Enforced disappearances and abductions

UPDATE (Thailand): Fourth special call for observers to attend court hearings over missing human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit

[RE: FA-06-2004: THAILAND: A human rights lawyer Mr. Somchai Neelaphaijit missing… UP-20-2005: THAILAND: Human rights lawyer still missing after nearly one year; Action needed today to have case transferred; UP-24-2005: THAILAND: Thai minister refuses to act on missing human rights lawyer case; UP-37-2005: Thai PM orders action on missing human rights lawyer, while court hears […]

INDONESIA: Rehabilitation and redress for massacre victims essential for true commemoration

Forty years have passed since the occurrence of one of the largest and least known crimes against humanity of the twentieth century: the 1965-66 massacre of some half a million to a million unarmed civilians in Indonesia, who were alleged to be communists. In addition to those killed, hundreds of thousands more were tortured and […]

UPDATE (Thailand): Third special call for observers to attend court hearings over missing human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit

[RE: FA-06-2004: THAILAND: A human rights lawyer Mr. Somchai Neelaphaijit missing… UP-20-2005: THAILAND: Human rights lawyer still missing after nearly one year; Action needed today to have case transferred; UP-24-2005: THAILAND: Thai minister refuses to act on missing human rights lawyer case; UP-37-2005: Thai PM orders action on missing human rights lawyer, while court hears […]

UPDATE (Thailand): Second special call for observers to attend court hearings over missing human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit

[RE: FA-06-2004: THAILAND: A human rights lawyer Mr. Somchai Neelaphaijit missing… UP-20-2005: THAILAND: Human rights lawyer still missing after nearly one year; Action needed today to have case transferred; UP-24-2005: THAILAND: Thai minister refuses to act on missing human rights lawyer case; UP-37-2005: Thai PM orders action on missing human rights lawyer, while court hears […]

INDIA: Human rights defender physically assaulted, threatened and detained by government officials

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information through its local partner MASUM in West Bengal that Mr. Gopen Sharma, a human rights activist was illegally detained, threatened and assaulted by the officers at the Block Development Office in Jalangi, Murshidabad District, West Bengal. Mr. Sharma was, at the time of the […]

UPDATE (Thailand): Special call for observers to attend September 7, 8 & 9 court hearings over missing human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit

[RE: FA-06-2004: THAILAND: A human rights lawyer Mr. Somchai Neelaphaijit missing… UP-20-2005: THAILAND: Human rights lawyer still missing after nearly one year; Action needed today to have case transferred; UP-24-2005: THAILAND: Thai minister refuses to act on missing human rights lawyer case; UP-37-2005: Thai PM orders action on missing human rights lawyer, while court hears […]

UPDATE (Philippines): A 13-year-old daughter of a disappeared man in Davao City suffers trauma

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the present condition of the family of Datu Abdullah Sabdura Salah whose  forcibly disappearance was caused by unknown men in Davao City on 3 April 2003. According to the report, Salah’s 13-year-old daughter Mirriam has been suffering from trauma following her father’s […]

SRI LANKA: The failure to investigate cases of severe medical negligence, including the abduction of a newborn baby, at Negombo Base Hospital

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned of the abduction of a newborn baby at Negombo Base Hospital during the last week. This hospital has over recent months been plagued by a series of medical negligence scandals, resulting in the deaths of patients as well as the unnecessary amputation of a patient’s leg. Despite […]

UPDATE (India): No compensation to family of adivasi, murdered by forest official, despite a four year wait

[Re: UA- 50 -2005: INDIA: Three and a half year wait for justice for the brutal murder of an Adivasi (tribal person) by a forest official in Gujarat] Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information on the case of Manishbhai Motibhai Vasava (30), an adivasi who was murdered by an Indian […]

THAILAND: What is the point of Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 22, 2005 AS-84-2005 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) What is the point of Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation? For at least the third time, Thailand’s Ministry of Justice has announced that its Department of Special Investigation (DSI) will take over the inquiry into disappeared human rights lawyer […]

