Human rights defenders

Dear friends The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is forwarding the urgent appeals of the Asian Center for the Progress of Peoples (ACPP) on the conviction of Mr. Zheng Enchong, a Shanghai lawyer, who has been involved in defending the economic and social rights of displaced people affected by redevelopment projects in Shanghai.. On 28 […]

[RE: UP-45-2003: Michael Anthony Fernando freed and given an Asian human rights award, UP-26-2003: Update on Mr Michael Anthony Emmanuel Fernando (‘Tony’), UP-19-2003, UP-14-2003, UA-09-2003: Human rights defender tortured and denied the fundamental right to a fair hearing] ———————————————————————- UP-49-2003: SRI LANKA: Michael Anthony Fernando receives death threats SRI LANKA: Update on Michael Anthony Fernando […]

Dear friends The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the police searched the premises of the People’s Watch-Tamil Nadu, a prominent human rights organization in Tamil Nadu on 5 November 2003. More seriously, it is alleged that the police had threatened the executive director of the organization during People¡¦s Watch¡¦s public hearings […]

SRI LANKA: Update on Michael Anthony Fernando (Tony) ———————————————————————- Dear friends The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is very happy to inform you that Michael Anthony Fernando (Tony), a trade unionist as well as human rights activist, was freed on 17 October 2003 after being declared as a winner of the inaugural Human Rights Defenders […]

Dear Friends Amnesty International has highlighted five appeal cases against torture from around the world. (http://ai-stoptorture.c.tclk.net/maabc0oaaYRL8bcN4R0b/ ), Together Against Torture. We are forwarding one to you, regarding Eren Keskin, who is a lawyer and human rights activist in Turkey. Although Turkey is outside the geographical remit of an Asian NGO, we feel the cause Eren is fighting […]

Dear Friends We are forwarding information from The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint program of FIDH and OMCT China. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact them. *********** Paris – Geneva, 26 August 2003 The Observatory, an FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the protection […]

INDONESIA: attacks on human rights defenders reaching crisis point ——————————————————————- Fourteen months after the attack on the Jakarta office of Kontras which we reported to you in UA-11-2002 (16 May 2002), the office and staff of Kontras have again been violently attacked by civilian militias.  This follows our two recent appeals describing the abduction and […]

SITUATION: On 21 April 2003 five Human Rights activists were abducted and two of them tortured and killed in Naujan Town, Oriental Mindoro province, Southern Tagalog. The bodies of Eden Marcellana, Secretary General of the Alyans sa Pagsusulong ng Karapatang Pantao in Southern Tagalog (Karapatan-ST), and Eddie Gumanoy, Chairperson of the peasant group, KASAMA-TK (Kasapian ng mga […]

Dear Friends Thomas Hundall, a 22 yr old British Human Rights activist, was shot dead by Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip while defending some Palestinian children by standing between them and IDF troops. Thomas Hundall was a member of the International Solidarity Movement, and is the third international peace activist in less than one […]

SITUATION: Two Human Rights activists, Mukhlis Ishak, aka Choy, 27 yrs old, from Darussalam Banda Aceh, and Zulfikar, aka Joul, 24 yrs old, from Kramat Banda Aceh, have disappeared. The Banda Aceh Legal Aid Institute (LBH Banda Aceh) has found proof of the kidnap and disappearance of the two men. On Thursday, 27 March, 2003, […]

Dear Friends, A local solidarity group for Mr. Michael Anthony Emmanuel Fernando (aka Tony) in Sri Lanka has launched a petition for release of him. AHRC has launched a petition on behalf of Tony on 21 March 2003. When you sign this petition on line, your name will be added to the list of signatories […]

On 8 October 2002, Singaporean Court sentenced Chee Soon Juan, Singaporean opposition leader, and Ghandhi Ambalam for five and four weeks jail for breaking Singapore’s Public Entertainment and Meeting Act by holding a public event without a permit, after they refused to pay a S$4,500 (USA$2,540) and S$3000 fine, respectively. Ambalam has since been released, as his family paid the fine, but Chee continues to be imprisoned.

Dear Friends, The following is a forwarded appeal from Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) regarding a case of harassment of a human rights activist. According to the following urgent appeal, Mr. Johnny F. Diozon, one of the staff members of TFDP who is in charge of the Northern Luzon region, has been harassed […]

Dear Friends,  Regarding our earlier forwarded appeal on the crackdown on Burmese dissidents and pro-democracy activists in Thailand, we are again requesting you to take action to prevent the arrested persons from being forcibly repatriated to the Burmese military regime.  According to news reports, the Thai authorities have officially announced that they sent them all […]

Munir and Warda attacked by Jakarta militias INDONESIA: Attacks on human rights defenders, destruction of property, public use of weapons with impunity ———————————————————– AHRC has visited the offices of two highly regarded Indonesian human rights defenders targeted by civil militia groups in separate violent attacks occurring on the same day: March 13, 2002. The Urban […]

State violence and repression in Asia INDONESIA/MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE/AUSTRALIA: Repression and violence against human rights defenders on May Day 2002 ——————————————————————– Last Wednesday was International Labour Day – the day to remember and continue the struggle for basic human rights for workers around the world. Far too often the efforts of worker activists for justice end in […]

Dear Friends We are asking for your urgent action in the light of dramatic developments in the struggle of the ISA detainees for proper medical and legal treatment. The 8-day long hunger strike and several days without water has seriously weakened the six detainees to the point where two have been put on intravenous drip […]

We are forwarding an appeal from Eviction Watch and the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC) for your further action to protect Indonesian human rights defenders. After the second attack on UPC by the FBR (Betawi Brotherhood Forum) which caused many of you to write protest letters, 7 of the attackers have been arrested. 

(RE: UA-11-2002: Attacks on human rights defenders, destruction of property, public use of weapons with impunity)  UPDATE (INDONESIA): Further attacks on human rights defenders, public threats made with impunity  ———————————————————————-  Dear Friends  We are including here a joint statement by 48 Indonesian NGOs in response to another attack by the FBR (Betawi Brotherhood Forum) on […]

Dear Friends,  On March 16, 2002, we sent an urgent appeal about the attack on the office of Kontras (Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence) in Jakarta by unidentified Ambonese people on March 13. To follow up this appeal, we are forwarding you a letter sent to Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri by Forum-Asia […]