Forwarded Urgent Appeal

AUSTRALIA: Fear of forcible repatriation – Refugees stranded off Australian coast

Dear Friends, Regarding our earlier urgent appeal (28-08-2001) on the refugee crisis in Australia, we are forwarding the following appeal by Amnesty International in Australia for your urgent action. The Norwegian freighter, Tampa with 438 asylum-seekers on board still remains about four nautical miles off of Christmas Island despite the Australian government’s request for it […]

SOUTH KOREA: Exposing suspicious deaths in South Korea

Dear Friends, We’re forwarding you the following appeal made by Beginning a Solidarity Electronically in the 21st Century (BASE21) in South Korea. After President Kim Dae-jung took office, the South Korean government set up the Presidential Truth Commission on Suspicious Deaths (PTCSD) to bring to light suspicious deaths that took place during the last dictatorial […]

PAKISTAN: Death Sentence for Alleged Blasphemy

Dear Friends  We are forwarding the following appeal from the National Commission For Justice and Peace for your urgent action to try to stop the killing of Ayub Masih by the military government of Pakistan under the infamous Blasphemy Law 295-C. Under this law, the only evidence needed is one ‘reliable’ man’s word that the […]

UN: Memorandum – Include Caste in WCAR

Dear Friends Take a minute today or tomorrow to appeal for an end to caste discrimination! We are forwarding the following urgent appeal from the National Campaign for Dalit Human Rights (India). We have been working with the NCDHR and other groups for the past year to have the caste issue included in the agenda […]

MALAYSIA: 41 arrested on 100th day of ISA detentions

Dear Friends We are forwarding you the following Urgent Appeal from Suaram, a highly respected human rights organisation in Malaysia. Yesterday, July 15th – marked 100 days since the government of Malaysia started arresting those perceived to be their political opponents under the infamous Internal Security Act. In the last 100 days, 12 persons have […]

MALAYSIA: Denial of right to freedom of association and expression, continuous arrests under the ISA

Dear Friends, Regarding continuous crackdown in Malaysia, we are forwarding the following appeal by SUARAM, one of prominent human rights group in Malaysia. Recently two student leaders were arrested under the ISA. The students join the six other political prisoners (Tina Chua, Mohamad Ezam Mohd. Nor, Saari Sungib, Hishamuddin Rais, Lokman Adam and Badaruddin Ismail) […]

NEPAL: Newpaper editor jailed

PUBLIC AI Index: ASA 31/010/2001  UA 142/01 Prisoners of conscience 6 June 2001  NEPAL Yubaraj Ghimirey, editor-in-chief of the Kantipur  Binod Raj Gyawali, director of the Kantipur  Kailash Sirohiya, managing director of the Kantipur  Yubaraj Ghimirey, Binod Raj Gyawali and Kailash Sirohiya, the editor-in-chief, director and managing director of the main Nepali newspaper Kantipur, have […]

JAPAN: Re-writing of history books

We are forwarding you an appeal from 12 Bishops of Japan, who are protesting the revision of history text-books. The newly approved texts give a positive view of Japan’s past, colonial invasion of the Asia-Pacific region. We have put their letter on our website, and it is available for you to sign online at: http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/japan/appeal.htm […]

SOUTH KOREA: Workers’ blood decorates the gold Nobel Peace Medal

Dear Friends, We’re sending you following appeal made by Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) in South Korea. We urge you to draw your attention and to send protest letter to South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency. Thank you. Urgent Appeals Desk Asian Human Rights Commission ================================================ […]

INDIA: UN must give status to Dalit World Conference

We received the following Appeal from the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights. Dalits (meaning ‘oppressed’) are the group of some 160 million people in India formerly known as ‘Untouchables’, who STILL suffer extreme discrimination, exploitation and violence simply because they were born into an ‘outcaste’ family. The UN World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discriminatino, […]

PHILIPPINES: Denial of rights of indigenous people, murders and assaults with impunity

Dear Friends, We are forwarding you an appeal from WITNESS, a human rights monitaring NGO, based in New York, regarding the attacks on indigenous people in Mindanao, Philippines during recent months. Please read the following report and take the action suggested by WITNESS. If you need further information, please visit www.witness.org to view “Rule of […]

PHILIPPINES: A farmer advocating for land reform killed

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is forwarding to you an appeal from the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) about the killing of Moises Fuentes, a farmer advocating for land reform in Maramag, Bukidnon. For more details, contact the TFDP: National Center, 45 Saint Mary Street Cubao, Quezon City, the Philippines; […]

SRI LANKA: Petition against police inaction in Katunayake attack

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward an appeal from a group of Sri Lankan Attorneys. Thank you. Urgent Appeals Desk Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) ———————————————————————– Sri Lanka: Petition against police inaction in Katunayake attack Several organisations and leading activists in Sri Lanka have launched a public petition calling the […]

FORWARDED APPEAL (India): A lawyer assaulted in Madurai, Tamil Nadu

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward an appeal from People’s Watch Tamil Nadu concerning the torture, arrest and detention of a lawyer in Madurai. The victim was hospitalised after the incident, though no appropriate actions were taken against the police officers. For more information, please contact: Ms. S. Sabitha National […]

FORWARDED APPEAL (Malaysia): Assault of detainees by prison wardens; provide further medical treatment

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward an appeal update from SUARA RAKYAT MALAYSIA (SUARAM) regarding the assault and medical neglect of detainees by prison wardens in the Sungai Buloh prison. The AHRC joins the call for the prisons department to provide immediate and comprehensive medical treatment to the prisoners, and […]

FORWARDED APPEAL (Indonesia): Please urge the Government to accede the Rome Statute of the ICC

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is forwarding an appeal issued by the Indonesian Association of Families of the Disappeared (IKOHI), the national partner of the Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC). Asia remains significantly under represented at the ICC with only 5 States Parties: Afghanistan, Cambodia, Mongolia, Republic of Korea and […]

FORWARDED APPEAL (Sri Lanka): Online petition to UN for appointment of Special Representative

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is forwarding to you an on-line petition initiated by a group of concerned Sri Lanka expatriates in Australia, calling for the appointment of a Special Representative of UN Secretary General to investigate the worsening human rights abuses in Sri Lanka. To sign this petition please visit this […]

FORWARDED APPEAL (Philippines/Japan): Uneven application of right to nationality denies children equal rights in Japan

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is forwarding to you an appeal from various organisations regarding the petition of nine Japanese-Filipino children to grant them Japanese nationality. The petitioners are represented by their Filipina mothers in their appeal filed before the 38th Section of the Civil Court, Tokyo District Court and the Minister […]

FORWARDED APPEAL (Nepal): Human rights groups question the legality of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of Nepal

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is forwarding to you a statement released on 28 May 2005 by 25 human rights organizations in Nepal questioning the legitimacy and legality of the present National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of Nepal and its concurrent officials. The NHRC was formed following an amendment to the National […]

BANGLADESH/INDIA: Report on human rights violations by the Indian Border Security Force in the Indo-Bangladesh border

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is forwarding a press release issued by Odhikar, a human rights organization in Bangladesh, on 5 February 2005, with regard to human rights violations committed by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) in the Indo-Bangladesh border. The press release was written based on Odhikar’s report which covers […]