Human rights defenders

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) regrets to inform you that the Asahi Kosei (M) Sdn. Bhd. Company, a firm whom we earlier reported to have threatened to commence legal action against a human rights lawyer, Mr. Charles Hector Fernandez, for blogging about alleged violations of the migrant workers rights the company has […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Badrama Abhyaranya Vikas Parisad and SPREAD, two human rights organisations working in Odisha state, India, concerning the attack upon the life of a human rights defender in Sambalpur district of the state. It is reported that the attack was premeditated and suspected to […]

A Statement from a group of concerned media organisations in Sri Lanka forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission 24th March 2011 In view of insecurity created by a series of incidents in the aftermath of the arson attack of Lanka e-News, staff of Lanka e-News, concerned media and human rights organizations in Sri Lanka […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) deeply regrets, but is not surprised, that the five defendants who were earlier convicted for theft and illegal detention, in connection with the disappearance of human rights lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit, have all been exonerated in an Appeal verdict. The court ruled to acquit all the defendants on […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) informed you on 4 March 2011 regarding death threat to the family of F. M. A. Razzak, a human rights defender by the relatives of an officer the Bangladesh Army (For further details, please see our latest Urgent Appeal Update: AHRC-UAU-013-2011).  Now, the AHRC has received updated information […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is calling for court observers to hear the reading of the verdict on the case of Somchai Neelaphaijit tomorrow, March 11, 2011, in Bangkok. The date of the reading of the verdict is significant as it marks the eve of Somchai’s disappearance seven years ago. The reading, […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the murder of human rights activist Mr. Niyamat Ansari in Kope Gram Panchayat of Latehar District, Jharkhand state, on 2 March, as well as a similar attempt on the same day upon the life of his associate Mr. Bhukhan Singh. It is reported […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding death threat to the family of F. M. A. Razzak, a human rights defender, and his well-wishers from the relatives of an officer the Bangladesh Army regarding an illegitimate claim of ownership of a land, which had already been settled by the concerned […]

Pakistan, the Asian Human Rights Commission and the world at large has lost a great advocate in the cause of human rights in general and religious minorities in particular by the brutal assassination of Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti, the Federal Minister for Religious Minorities. Mr. Bhatti, the only Christian minister, was shot to death while traveling […]

A prominent human rights defender from Balochistan province, working on the cases of disappeared persons was shot dead by unknown persons riding on a motorbike. Mr. Naeem Sabir Baloch, the district coordinator of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), an NGO, was gunned down on March 1, 2011 in Khuzdar market, Khuzdar district, Balochistan. […]

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following statement from a Group of Papuan Church Leaders. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- A Statement from a Group of Papuan Church Leaders forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission LEADERS OF PAPUAN CHURCHES Dear brothers and sisters We, Papuan Church leaders send you […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information that Mr. Pattani Razeek a well known human rights defender both locally and internationally has been missing since 11 February 2010. The relatives have made complaints to all the relevant authorities including the United Nations. They have provided enough credible evidence to identify […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has obtained the details of the judgment in which two human rights defenders Mr. Park Lae-Gun and Mr. Lee Jong-Hoi were given a three-year and one month jail sentence suspended for four years and a two-year jail sentence suspended for three years respectively. They played a role […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that Mr. Charles Hector Fernandez, a human rights defender and lawyer, is facing threats of legal action by Asahi Kosei (M) Sdn. Bhd. Company, a company employing migrant workers. The Company claimed that Mr. Fernandez posts on the plight of Burmese migrant workers were libelous. […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward to you the following press release from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- A Press Release from Human Rights Commission of Pakistan forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) Lahore, February 10: The Human Rights Commission […]

Dear friends, Further to our previous appeal, the reading of verdict on the case of Somchai Neelaphaijit was again postponed. The court issued an arrest warrant, as required by the criminal procedure, to compel one the five defendants to appear in court to hear the verdict. But at the same time a petition to declare […]

Dear friends, The thwarting of justice continues in the case of disappeared human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit. Having postponed reading of the verdict in the appeal case concerning the conviction of one policeman from last year, the criminal court has again ordered a further postponement on technical grounds. Meanwhile, the family of the victim is […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information concerning the case of human rights defenders working with Guria receiving threats for their work against human trafficking. Guria is a human rights organisation working against child prostitution and human trafficking in Varanasi city of Uttar Pradesh state. This is not the first […]

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following article from a campaign website, Protect Human Rights Defenders! Protect Cocoy Tulawie! Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- An article from Protect Cocoy Tulawie! Campaign forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission PHILIPPINES: Human Rights in Sulu: The Case of Temogen Tulawie How it […]

Sofie Rordam Sri Lankan citizens are protected against torture and arbitrary arrest in sections 11, 12 and 13 of the Constitution of Sri Lanka. In addition Sri Lanka has ratified the United Nations Convention against Torture and Cruel and Inhuman Treatment in 1994. While the legislation is there, the effectuation is not. The gap between […]