Fabrication of charges

WORLD: The launching of a new journal, SDG 16

Hong Kong, July 30, 2019 The journal with focus on the SDG 16 in particular which is “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.” One of the targets of the SDG 16 is the achievement of rule of law. SDG 16 poses a serious challenges […]

THAILAND: Military authorities can still arbitrarily detain civilians

A Statement from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission   Analysis of the Head of the NCPO Order no. 9/2562 that repealed some Announcements/Orders that are no longer necessary Click here to read the Original Statement On 9 July 2019, Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha in his capacity as the Head of […]

SRI LANKA: ICCPR පනත සංශෝදනය කලයුතුය

(ICCPR පනත ගැන මන:කල්පිත සාකච්ඡාවක්…) රටවැසියෙක්:- මොකක්ද ඔය ICCPR කියලා කියන්නේ…? ICCPR කතෘවරයෙක්:- ICCPR කියලා කියන්නේ ජාත්යඍන්තර සිවිල් හා දේශපාලන අයිතිවාසිකම් කියන ප්රPඥප්තියටයි. එම ප්රලඥප්තිය ඇති වුනේ මෙහෙමයි. 1948 දී මානව හිමිකම් පිළිබඳ විශ්ව ප්රකකාශනය ප්රකකාශයට පත් කෙරුනා. ඒ මගින් සෑම මිනිසෙකුට හා ගැහැණියකටම සිවිල් හා දේශපාලන අයිතිවාසිකම් වගේම ආර්ථික සමාජීය සංස්කෘතික අයිතිවාසිකම් රැසක් ජාත්යමන්තර වශයෙන් මුල් […]

THAILAND: The Attacks of Political Activists

A Statement from The Thai Lawyers for Human Rights forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission 4 June 2019 In pursuance to a string of recent attacks of at least three pro-democracy activists including Aekachai Hongkangwan who was physically assaulted seven times and had his car set on fire twice since early 2018, and of […]

NEPAL: New laws and policies aim to throttle the NHRC, media, and civil society

Statement | Nepal | 31-05-2019

The government of Nepal has been repeatedly throttling the civil society, media and human rights organizations in Nepal. Even the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has now come under its ambit. The present government, led by the Nepal Communist Party, does not like civil society questioning its business. In an attempt to silence critical voices, […]

AHRC TV: Burma frees Reuters’ journalists and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 257

This week Just Asia begins with Burma, where two Reuters reporters have been freed by a presidential amnesty. Wa Lone, 33 and Kyaw Soe Oo, 29 had spent more than 500 days in prison, after being convicted under the Official Secrets Act and sentenced to seven years in jail last September. Their jailing was seen […]

SRI LANKA: Recognising the missing legal system

A well-functioning legal system can be measured by its response to daily crimes and complaints. This is a much better test in fact, rather than a country’s constitution (in Sri Lanka’s case, the 1978 constitution still remains a major barrier to the functioning of a legal system), or statutes, or judicial presence, all of which […]

AHRC TV: Bangladesh deadly fire kills 78 and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 248

This week Just Asia begins with Bangladesh, where a fast-moving fire in the historic district of Chawkbazar in the country’s capital city of Dhaka has killed 78 persons and injured 55. The death toll and the number of victims is expected to increase as more bodies are found from the wreckage. The 400-year-old Chawkbazar district […]

AHRC TV: Sri Lanka to bring back death penalty for drug offenders and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 247

Announcement | | 15-02-2019

This week Just Asia begins with Sri Lanka, where President Maithripala Sirisena told parliament last week that he was ready to bring back the death penalty for drug offenders within one or two months. The last hanging in Sri Lanka took place in 1976, since when there has been a moratorium on capital punishment. President […]

NEPAL: Government’s only policy is to control NGOs and restrict press freedom

Statement | Nepal | 10-12-2018

Nepal saw a year of poor human rights protection in 2018. The government was instead seen to further restrict people’s rights by introducing harsh laws to control the functioning of human rights NGOs and INGOs with its National Integrity Policy (NIP). The NIP places tighter controls over non-governmental space and is currently under discussion, while […]

