Indigenous people

NEPAL: Commitments to accountability and justice continue to be jeopardized in 2011

Statement | Nepal | 07-12-2011

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the Occasion of the International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011 On the occasion of the 63rd Human Rights Day, the Asian Human Rights Commission is releasing its annual report on the state of human rights protection in Nepal through 2011. The report is available here. Given […]

INDONESIA: Human Rights in 2011 – The Decay of Pancasila and Constitutional Protections

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the Occasion of the International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011 On the occasion of the International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011 the AHRC publishes its annual report on the State of Human Rights in Indonesia in 2011. The full report will be made available […]

INDIA: 13-year-old tribal girl raped by the headmaster of her school in Orissa

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the reliable human rights groups concerning the case of rape, by the headmaster of a tribal school of one of his students, a tribal girl, studying class four. The incident happened at Sunabeda KBK Sevashram School on the night of 15 October 2011. […]

INDONESIA: One person killed, hundreds arrested and five persons charged with rebellion at Third Papuan People’s Congress

Dear friends, The AHRC has received information regarding the killing of at least one person and the arrest of hundreds of participants at the Third Papuan People’s Congress including Forkorus Yaboisembut and Edison Waromi on 19 October 2011 in Abepura, Papua. Concerns about the safety of the arrested persons and the need for an investigation […]

INDONESIA: Troops Open Fire On Papuan Gathering

The Indonesian military and police started shooting at around 2:37pm West Papua time, yesterday 19 October. Information about what exactly transpired are still sketchy but at least one person was shot (believed dead), scores have been arrested, hundreds have fled to the hills and jungle surrounding the capital, and the capital is in a state […]

INDONESIA: Security forces open fire at Third Papuan People’s Congress

(Hong Kong, October 19, 2011) At around 3pm today the security forces surrounding the Third Papuan People’s Congress in Indonesia opened fire and dispersed the event. Possible casualties are not known as of now. Several persons are reported to have been arrested, including Forkorus Yaboisembut and Edison Waromi, indigenous political leaders. The AHRC has received […]

INDONESIA: Authoritarian style show of force at Third Papuan People’s Congress

(Hong Kong, Jayapura, October 19, 2011) About 100 TNI soldiers and several members of the mobile brigade of the police (BRIMOB) are reported to have approached closer to the location where the Third Papuan People’s Congress in Jayapura, Papua is currently being held. The organisers fear that the mass violence frequently perpetrated by the armed […]

INDONESIA: Police in Timika kill one union protester and injure others at Freeport

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the extrajudicial killing of trade union member Peter W. Ayamiseba and the injury of several persons in police shootings during a union protest on October 10, 2011 at PT Freeport Indonesia in West Papua. The workers were protesting against the illegal termination of […]

INDONESIA: Jayapura city district police and military arbitrarily torture and arrest Papuan civilians

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the arbitrary arrest and torture of 15 Papuan villagers, including several minors, in Horas Skyline village, Jayapura, Papua, committed by a joint team of Jayapura city district police and Cenderawasih military area command on 31 August 2011. Until now, there is no investigation […]

INDONESIA: Manokwari Court acquits four Papuan students but sentences one more student with rebellion

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information from the Institute for Research, Recognition and Development of Legal Aid (LP3BH) in West Papua regarding the sentencing of another Papuan student and the acquittal of four others in relation to their involvement in a peaceful protest on 14 December 2010. While the […]

PHILIPPINES: Soldiers torture a man and set him on fire

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you that the soldiers tortured a member of an indigenous minority whom they falsely accused of being a member of an illegal armed group and set him on fire after pouring gasoline on him. The victim was tortured to force him to admit he […]

INDIA: The administration must conduct effective investigations and monitoring to eradicate malnutrition and hunger faced by the Mawasi tribe

[RE: AHRC-HAC-009-2010: India: Five children of Mawasi tribe currently suffering from malnutrition in the village where seven children died of malnutrition in 2008-09] Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received a letter from the Indian government dated April 28, 2011 in response to the AHRC Hunger Alert Case (AHRC-HAC-009-2010) reported on November 9, […]

INDIA: Kandha tribe families confront serious food insecurity after the forest officials demolished their houses in Orissa

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received the information from ANTODAYA, a human rights group working in the Kalahandi district of Orissa that in October 2010, forest department officials from Taljaring Beat demolished the houses of twelve families of the Kandha tribe who were living in Hardaguda village. The officials came all […]

INDONESIA: Papuan Peace Declaration

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following declaration from a group of Papuan organisations, indigenous and political Papuan stakeholders issued at the conference for peace in Papua which was held between 5-7 July 2011 in the UNCEN auditorium, Abepura Papua, Indonesia. The conference was organised by the Network of Peace in Papua […]

INDONESIA: The military ignores agreed settlement with an assault victim

Dear friends,  Two members of 756th Wimaneseli infantry battalion of the Indonesian National Military (TNI) in West Papua assaulted and threatened Yani Meage on 31 May, 2011 in the Kurima district, Yahukimo. After a quarrel between the victim and the TNI members, the soldiers threatened and attacked the victim by beating and kicking him which […]

INDONESIA: Army members stab indigenous Papuan to death following his complaint

Dear friends,  At least five members of the Indonesian national military killed an indigenous Papuan, Derek Adii on 14 May 2011 while he was boarding the Lalobar ship service, in Samabusa Nabire Port, West Papua. It is reported that the soldiers attacked and stabbed Mr. Adii to death after he had complained about the rough […]

PHILIPPINES: Concern over Ombudsman’s “closure and termination” of cases

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is from today publishing a series ofInvestigation Reports made by the Office of the Ombudsman on cases they have ruled as “closed and terminated” during the last five years. The AHRC is deeply concerned that the Ombudsman is arbitrarily using its power under the Ombudsman Act of 1989 to dismiss complaints on questionable grounds.  DETAILS OF TERMINATED CASES:  First […]

INDIA: Security personnel gang rape a 14 year-old tribal girl

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the alleged gang-rape of a 14-year-old tribal girl by four security personnel in Narayanpatna, Koraput of Orissa state on 19 April 2011. The perpetrators broke open the door of the house where three children, including the victim, were sleeping at midnight. According to […]

INDONESIA: West Papua — Violence against indigenous women

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following article written by Fien Jarangga & Galuh Wandita. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- An article from Fien Jarangga & Galuh Wandita, Cultural Survival – Spring 2011 forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission INDONESIA: West Papua — Violence against indigenous women Fien Jarangga coordinates […]

INDIA: Yet another human rights defender attacked in Odisha

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 […]