Right to health

PHILIPPINES: SELDA forms People’s Claims Board, demands recall in BS Aquino’s appointment of PNP general to recognize ML victims

SELDA announces the formation of the People’s Claim Board, in protest of the Pres. Benigno Aquino III’s appointment of a PNP general in the Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board (HRVCB) to implement the law. The Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA) has repeatedly urged the BS Aquino government to immediately form the […]

INDIA: Another hunger death fails to shame Uttar Pradesh government

Statement | India | 06-02-2014

Widespread prevalence of hunger in India is no secret. Neither is complete inaction in making efforts to eradicate hunger recognised as a national shame by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and as the biggest humiliation by President Pranab Mukherjee. Had there been a resolute effort, it would have shown in arresting hunger that is continuing […]

SRI LANKA: Authoritarianism or Democratic Governance?

The Friday Forum 2, Greenlands Avenue, Colombo 5, Sri Lanka E-Mail; chandraj111@gmail.com Telephone; 0773634444   Fax; 2504181 PRESS RELEASE 27th January 2014. There has been, in recent times, public discussion in regard to whether our country is moving towards an authoritarianism that undermines democratic governance. The President, Ministers and government spokespersons have consistently denied this allegation. They refer in particular to the […]

CHINA: For Freedom, Justice and Love – My Closing Statement to the Court

For Freedom, Justice and Love – My Closing Statement to the Court Xu Zhiyong, 22 January 2014 This is Xu Zhiyong’s closing statement on January 22, 2014, at the end of his trial. According to his lawyer, he had only been able to read “about 10 minutes of it before the presiding judge stopped him, […]

INDIA: An Open Letter to the Prime Minister from a child suffering from Tuberculosis

Article | India | 26-01-2014

Hello Uncle, I am Parvati. I am from Majha village from Panna block of Panna district. The moment I said Panna, your mind must have registered the emerald mines that the place is famous for. I can perceive the same glee in your eyes as I had seen in the eyes of some of the […]

NEPAL: The government should address demands put forth by Dr. Govinda KC and save his life

Statement | Nepal | 20-01-2014

Dr. Govinda KC has been on an indefinite hunger strike at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital for 10 consecutive days after putting forth seven demands including the resignation of Dr. Sharma and reinstatement of Dr. Prakash Sayami. The latter resigned claiming that he could not work due to political interference and another of Dr. Govinda’s […]

INDIA: Interim Report Assam Public Hearing on Sexual Violence

Guwahati:  January 13, 2014 Interim Report: Introduction The insanity of the vicious and tragic violence over the years in India has always been masked and at the best ‘managed’ (read suppressed) by brute force and fear. There is no dearth of evidence to speak of the grave consequences on women and children in particular. The […]

INDIA: Status Report on Condition of Persons living in Riot Relief Camps in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli Districts of Uttar Pradesh

Press Release 6 January 2014 Following the unprecedented outbreak of riots in the rural areas of Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Baghpat, Meerut and Saharanpur districts of Uttar Pradesh in the first week of September, tens of thousands of Muslim families have been living in relief camps for the last four months. However, over the past week, the […]

INDIA: Paramilitary Still Squats in Chhattisgarh Schools

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from CGNet Swara, an organization promoting community journalism in India, regarding the continuing occupation and use of educational institutions in Chhattisgarh by the Indian paramilitary. AHRC has learnt that two companies of the Border Security Force (BSF), deployed at remote Kodapakha village of Kanker district, about […]

PAKISTAN: The social injustice behind the practice of dowry-when greed dictates society

Each year, in South Asian communities, thousands of young brides lose their lives over dowry disputes. They are burnt, killed or maimed by husbands and in-laws whose material demands remain unfulfilled. Religions including Islam have always been interpreted and applied in favour of men and power structures.  Thus, it is not surprising to notice that   dowry […]

INDIA: Press Statement on the communal violence in Muzaffarnagar district in UP

Press Statement on the Report  prepared by Mohan Rao, Ish Mishra, Pragya Singh and Vikas Bajpai, December 30, 2013 A team of independent academics and a journalist carried out an inquiry into the communal violence that shook Muzaffarnagar district in UP this past September. The report is based on the findings of the team during […]