AHRC TV: Protests as Pakistan’s Asia Bibi acquitted of blasphemy and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 241

This week Just Asia begins with Pakistan, where the overruling of Asia Bibi’s blasphemy conviction and death sentence last week has mired the country in protests. To end the protests, the government made a deal with the Islamist hardliners, where Asia Bibi would remain in Pakistan while a final review of the Supreme Court ruling […]

AHRC TV: Bangladesh arrests prominent government critic and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 239

This week Just Asia begins with Bangladesh, where police arrested a prominent government critic on Monday. Police said Moinul Hosein, a top lawyer and publisher of an English daily, was detained after Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina slammed him for his comments against a pro-government female journalist. His arrest comes in the wake of a recent government […]

AHRC TV: Indonesian corruption watchdog arrests Bekasi Regent and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 238

This week Just Asia begins with Indonesia, where the Corruption Eradication Commission arrested Bekasi’s Regent, Mrs. Neneng Hassanah Yasin on Sunday. She was arrested together with 10 other persons including government officials and employees of the Lippo Group. The Lippo Group apparently agreed to provide 13 billion rupiah for the Regent and her officials in order to […]

AHRC TV: Over a thousand deaths in Indonesia earthquake and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 237

This week Just Asia begins with Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi province, which was hit by a 7.5-magnitude earthquake last Friday, followed by a tsunami. Official figures are reporting the deaths of 1,234 people. Indonesia’s geophysics agency (BMKG) has faced criticism over its handling of a tsunami warning. Indonesian President Joko Widodo is accepting international help for […]

NEPAL: Government must investigate custodial death of Ram Manohar Yadav

Statement | Nepal | 04-09-2018

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) strongly condemns the custodial death of Ram Manohar Yadav, 30, a resident of Janaki Rural Municipality, Banke district. Yadav died in Police custody while on the way to Kathmandu for medical treatment. Police had admitted him to the Bardiya District Hospital in Gulariya and subsequently to the Bheri Zonal […]

NEPAL: Police resort to encounter killing of child abductors

Statement | Nepal | 10-08-2018

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is concerned by the police encounter killing of Ajay Tamang and Gopal Tamang on 6 August 2018. A team from the Metropolitan Police Crime Division shot dead Ajay and Gopal after the police figured out that they killed 11-year-old Nishan Khadka on Sunday evening from Kandaghari of Bhaktapur district. Ajay […]

AHRC TV: Death toll rises in Pakistan’s third deadliest attack and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 228

This week Just Asia begins with Pakistan, where 149 people have died in a suicide bomb attack in Balochistan’s Mastung district. A suicide bomber detonated his explosives at an election rally of the Balochistan Awami Party on Friday afternoon. The death toll continues to rise, with more than a hundred others injured. This was the […]

INDONESIA: Law enforcement in Papua must respect fair trial and due process principles

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) condemns the unlawful arrest and detention committed by police officers of the Timika Police Office (Polres Timika) between 9 and 10 June 2018. Five indigenous Papuans were arrested without any arrest warrant: Titus Kwalik (48), Polce Sugumol (31), Julianus Dekme (31), Alosius Ogolmagai (49), and Orpa Wanjomal (40). According […]

AHRC TV: Nepali mother dying in search for justice and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 226

This week Just Asia begins with Nepal, where a mother is dying in the search for justice. Ganga Maya Adhikari has been on a fast-on-to-death hunger strike for over 30 days, and her health is severely deteriorating. In the ICU of Bir Hospital, Kathmandu, Ganga Maya has a simple demand: the arrest of Chhabilal Poudel, […]

INDIA: Fake rumours and spate of mob lynchings destroying the rule of law

Statement | India | 04-07-2018

For several months now, rumours of traveling child snatchers have been floating around the country, spreading fear through Whatsapp messages and Facebook posts. Recently, the consequences of these rumours was the lynching and killing of two men from Guwahati who ventured into the tribal region of Karbi Anglong in Assam, and, of a group of five […]