulya village. This village is the […]

AHRC TV: Terrorist attacks continue in Pakistan and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 148

This week Just Asia begins with Pakistan, where terrorist attacks continue despite the Pakistan army’s various anti-terror operations. In the latest attack, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the crowded courtyard of Sufi Saint Shah Noorani’s shrine on November 12, killing some 60 persons and injuring 156. The Shah Noorani shrine in Balochistan’s Hub […]

INDONESIA: Tulang Bawang farmers reclaim their land but face fabricated charges

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has information provided by the Land Reform Commission (KPA), a national NGO documenting land conflicts. It is regarding land grabbing and a fabricated case against local farmers in Tulang Bawang, Lampung. The farmers and local community have been struggling to reclaim their lands since 1993, which were […]

THAILAND: Lawyer Sirikan ‘June’ Charoensiri Faces Ongoing Judicial Harassment

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward an appeal from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR). For more information, please contact:  Thai Lawyers for Human Rights  109 Soi Sitthichon Suthisarnwinichai Rd.  Samsennok, Huaykwang Bangkok 10310  Thailand  Tel: +6696-7893172 or +6696-7893173  E-Mail: tlhr2014@gmail.com,  Website: http://www.tlhr2014.com/ Thank you. Urgent Appeals Desk Asian Human […]

INDONESIA: Indigenous Papuans attacked and shot by Police in Sanggeng, Manokwari West Papua

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about the brutal attack and shooting committed by the police in Sanggeng, Manokwari West District, West Papua province. The incident was also reported by various media, including BBC Indonesia. By not following legal procedure while handling the case, the police shooting resulted in the […]

THAILAND: Parents of suspect who died in custody to sue police for damages

(Released on 5 November 2016) parents of Mr. Anan Kerdkaew, a suspect who died in police custody while being interrogated, shall file a charge against the Royal Thai Police with the South Bangkok Civil Court about the injuries and death of Mr. Anan Kerdkaew. Mr. Anan was arrested on 9 November 2015 being suspected of […]

AHRC TV: Thai Court sentences a former member of the Satun administrative organization to over 22 years’ imprisonment and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 146

Beginning with Thailand this week, the Provincial Court of Songkhla read the verdict of Appeals Court Region 9 regarding the case of Mr. Anat Hayeemasae, former member of the Satun Provincial Administration Organization (PAO). He had appealed the order of the Court of First Instance, which had sentenced him to 22-years-and-six-months-imprisonment for an offence against […]

PAKISTAN: Will the judiciary bring back to life the two brothers who were declared innocent, following their execution?

Sadly, in an atrocious system where innocents spend decades behind bars awaiting justice to be served on them, instead death penalties are handed down as state sanctioned murder. The lack of justice sector reforms coupled with near-collapsed institutions of criminal justice has yet again caused a grotesque miscarriage of justice. In a shocking revelation on year after […]

INDONESIA: Local farmers arrested and prosecuted after reclaiming their land

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from a prominent human rights NGO, the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS), Surabaya branch office. It is regarding the arbitrary arrest of 40 farmers and two university students by police officers of the Blitar police resort (Polres Blitar). All of […]

SRI LANKA: Illegalities and fundamental flaws at the Immigration and Criminal Investigation Departments

Dear Friends, According to information received by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), Ms. Thakshila Sumanasiri of No. 92, Vidura Gewatta, Kundasale, Kandy District, has made a formal complaint to the Sri Lankan Immigration Authority that a woman named Raji has made a fake passport under her name, using her birth certificate, and copy of […]

INDONESIA – GBKP Church congregation prohibited from establishing a house of worship

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the prohibition to setting up the church of Gereja Batak Karo Protestan (GBKP) in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, Indonesia. Without giving a clear reason, the South Jakarta mayor is reluctant to facilitate the GBKP in obtaining a permit to proceed. The Mayor also […]

THAILAND: Sirikan denied all charges relating to her performance as “Lawyer”

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the ongoing judicial harassment of Ms. Sirikan Charoensiri. She is a human rights lawyer and legal and documentation officer at Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR). On 22 October 2016, Ms. Sirikan reported to the police at Bangkok’s Samranrat Municipality Police Station. […]

BANGLADESH: Teacher’s whereabouts unknown for three months, since his abduction by officers

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Yasin Mohammad Abdus Samad Talukder remains disappeared since 14 July 2016. On that day, personnel claiming to be law-enforcement officers picked him up as he was sitting waiting in his car. Yasin was waiting for his cousin to arrive at the Kakoli […]