Torture

This week Just Asia begins with Malaysia, where more than one hundred foreigners in immigration detention centers have died in the past two years. There were 83 deaths in 2015, and at least 35 in 2016, from various diseases and unknown causes. More than half of the 118 dead are from Burma. A commissioner from […]

Radio Sweden has published the recording of a conversation with an officer of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). In it, the officer confirms the widespread practice of extrajudicial killings practiced by the RAB, targeting those it considers a threat to national security and those regarded as opponents of the incumbent Bangladesh government. The officer explains how persons […]

This week Just Asia begins with Nepal. March 21st, celebrated as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, is simply a day to mark all that is not right in Nepal. Since the day’s inception in 1960, the situation of Dalits has barely improved. There is no implementation of Nepal’s law against caste […]

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 […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding Mr. Sutrisno alias Lahido (35). In the Sigi Police Station, (Polres Sigi), Central Sulawesi province, Mr. Sutrisno was tortured to death. He had surrendered peacefully and was very cooperative. Eight police officers have been detained by the Provost and Security unit (Propam), Central […]

An Open Letter from the Asian Human Rights Commission to The Honourable Minister of Justice Wijedasa Rajapakse and the Honourable Minister of Law and Order & Southern Development Sagala Rathnayake 15 March 2017 Dear Ministers Wijedasa Rajapakse and Sagala Ratnayaka Two more extrajudicial killings at police stations have been reported in Sri Lanka. One of the […]

The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, said the following in a message on International Women’s Day. “On International Women’s Day, let us all pledge to do everything we can to overcome entrenched prejudice, support engagement and activism, promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.” The 2017 UN theme on International Women’s Day is–Women in the Changing World of Work: […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding human rights violations committed by police officers and the Adidaya Tangguh Company in North Moluccas province, Indonesia. The pattern of violations is one of land confiscation, deprivation of liberty and a vicious attack against local community members on Taliabu Island. Substantial members of […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward an appeal from the International Coalition for Papua (ICP) regarding a torture case in the highland city of Wamena, which was committed by six members of the Jayawijaya District Police, Jayawijaya regency, Papua province. The torture occurred on 11th January 2017 during detention at […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information that a prominent activist from Pakistani Kashmir, Mohammad Rafiq Khawaja, who is also Editor of an Urdu daily, is under State repression. He is being victimised for standing up for the rights of the struggle of Kashmiris and for bringing to light the […]

This week Just Asia begins with Sri Lanka, where five police officers have been arrested in connection with the custodial death of a suspect at the Peliyagoda Police station. The 42-year-old Chadik Shyaman Wickramarachchi was arrested on February 25, following information provided by another suspect. The next day, Chadik’s body was recovered by his family at the Police Mortuary […]

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) has received updated information that Pakistan Rangers and police have conducted joint operations against Sindhi political activists after the suicide bomb blast at the shrine of Shahbaz Qalander, Sehwan, wherein 88 persons were killed and 288 were injured. Although ISIS, the international terrorist organization conducted the blast, […]

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 Terai Human Rights Defenders Alliance (THRDA). They stated that police used excessive force against secondary school students in the Marchawar area of Rupandehi district, Nepal. Now the students are living in fear, with many leaving for India, due to mass arrests and […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Commission for Disappearances and Victims of Violence (KontraS). It is a national, human rights NGO, handling the case of torture which caused the death of Mr. Afriadi Pratama (23). The case was occasioned by a personal conflict, namely a love triangle, between […]

This week Just Asia begins by speaking to Adem Carroll, the Burma Task Force director for New York and UN programs regarding the dire situation faced by the Rohingya in Burma. Carroll calls for an independent commission of inquiry into the military abuses against the Muslim minority group. He also says that citizens of ASEAN […]

A Statement from National Fact Finding Mission forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission In light of the apparent information blackout concerning the fire that devoured the House Technology Industries main building (HTI) inside the Cavite Export Processing Zone, various labor institutions and people’s organization initiated a National Fact Finding Mission to probe the extent […]

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 […]

The sudden and inexplicable surge in violence against women this year has sent shivers down the collective spine of the country. Not that previous years had been any different in terms of violence against women. However, the year 2017 appears to be particularly brutal with more than a dozen honour killings occurring in the first […]