SRI LANKA: Badurueliya Hospital to be reopened after weeklong shutdown

In the early morning of December 27, the authorities addressed a large crowd of people protesting outside Badureliya District Hospital. They had come to support a Member of Parliament who was staging a hunger strike demanding the reopening of the hospital. The authorities announced to the crowd that the hospital would be reopened the next […]

ASIA: AHRC TV – Human rights Asia Weekly Roundup, EPISODE 11

Today, December 23, 2013, the Asian Human Rights Commission releases the 11th Episode, of the Human Asia Rights Weekly Roundup with special reports on Labour Rights from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India. In these countries, specifically in Bangladesh, labour rights have been a matter of serious international concern following several tragic incidents that have led to the […]

SOUTH KOREA: Appeal to all sectors of society from Miryang villagers after experiencing a hard time in the third suicide attempt against the Power Transmission Tower

1. Legs are shaking and heart is trembling. This time, with good fortune, we could have saved one’s life. If we did not force emergency services up to the mountain, having believed what we were told by the police who said that she did not take medicine but only consumed alcohol and if we did […]

NEPAL: Adhikari Couple in Critical Condition

Statement | Nepal | 13-12-2013

The health of Mr. Nanda Prasad Adhikari and Mrs. Ganga Maya Adhikari, parents to a murdered son, Krishna Prasad Adhikari, is deteriorating rapidly. According to doctors at Bir Hospital, having  resumed their hunger strike from their hospital beds, the Adhikari couple are now in critical condition. Maoist cadre allegedly killed Krishna Prasad Adhikari in 2004. […]

PAKISTAN: Freedom from Hunger-privilege granted or acknowledged right?

“Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food.” Aly Ercelan and Muhammad Ali Shah A recent publication of Rome-based UN agencies (FAO along with IFAD and WFP of the UN) aims at global food security. It is worth a serious commentary for […]

ASIA: Parliamentarians key to realising Pacific health rights

The important role of parliamentarians in the Pacific needs to be bolstered so as recent commitments to advance reproductive health and rights can be realised. That’s the message of the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD) as they host a workshop for parliamentarians beginning at Papua New Guinea’s Parliament House in Port […]

SRI LANKA: Indebtedness, militarization, & the threat against all human rights

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on Human Rights Day Sinhalese The full report is available for download at: http://www.humanrights.asia/resources/hrreport/2013/AHRC-SPR-006-2013.pdf/view International human rights day is a day for the celebration of human dignity. It is an appropriate date to take stock of what progress, if any, has been made in the promotion and protection […]

ශරී ලංකාව: ණයගැතිබව, හමුදාකරණය, සහ සකල මානව හිමිකම්වලට එරෙහි තර්ජනය

English The full report is available for download at: http://www.humanrights.asia/resources/hrreport/2013/AHRC-SPR-006-2013.pdf/view අන්තර්ජාතික මානව හිමිකම් දිනය මානව අභිමානය සමරන දිනයකි. එහිදී, ශරී   ලංකාවේ මානව හිමිකම් පර්ත වර්ධනය හා ආරක්ෂාව සම්බන්ධයෙන් යම්කිසි දියුණුවක් ලබා තිබේ නම් එම දියුණුව කුමක්දැයි සලකා බැලීම සඳහා මේ දිනය යොදාගැනීම සුදුසු ය. අවාසනාවකට මෙන් මේ සම්බන්ධයෙන් පරුසුගමනයක් දැකගත නොහැකි අතර ඒ වෙනුවට පැහැදිලිවම […]

PAKISTAN: The Country has turned into a Killing Field

The full report is available for download at: http://www.humanrights.asia/resources/hrreport/2013/AHRC-SPR-005-2013.pdf/view A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on Human Rights Day AHRC releases its Report on the State of Human Rights in Pakistan, 2013 In 2013, the people of Pakistan have remained at the mercy of state and non-state actors who resort to violence as a […]