State of emergency & martial law

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information of the torture and death of a man in custody in southern Thailand. The AHRC calls for a thorough police investigation and prosecution of those responsible. CASE DETAILS: According to information from the Working Group on Justice for Peace (WGJP), on 27 June 2007 […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the whereabouts of three professors of Rajshahi University remain unknown after they were produced before the Chief Metropolitan Magitrate’s (CMM) Court of Rajshahi on 25 August 2007. None of them has been seen since. A report from a reliable source states that the […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is deeply concerned by reports that hundreds of persons have been rounded up and detained at army camps in southern Thailand under emergency regulations, in violation of their fundamental human rights and ordinary domestic law. According to information from a number of sources, and reported from a […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information regarding the arbitrary arrest and detention of 7 student activists belonging to the Bangladesh Students League (BSL) by the joint security forces in May 2007. All the victims were arrested from their residence within a two day period between May 7-9 with the charge of […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received yet another case of alleged arbitrary arrest and detention under the Special Power Act (SPA), 1974 from Bangladesh. We were informed that Mr. Obaidul Quader and Mr. Abdul Jalil, who are leaders of the Bangladesh Awami League party as well as the former ministers, were […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is aware that over six weeks after two young men were killed and three seriously injured by soldiers in southern Thailand no action has been taken against the alleged killers, although the army has acknowledged responsibility. According to information that the AHRC obtained shortly after the incident […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the alleged torture of two men after their arbitrary arrest and detention in southern Thailand under the Emergency Decree on January 6 and 9, respectively. They were reportedly assaulted by the authorities in order to make them confess before Chang Hai temple military […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AS-100-2007 May 13, 2007 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission PAKISTAN: The Asian Human Rights Commission condemns violence unleashed by the military regime leading to killing of 30 persons in Pakistan The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) condemns the violence unleashed on peaceful protestors by the military dictator in Karachi, […]

The Supreme Court of Pakistan made an order yesterday (May 7) suspending the judicial panel hearing into the accusation made by the military regime against the country’s suspended Chief Justice Mr. Iftekhar Chaudhary, pending a decision on a challenge to the panel filed on his behalf. The Chief Justice has challenged the decision of the […]

Dear friends, The Working Group on Justice for Peace (Thailand) has informed the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) about the alleged horrific torture of a 23-year-old teacher named Sukri Ar-dam in southern Thailand. Sukri was arrested by the police acting under special powers to deal with the ongoing conflict in the south, and he was […]

The government has recently announced that police powers will be granted to the military by way of further emergency regulations. When the BBC Sinhala Service questioned the government spokesman, Minister Keheliya Rambukawella, as to whether the giving of police powers to the military will not result in the re-emergence of torture chambers inside military camps […]

The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has warned that General Musharaff appears to be trying to ‘drive the country towards civil war just to perpetuate his rule.’ Referring to certain incidents of violent confrontations the SCBA said that this was ‘an attempt by the general to create chaos in the country, resulting in civil war […]

In response to the shooting of a group of youths in the south of Thailand on April 9, an army officer has been quoted as saying that the armed militia personnel were justified to fire in self defence. Two young men and two boys died and a number of others were wounded when Village Defence […]

A group of soldiers took Muhamud Arming Usoh from near his home on 30 October 2006, as he returned from work at a rubber plantation. They didn’t produce any arrest warrant or evidence, or tell him where they were taking him or why. The emergency regulations in force over the southern provinces didn’t require this […]

Dear friends, The Working Group on Justice for Peace (Thailand) has informed the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) about the alleged horrific torture of a 42 year-old rubber plantation worker named Muhamud Arming Usoh in southern Thailand. The father of eight was arrested by soldiers acting under special powers to deal with the ongoing conflict […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has obtained information that a group of soldiers and forestry officials in northern Thailand raided a village on January 22 and forced their way into houses. The officers didn’t give their names or other details of what they were doing or why, and when challenged by the […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) previously reported on the alleged torture of two men after their arbitrary arrest and detention in southern Thailand, (see UAC-005-2008). It has since received news of other similar cases involving torture. The latest victims are charged with organizing the Nong Fern Karaoke restaurant bombing in Pattani province. CASE […]

Dear friends, The military junta that has now controlled government in Thailand for four months has in recent weeks made clear that martial law was never partially lifted at the end of November, as it had earlier ordered, and that it instead now intends to use more of the powers under that law to stifle […]

(Hong Kong, January 19, 2007) Martial law and emergency regulations should be lifted from Thailand without further delay, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) said in an appeal issued on Friday. In the appeal, marking the fourth month after the army seized power Hong Kong-based regional rights group said that the extension of martial law […]

AS-009-2007 January 12, 2007 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission THAILAND: Martial law rules in constitution’s stead An article in the Bangkok Post of January 11 quoted General Sonthi Boonyaratglin as saying that martial law in Thailand, which was imposed on September 19 when he seized power, has never been partially lifted as […]