Threats and intimidation

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes with deep concern regarding the safety of three Human Rights Defenders, who are grassroots labour leaders that advocate protection of labour rights. The three persons have been the object of continuing threats, intimidation and surveillance by soldiers in their village for defying the former’s demand to […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Working Group on Justice for Peace (WGJP) that two cars are belonging to the family of Angkhana Neelaphaijit, a prominent human rights defender, were broken into this month. The break-ins followed her urging a special investigation unit under the justice ministry to […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is writing to inform you that the three human rights lawyers, whose names were included in the list of targets in a leaked document reportedly created by the military, have filed a petition for a Writ of Amparo to seek judicial protection. The writ is a remedy […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) would like to share brief profiles of those listed as targets in a recently a leaked document, allegedly belonging to the Philippine military. Many are human rights defenders, and knowledge of their work and backgrounds may help give some insight into why members of their government may […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Human Rights Alert (HRA), a human rights organisation based in Imphal, Manipur state, concerning the threats to life faced by the a witness to torture and murder, committed by the Assam Rifles. On 16 May the Assam Rifles arrested Mr. Pebam Gunendro […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes with deep concern over the listing of 105 Human Rights defenders, which included, lawyers, journalists, human rights and political activists, physicians, union leaders and religious leaders in Davao City, as military’s targets in a document reported to have come from a military source. The AHRC feels […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that four children were illegally arrested under the blasphemy laws on January 28, 2009. They are in dangerous health conditions in the jail and their parents are not allowed to visit them according to jail policy. One, Mohammad Irfan son of Mukhtar Ahmed, 15 […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that officers allegedly attached to the Special Task Force (STF) and the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) arbitrarily arrested and detained an activist on 12 February 2009. He has allegedly been targeted for his activities in documenting cases of child abuse in Jaffna. Even though […]

Dear Friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the Minuwangoda police arbitrarily arrested some parents on the 17 February and held them as hostages until their son surrendered himself to the police. In the police station, the father was allegedly tortured in the lock up while the mother was prevented from […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the Meegahatenna police allegedly tortured a man on March 1, 2009 in Sri Lanka. After the torture, police manacled him for two days without providing water, food and bathroom facilities. They finally forced him to sign a statement with no explanation. His legal […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Working Group on Justice for Peace (WGJP) that a group of soldiers and police raided the branch office of WGJP in Pattani province in the South. It took place after the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) made a report, which in fact […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes with deep concern regarding the death threats that one of the Abadilla Five detainees, whom we previously reported to have been suffering from kidney failure, is receiving inside the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City where he is presently detained.  UPDATED INFORMATION:  On 14 January 2009, […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding an incident in which a girl was abducted by a staff of Civil Defense named Mr. Sanjith on November 16, 2008. She was raped in a house for refusing to marry the man. The Dambulla police officers threatened to kill the girl when […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding an incident in which two young men were harassed by air force officers attached to the Koggala Air Force Base on November 4, 2008. Under the influence of liquor, the officers assaulted two villagers and damaged their property. Similar incidents had taken place […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that the police allegedly assaulted a family of venders in Battambang city, Battambang province, Cambodia on 25 October 2008. The police damaged their trays and severely assaulted the father of the family. Their beating caused him to sustain serious injuries and lose consciousness. CASE DETAILS: (Based […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information of threats and harassment made against a man by police officers since May 2008 in Sri Lanka. He would not pay money to them. He has been repeatedly arrested and falsely charged after he refused to give them any bribes. CASE DETAILS: Rajagopalan Manalan […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a police officer raped a woman on 7 October 2008 but due to tardy action by police authorities the officer was able to escape arrest. A colleague of the accused has been assigned as the investigating officer. CASE DETAILS: A man known as […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a father and his 14-year-old son were illegally arrested and taken to Kurunegala Police Station by officers on 11 July 2008. The officers did not produce them in court within the required statutory 24 hours. During nine days’ detention, the officers tortured the […]

[NOTICE: The AHRC has developed this automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of some of the Pakistan authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to them. Fax numbers and postal addresses of the Pakistan authorities are attached below […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes with deep concern about the continuing threats to four union leaders, including a union president, and dozens of other workers. Others preferred not to divulge their names. The soldiers had deliberately warned them, one after another that they would suffer consequences if they not stop their […]