Human rights defenders

UPDATE (Indonesia): Trial of Pollycarpus ignores fact-finding team reports

[RE: UA-164-2004: INDONESIA: The family receives death threats for demanding an impartial inquiry into the death of Munir; UP-30-2005: Unveiling of suspect in Munir’s death may end further inquiries; UP-47-2005: State intelligence officers delay Munir investigation; UP-72-2005: Mandate of fact-finding team into Munir’s murder should be extended and made more effective; UP-83-2005: Police fail to […]

INDIA: Human rights activist facing death threats for working with Dalit and Backward Community

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to bring to your immediate attention the situation faced by Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi, a human rights activist working for the Dalits and the backward class in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Dr Lenin and his colleagues have been subjected to death threats from the upper castes to […]

NEPAL: Threats made to human rights activists by the government

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you of the threats made to a group of human rights activists in Nepal. The first threat was made by a group of Maoists who insisted that the activists meet with them to discuss their work. When the activists refused to register with the […]

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 […]

UPDATE (Indonesia): Police fail to follow up on fact-finding report into Munir case; President does not react to requests for monitoring of the investigation

(RE: UA-164-2004: INDONESIA: The family receives death threats for demanding an impartial inquiry into the death of Munir; UP-30-2005: Unveiling of suspect in Munir’s death may end further inquiries; UP-47-2005: INDONESIA: State intelligence officers delay Munir investigation; UP-72-2005: INDONESIA: The mandate of the fact-finding team investigating Munir’s murder has to be extended/Family of Munir and […]

THAILAND: Police lodge defamation charges against forensic scientist over “5 bullet suicide” case

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is outraged that five Thai police officers have filed defamation complaints against a senior forensic scientist and government bureaucrat following the latter’s comments over an apparent extrajudicial killing which the police have maintained was a suicide. Although all evidence points to the fact that the police killed […]

PAKISTAN: Arrest of activist’s wife over fabricated charges

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from a reliable source regarding alleged fabricated charges laid against a human rights activists, who is a member of the Human Rights Commission fact-finding mission investigating a possible women’s rights violations of which the Chief Minister may have played a role that took place […]

UPDATE (Philippines): Probe ordered into attempt on human rights lawyer’s life

[UA-34-2005: Killing of a labor rights activist for the Hacienda Luisita farm workers in Tarlac City, UP-26-2005: Priest supporting for the Hacienda Luisita farm workers in La Paz, Tarlac killed and two others wounded, UA-34-2005: Attempt on the life of a human rights lawyer working for the Hacienda Luisita farm workers] Dear friends, The Asian […]

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 (Indonesia): State intelligence officers delay Munir investigation

Dear friends, According to updated information received by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), the Indonesian police have named two further suspects in the death of human rights activist Munir. They are Oedi Irianto and Yeti Susmiarti, both employees of Garuda, who have been taken in for questioning. Meanwhile, senior Garuda officials responsible for issuing […]

UPDATE (Sri Lanka): The inefficiencies of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka on two torture cases

[Re: Case 1: UA-135-2004: Alleged illegal detention and torture of a man by officers at Kuruwita Police; UA-63-2005: Need for inquiry into police and inquiring officers conduct in investigating a torture victim’s complaint; Case 2: UP-57-2004:  Case of Chamila Bandara; the issue of the Kandy Coordinator and the rights of the people in Kandy for human rights […]

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 […]

INDIA: The role of a human rights commission is not to demoralise human rights defenders

Statement | India | 14-04-2005

On April 11, staff of the West Bengal-based human rights group Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (Masum) went by appointment to raise their concerns over attacks on Gopen Sharma, a local human rights defender, before the West Bengal Human Rights Commission. Gopen Sharma, who was present with one of his children, is being pursued by the […]

UPDATE (India): District Magistrate was directed by the West Bengal Human Rights Commission to inquire into the police attack on a human rights defender

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information from MASUM, a human rights organisation in West Bengal, regarding the case of Mr. Gopen Sharma, a human rights defender who is under attack by the police. The Jalangi police have laid false charges against Mr Sharma based on his wife’s complaint, which […]

INDIA: Police attack on human rights defender and his family in Murshidabad, West Bengal

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from MASUM, a human rights organisation in West Bengal, regarding a police attack on a human rights defender, Mr Gopen Sharma, and his family. Gopen has been working in the hunger hit areas of Jalangi, Murshidabad District, West Bengal (Ref: Hunger Alert on this […]

UPDATE (Indonesia): Unveiling of suspect in Munir’s death may end further inquiries

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the arrest of Garuda pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, in relation to the death of human rights activist Munir. (See further: UA-164-2004) While we welcome the police investigation and arrest, AHRC is concerned that the current direction of the inquiry may lead to a lack […]

UPDATE (Philippines): Priest supporting for the Hacienda Luisita farm workers in La Paz, Tarlac killed and two others wounded

Dear friends, Further to our previous appeal (UA-34-2005) regarding the killings of human rights defenders and workers in Hacienda Luisita, Tarlac, Philippines, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR) about another killing of a priest who supported workers on strike in Hacienda Luisita. Fr. William […]

UPDATE (Thailand): Thai minister refuses to act on missing human rights lawyer case

[RE: FA-06-2004: THAILAND: A human rights lawyer Mr. Somchai Neelaphaijit missing; 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 Mr. Somchai Neelaphaijit bailed out; UP-20-2005: THAILAND: Human rights lawyer still missing after nearly […]