Judicial system

Indonesia, which received the second highest number of votes in elections to the United Nations Human Rights Council earlier this year, will celebrate its sixty second Independence Day on August 17, 2007. Given these election results, we could imagine that Indonesia is considered as being a moderate nation which consistently promotes and protects human rights. […]

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 received information from MASUM, a local human rights organisation based in West Bengal, India regarding the case of Mr. Santhosh Mondal who was mowed down and drowned by the Border Security Force [BSF] in West Bengal, India. It is alleged the BSF officers ran a speedboat […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been following with concern the case of six men who were arrested in Burma on May Day for organising some discussions about worker’s rights. The men have been charged with sedition and were finally brought before a judge nearly three months after their arrests. Their arrest […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from MASUM, a local human rights organisation based in West Bengal, India regarding the case of Ms. Ruksana Sardar and her son Warish who have been denied justice by the local police. It is alleged that Ruksana and her son were assaulted by the […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute regarding the arbitrary arrest and detention of a man who has been detained in Cengkareng Police Precinct since 28 May 2007. By this time, his family and the lawyer appointed by family members have been denied permission to […]

Dear friends, Further to our most recent update on Burma from last week, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) regrets to inform you that another human rights defender in Burma has been sentenced to jail for three years on the pretext of giving illegal tuition. As described in the previous appeal (UP-105-2007), Ko Min Min […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) deeply regrets to inform you of yet another death of a man, Thadallage Chamil Weerasena (29), in custody of the Ratgama police following his arrest on 21 July 2007. Before he died, he told one of his friends that the police had mercilessly beaten him and shown […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from MASUM, a human rights organisation based in West Bengal, India that one of MASUM’s staff has been charge sheeted by the local police on allegedly fabricated charges. Mr. Gopen Sharma works with MASUM from Murshidabad district. It is alleged that Gopen is continuously […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) deeply regrets to inform you that another farmer has been killed and a community organizer disappeared. Policemen shot dead farmer Arturo Tolentino in front of his wife and children on October 26 2007 in Samal, Bataan. Another activist, Pedro Calilung, had been reported missing after he was […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) regrets to inform you that six human rights defenders in Burma, including one who was seriously assaulted by a gang organised by local authorities in April, have all been sentenced to prison from four to eight years on allegations of upsetting public tranquillity. A criminal complaint against […]

Caste based discrimination is the Indian variant of apartheid.  For decades Indians have been separated and divided according to the caste hierarchy. In spite of several laws and even Constitutional guarantees India remains largely divided along the caste lines. Caste based discrimination is omnipresent in India. It is reflected across the societal spectrum. It is […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from its local partner the PVCHR, a human rights organisation based in Varanasi, regarding the case of Mr. Pahalu Musahar who is currently detained by the Cholapur police in Varanasi district of Uttar Pradesh. It is reported that the police has detained Pahalu to […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the police have refused a the case of a young man who disappeared, at a government hospital since it happened. The hospital also denied providing the man’s medical report to the family. It is alleged that he was killed in the hospital prison […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you that a 46-year-old villager, Leo Casal, was shot and tortured by soldiers following his arrest in 10 December 2006 in Loreto, Agusan del Sur. While in military’s custody, he was denied medical attention and legal representation. It was only on May 4 this […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been closely monitoring the case of U Than Lwin, who was assaulted after leading a prayer meeting in Burma for the release of political prisoners. His assailant ran into the office of a government-backed organisation; however, the police were refused access to investigate. Since Than Lwin […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) deeply regrets to inform you that two activists were shot dead respectively by armed group. One activist was shot dead in front his wife and children on 17 July 2007. Another activist was dead after a shot on June 15 2007. CASE DETAILS: (based on the Alliance for […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has information of two more alleged killings by the police in Burma that appear to have been successfully covered up. Although in both cases complaints have been made to the authorities, no action is known to have been taken against any of the accused officers. After both […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that one woman was denied to file First Information Report (FIR) the District Police Office and the District Administration Office, Kavrepalanchowk district. The district police authority did not receive the FIR whereas the authority of district administration office tried to take their duty over […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is deeply concerned by reports that hundreds of persons have been rounded up and detained at army camps in southern Thailand under emergency regulations, in violation of their fundamental human rights and ordinary domestic law. According to information from a number of sources, and reported from a […]