Death penalty

PAKISTAN: Stop prison executions of the mentally ill on death row

An Open Letter from the Asian Human Rights Commission to the President of Pakistan His Excellency, Mr. Mamnoon Hussain¨ President of Pakistan President’s Secretariat Islamabad  Pakistan Fax: +92 51 9207458 Email: publicmail@president.gov.pk Dear Mr President, The Asian Human Rights Commission is deeply concerned about the case of Imdad Ali, a mentally ill, death row inmate in […]

AHRC TV: Involvement of Indonesian officials in drug trade and other stories in JUST ASIA Episode 133

This week Just Asia begins with Indonesia, where the debate on the death sentence is heating up after executed Freddy Budiman’s message shocked the country. Before his July 29 execution, the drug kingpin broadcasted a message that he had cooperation from the police and the National Narcotic Board for smuggling drugs to Indonesia. Calls are […]

INDONESIA: Death penalty and criminal defamation is not a solution, Mr. President

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is gravely dismayed by President Joko Widodo’s decision to continue the execution of death row inmates. Prior to the July 29 executions, the AHRC issued an open letter urging the President to stop the third execution, to no avail. President Widodo’s administration has so far executed 19 death row inmates, most […]

INDONESIA: Stop the third execution of death row inmates. It denies their right to life and brings no effective solution for the eradication of illegal drugs

Dear President Widodo: The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), a Hong Kong-based, regional human rights organization, expresses its concern regarding government plans to execute approximately 14 death row inmates. Those to be executed are Mr. Fredi Budiman (Indonesia), Mr. Eugene Ape (Nigeria), Mr. Humphrey Jefferson (Nigeria), Mr. Seck Osmane (South Africa), Mrs. Merri Utami (Indonesia), […]

PAKISTAN : Human Rights Commission of Pakistan calls for stay of execution

A PRESS RELEASE – by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) calls for stay of execution, forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission, Hong Kong. Lahore, December 15: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has called upon the President to stay the execution of Syed Saqi Shah who is scheduled to be hanged […]

PAKISTAN: Halt the execution of Saqi Shah, a minor at the time of the incident

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information of the execution of two persons who have already spent 23 years in prison, including 20 years on death row in Adialla Prison. They are to be hanged on December 16, which is the first anniversary of the terrorist killing of 145 children at […]

PAKISTAN: Halt the execution of Saqi Shah, a minor at the time of the incident

Please Send the following petition by fax & email to all addresses Mr. Ban Ki Moon Secretary General of the United Nations Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General  United Nations S-378, New York, NY 10017  USA Tel: +1 212 963 5012 Fax: +1 212 963 7055 or 2155 E-mail: ecu@un.org, inquiries@un.org Tel. +1 212 963 7162 […]

PAKISTAN: From the Frying Pan, to the Fire

Human Rights violations remain widespread due to the failings of, and lack of reforms to, the country’s institutional framework, in particular, key institutions of the rule of law – the police, the prosecution, and the judiciary. This is compounded by persisting impunity enjoyed by law enforcement agencies particularly by the Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies. […]

PAKISTAN: Executions cross 200

The number of hangings in Pakistan has already crossed the 200 mark in 2015, and there are still about four months left in the year. If killing human beings were a race, Pakistan is winning hands down. And still there is room for improvement. An estimated 8,000 people, the largest in the world, are on […]

INDIA: Retributive Justice is injustice, your lordships

Article | India | 31-07-2015

Yakub Memon is dead and buried. He was legally murdered on Thursday, 30 July 2015. This was after the Supreme Court dismissed the final petition put forward by a group of eminent lawyers pleading postponement of the sentence in a dramatic hearing that took place in the early hours of Thursday, just 2 hours before […]

INDIA: It’s Yakub only now, justice was hung a while back

Article | India | 23-07-2015

Yakub Memon, a terror convict, will be hanged to death, most probably on 30 July 2015. He will be killed by the State because the Supreme Court of India rejected his curative plea, the final appeal, and cleared the way for hanging. He will hang after being convicted under the much reviled Terrorist and Disruptive […]

PAKISTAN: Ensuing executions a systematic move to instill fear

Aftab Bahadur Masih was executed in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail early this morning despite requests from rights groups and church leaders to halt the execution, terming his conviction as flawed. He was 15-year-old at the time of the commission of the alleged crime, a fact not disputed by the police or the courts. Aftab had […]

PAKISTAN: “I will be hanged by the neck until dead” – Aftab Bahadur Masih

Aftab Bahadur Masih is expected to be executed tomorrow, 10 June 2015. He has now been on death row for over 22 years. The Asian Human Rights Commission is reproducing a translation of a letter Aftab wrote recently from his prison cell in Kot Lakhpat, Lahore. The letter has been translated from Urdu by Reprieve, an […]

PAKISTAN: Killing of 46 Ismailis utterly condemnable

Today, persons hailing from the Ismaili community (a branch of Shia Islam) have been attacked while they were travelling on a passenger bus managed and operated by the community. According to media reports, six unidentified assailants on motorbikes opened fire on the bus from all sides, leaving at least 46 dead and 24 injured. Many […]

INDONESIA: Reconciliation Task Force cannot replace Human Rights Court

An Open Letter from the Asian Human Rights Commission to President of the Republic of Indonesia, Mr. Joko Widodo Mr. Joko Widodo  President of the Republic of Indonesia Jl. Veteran No. 16, Jakarta Pusat, INDONESIA Tel: +62 21 3458 595 Fax: +62 21 3484 4759 E-mail: webmaster@setneg.go.id Dear President Widodo: INDONESIA: Reconciliation Task Force cannot replace […]

INDONESIA/PHILIPPINES: STOP the Execution of Mary Jane Veloso! – Int’l rights groups, individuals from various countries

A Press Release from the Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) International human rights and women’s rights groups today threw their support for the call of Philippine human rights groups to stop the execution of Filipina human trafficking victim Mary Jane Veloso in Indonesia. “We, human […]

INDONESIA: Mentally ill Brazilian facing imminent execution following trial without a lawyer

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the imminent execution of a mentally ill man, who was tried and convicted on illegal drugs charges in Indonesia. Rodrigo Gularte has a long history of severe mental illness, dating back long before his arrest, and he continues to suffer from paranoid schizophrenia. […]

INDONESIA: Execution of 10 inmates will harm international relations and rights protection

An Open Letter from the Asian Human Rights Commission to President of the Republic of Indonesia, Mr. Joko Widodo Mr. Joko Widodo  President of the Republic of Indonesia Jl. Veteran No. 16, Jakarta Pusat, INDONESIA Tel: +62 21 3458 595 Fax: +62 21 3484 4759 E-mail: webmaster@setneg.go.id Dear President Widodo: INDONESIA: Execution of 10 inmates will […]

ASIA: Weekly Roundup, Episode 67

In this week’s Roundup, AHRC TV covers stories from Burma, the Philippines, and Pakistan. Police and mob violence against peaceful demonstrators in Burma has sown doubt about the democratisation process in the country. AHRC TV talks to several people on the ground about recent crackdowns in Rangoon and Letpadan and whether police are continuing to […]

PAKISTAN: The Missing Commission

More than a month after the deadly attack on Army Public School Peshawar, the tragedy is still under thick impenetrable clouds. The uncertainty about what the Prime Minister termed ‘a national tragedy’ persists with no one even making an effort to fathom. According to umpteen media reports about the December 16th attack, all one could […]