Threats and intimidation

Glamorizing terrorists as born again saviours of humanity is the new tactic adopted by the state to abet home grown terrorism. Those who dare demand their rights are shunned as separatists while the radicals who commit barbarity are released on the pretext of being innocent. The recent news of the release of ISIS operative Naureen […]

This week, Just Asia begins with Indonesia, where, after massive pressure from hardliner and anti-tolerance groups, judges of the North Jakarta District Court sentenced Jakarta Governor, Mr. Basuki Tjahaja Purnama alias Ahok, to 2 years imprisonment on 9 May 2017. Just Asia speaks to Chris Biantoro for more details. Next, in a grim reminder of the Nirbhaya incident […]

This week Just Asia begins with the arbitrariness of the ‘rarest of the rare’ doctrine in India regarding the death penalty. The Supreme Court upheld the death penalty awarded to four convicts in the 2012 Delhi gangrape and murder case on May 5. Another judgment in the same week was passed in the 2002 Bilkis […]

Two recent reports prove the predictions that the Asian Human Rights Commission has been making for several years, that Bangladesh is likely to become a major refugee producing country in the Asian region. The UK basedIndependent published a report on 5 May 2017, with the title “Bangladesh is now the single biggest country of origin for refugees on boats as new route to Europe […]

An article from Scroll.in forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Indians have internalised the notion that criminals deserve some pain. And the country still does not have a robust law against torture. The popular Malayalam film Action Hero Biju, as the name suggests, is full of “action” performed by the “hero” Biju, a police officer in Kochi, Kerala. The […]

The government of India recently informed the Supreme Court that it has formed a Committee for looking into ways to stop the smuggling of cattle–cows in particular. It is headed by the Joint Secretary of the Home Ministry. The government had taken this step in response to a 2015 Public Interest Litigation seeking the Supreme […]

This week Just Asia begins with a call from Filipino lawyer Jude Josue Sabio, asking the International Criminal Court to charge President Duterte with mass murder and crimes against humanity. A 77-page complaint to the Court on Monday states Mr. Duterte was the “mastermind” of a campaign that has killed more than 9,400 people since […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about an acid attack against anti-corruption activist, Mr. Sukma Hidayat (38) and his wife. Sukma was attacked after he requested the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to tackle a corruption case. So far, the investigation process of the acid attack against Sukma and his wife […]

The security establishment has found a new way to control terrorism. They stop people in the northern parts of the country, bordering Afghanistan, from growing maize and abandoning trees. In their view, the best way to control terrorism is to impoverish the affected population by plundering their sources of livelihood. This theory was applied in […]

This week Just Asia begins with calls by activists for a UN special rapporteur to be appointed to look into deteriorating human rights in Balochistan. Leading the protest outside the UN office in Geneva, Baloch activist Mehran Marri said the past 4-5 months had seen a particular low, with the abduction and disappearance of women […]

This week Just Asia begins with Pakistan, where two blasts occurred outside a court in Charsadda, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province on Monday. At least eight people were killed and 20 injured in the attack. Since the beginning of 2017, Pakistan has witnessed an unprecedented spike in violence, with 20 terrorist attacks claiming the lives of more than […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward an appeal from KARAPATAN Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights. For more information, please contact: (+632) 435 4146 Thank you. Urgent Appeals Desk  Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)  ———————————————————————– Political activist illegally arrested after GRP’s “cancellation” of peace talks with the NDFP Dear […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Jagaran Media Center (JMC) that an elderly couple who have been living in a makeshift house below the Dr. K.I. Singh bridge of Pokhara Kaski District have been forcefully thrown out by the Local Area Development Committee and members of local Mothers’ […]

Barely one and a half months into this year, eight terrorist attacks in different parts of Pakistan have claimed at least 50 lives, including of 24 security officials. The tall claims of the government and military establishment of breaking the back of terrorism are a shambles. Pakistan, with the world’s sixth largest army and more […]

This week’s episode of Just Asia begins with Hong Kong, which is seeing human rights at its lowest point since 1997, said an Amnesty International report. According to the report, authorities have “failed on many fronts” to protect the city’s rights and freedoms. Amnesty urged the Hong Kong government and civil servants to “make defending […]

This week Just Asia begins with Pakistan, where at least 14 bloggers have disappeared since the beginning of January. The government started off 2017 with a crack-down on human rights defenders and bloggers raising their voices on disappearances and extrajudicial killings, particularly in Balochistan. The security establishment there is very sensitive to the construction of the China PakistanEconomic […]

Today, January 4, is the death anniversary of former Governor of Punjab Province Salman Taseer, who was killed in broad daylight by his own bodyguard in 2011, for appealing for the pardon of a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, who had been sentenced to death for allegedly insulting Prophet Muhammad. After his assassination, Salman Taseer’s family […]

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the occasion of Human Rights Day Commemorating Human Rights Day every December 10 reminds us of the importance of human rights protection, which is still lacking in Indonesia. In the last two years, under President Joko Widodo’s administration, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has observed […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding officials from the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), Punjab, having raided the headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Community, a minority religious group, declared non-Muslim by the Constitution. During the raid, the officers manhandled and tortured persons, made four arrests, registered cases against 9, and confiscated […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Defend Job Philippines (DJP), a social movement working to promote the human rights of the urban poor in Manila, about surveillance and harassment of Ms. Glacy Macabale. Ms. Macabale is human rights defender and community organizer, who has been resisting the forcible displacement […]