Freedom of expression

Dear friends, The Asian Human Right Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you regarding the torching of a house of a journalist, Phon Phat (41), in Ba Kan district, Posat on 10 August 2007. Two men drove up to his house at dawn; poured gasoline over the walls and surrounding and set fire to it. The […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the alleged assault of a journalist by a military police officer in Toul Kroh village, Posat province on 4 August 2007. Prior to meeting the military police officer concerned he was on the way back home after collecting information on two illegal shooting […]

Dear friends, This is the latest update by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) on the protests against fuel price increases in Burma: a leader of the protests has reportedly been tortured to death; courts in Rangoon have been closed for more than two weeks; arrests have continued, particularly in the delta area; monks in […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that on 16 June 2007, a Radio Free Asia reporter, Lem Pichpisey, who is also known by his on-air pseudonym, Lem Piseth, 38, received a death threat through his mobile phone after he reported on the illegal logging activities and massive deforestation in Kompong Thom […]

(Note: We are reproducing the report published on June 14 2007 by the International Crisis Group. The Executive Summary and Recommendations follow below). ____________ *INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP – NEW REPORT* Colombo/Brussels, 14 June 2007: The international community must press the warring sides for urgent action to address wide-spread human rights abuses in Sri Lanka as […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information that on 8 June 2007 the Minister of Information, Mr. Khieu Kanharith, reportedly issued a warning letter to the Sralanh Khmer newspaper to stop its publication of the Global Witness report on illegal logging. The GW report, released on 1 June 2007, reportedly exposed the […]

Dear friends,   The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from media houses that Pakistan government has banned the broadcasting of one popular television channel, the Geo TV, since 3 June 2007, after the television station management refused the request of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting not to broadcast its two current […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding yet another incident of targeted attacks against officials and the offices of a political party, the National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas), in Palu, Central Sulawesi on 13 May 2007. It is reported that around 50 to 60 persons allegedly attached to […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received detailed information about two men in Burma who have been imprisoned for allegedly possessing videos showing the wedding of the daughter of the country’s senior most army officer. Ko Than Htun and Ko Tin Htay were arrested separately in March and convicted in April of […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is gravely concerned by the brutal attack and threats of rape against female opposition council members of the Karachi city government by the council members of the Muttehda Qoumi Movement (MQM), a member of the ruling alliance in President General Musharraf’s government and the ruling party of […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about yet another brutal attack on the protesters of the National Liberation Unity Party (PAPERNAS) by fundamental groups in Jakarta on 28 March 2007. The protesters was about to hold a demonstration against the government’s Foreign Investment Bill, which has been passed at the […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission is pleased to inform you that on Monday, 2 April 2007, the criminal charge against a man who satirised state media in Burma was dropped by the local court. U Thein Zan was released to the applause of a large number of supporters and well-wishers. It appears that […]

Dear friends, In an unusual turn of events, a man who was jailed for angrily satirising state media in Burma has been released on bail paid by two strangers who are suspected to have government connections. U Thein Zan is now at home with his family but must go to court in April. UPDATED INFORMATION: […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received shocking information from local human rights group ODHIKAR regarding the murder of Mr. Khabirul Islam Dulal, Commissioner of Ward No. 6 of the Char Fashion Municipality in Bhola district, allegedly caused by a brutal assault by naval officers on 20 February 2007. Mr. Dulal was […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about a villager in Burma who has been arrested and charged for satirising state news media articles. U Thein Zan was arrested on 5 March 2007 after he stuck doctored state propaganda on his fence. His case has been opened in court and the […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward to you the following statement from the editorial board of Maubima, a Sunday newspaper. Some of their staff are alleged to have been harassed, arrested and detained for political reasons. When this same newspaper attacked the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) baselessly in December […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) would like to inform you new attacks on media workers and organizations in Pakistan. We were informed that the Pakistan government has stopped publishing advertisements of government departments and public firms on the Daily Dawn, one largest English newspaper in Pakistan, since December 2006 allegedly due to its […]

The legal system in Cambodia is today rife with malicious criminal lawsuits by the rich and powerful against apparently innocent persons. The suits have variously related to political parties’ management of assets, land disputes, labour disputes, loan and service contracts, and freedom of expression. Some of those that the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has […]

(Hong Kong, January 17, 2007) A coalition of anti-coup groups has announced new protests against the military junta in Thailand, while another concerned about media freedom has reported a sharp increase in censorship there. The 19 September Anti-Coup Network announced on Wednesday that it will call for street protests on January 19 and 21. “We […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from local human rights organization KONTRAS regarding two separate cases of violence and intimidation against human rights defenders by paramilitary groups in Surabaya and Bandung in Java province on 12 and 14 December 2006 respectively. The unlawful behaviour of the paramilitary groups and the […]