THAILAND: Missing lawyer case an exemplary failure of human rights in Thailand

It should come as no surprise to anyone that has followed the saga of missing Thai human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit to hear that his wife Angkhana has now taken his case directly to the U.N. Human Rights Committee in Geneva. The Committee is considering Thailand’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political […]

THAILAND: Thai police must under no circumstances be given power over missing-persons centre

On June 6, the deputy director of Thailand’s Central Institute of Forensic Science, Porntip Rojanasunan, was told by senior government officials that the police force has been given the go-ahead to establish the country’s proposed missing-persons centre. This is despite the fact that the proposal for the centre came from Porntip herself, that she has […]

THAILAND: U.N. inquiry into missing human rights lawyer must be accompanied by examination of the nexus between disappearances and torture in Thailand

Speaking in Bangkok on June 2, Stephen Toope, chairman of the U.N. Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances, said that the Working Group has taken up the case of Thai human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit, who has been missing since he was abducted on March 12, 2004. He said that the Working Group has […]

NEPAL: Re-arrest of Nepalese citizens undermines official court orders and rule of law

NEPAL: Exceptional collapse of rule of law; Re-arrests; Undermining of court orders; Re-arrest ——————————————————————— Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received disturbing information regarding the re-arrest of citizens in Nepal, indicating that the practice is still rife within the country. We are aware of at least eight different cases involving the re-arrest […]

INDIA: Suspected case of trafficking of a woman and a potential police cover-up

INDIA: Disappearance; Potential police cover-up; Police failure to properly investigate; failure of West Bengal Human Rights Commission to properly assess police investigations and report. ——————————————————————— Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from MASUM, a human rights organisation in West Bengal, regarding the possible trafficking of a woman and a potential […]

UPDATE (Thailand): Government commits to giving witness protection to missing lawyer’s family

[RE: FA-06-2004: THAILAND: A human rights lawyer Mr. Somchai Neelaphaijit missing; UA-94-2004: Severe torture victims still in custody while police torturers remain in posts; UP-14-2004: Mr. Somchai Neelaphaijit is still missing and the police may be involved in his disappearance; UP-26-2004: 5 suspects in the alleged abduction of missing human rights lawyer Mr. Somchai Neelaphaijit […]

UPDATE (Thailand): Wife of missing human rights lawyer intimidated

[RE: FA-06-2004: THAILAND: A human rights lawyer Mr. Somchai Neelaphaijit missing; UA-94-2004: THAILAND: Severe torture victims still in custody while police torturers remain in posts; UP-14-2004: THAILAND: Mr. Somchai Neelaphaijit is still missing and the police may be involved in his disappearance; UP-26-2004: THAILAND: 5 suspects in the alleged abduction of missing human rights lawyer […]

NEPAL: Illegal detention of a pregnant woman by Nepali security forces

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to draw your attention to a particularly disturbing case involving a Mrs Nisha Neupane from Prithvi Nagar, Chitwan, who was arrested by Security Forces on 31 March 2005. Mrs Neupane is pregnant and requires continuous medical treatment for kidney problems. However, the police have detained Mrs […]

THAILAND: Anticipating Thailand’s missing-persons centre

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 23, 2005 AS-32-2005 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission Anticipating Thailand’s missing-persons centre  The announcement last week by Thailand’s new justice minister Suwat Liptapanlop that a missing-persons centre will be established under the Forensic Science Institute deserves strong public support. The growing number of alleged disappearances in Thailand is […]

NEPAL: Whereabouts of forcibly disappeared man remains unknown after 18 months

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you of the disappearance of a young man named Sanjiv Kumar Karna (alias Dipu), whose whereabouts have remained unknown since 8 October 2003. On that day, Sanjiv was picnicing with friends when joint security force personnel approached. The security forces took Sanjiv and his […]