Land rights

PHILIPPINES: 127 families lost their homes due to illegal demolition in Davao City

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP)-Mindanao, a human rights organization, regarding an illegal demolition by Dacudao & Sons that took place in Dacudao Compound, Davao City, Mindanao, Philippines on 19 October 2004 and on 4 November 2004. Having nowhere else to […]

SRI LANKA: A man tortured and prosecuted with false charges by the Samanalaweva Police Post

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a man named Heeralu Mohottalalage Punchi Banda (39) was illegally arrested and tortured by the Sub Inspector (S.I.) Dhammika Bandara of Samanalaweva Police Post in Balangoda on 26 August 2004. Due to brutal torture, the victim still suffers from severe pain on his […]

UPDATE (Sri Lanka): Urban Development Authority ignores National Human Rights Commission recommendations for Oliyamulla evictees

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that in spite of recommendations issued by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of Sri Lanka February 2004 in favor of the evicted people of Oliyamulla, Wattala, nothing has been done to implement the recommendations. The Commission recommended that the Urban Development Authority provide the […]

UPDATE (India): Please send a letter to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra calling for right to land for Adivasi people

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received an email from John P. Abraham, who is involved in the campaign that fights for the rights of the indigenous Adivasi tribals in India, calling for your urgent solidarity on this matter.  In his email, John P. Adraham said, “Once again we are approaching you with […]

PAKISTAN: A young woman killed by her husband on the pretext of honour killing

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a 30-year-old woman named Ms. Hidayat was allegedly killed by her husband, Mr. Momin Ali Mahar in Dal village, Lakhi Ghulam Shah Town, Shikarpur District, Sindh Province, Pakistan on 29 February 2004. The case was registered at the Chak Police Station. However, a human […]

INDIA: The destruction of the Siddha Hospital and the Immaculate Conception Sisters in Madurai District by the Revenue Department officials

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the People’s Watch-Tamil Nadu that the Immaculate Conception Sisters in Thirunagar, Madurai District was demolished by the Revenue Department officials on 24 January 2004. The institution has not received any prior notice of the eviction from the Revenue Department. Since 1982, the Immaculate […]

INDIA: Almost 75,000 people are homeless after being forcibly evicted by the West Bengal government and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation

INDIA: Almost 75,000 people are homeless after being forcibly evicted by the West Bengal government and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation  INDIA: Forced eviction of the urban poor; Right to housing; Right to food ———————————————————— Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about case of another forced eviction from West Bengal, India. […]

INDONESIA: Mass-eviction of urban poor continuing in Jakarta

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is forwarding joint-appeal of the Center on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) and the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR) regarding the mass-eviction of urban poor communities in Jakarta. Since August 2003, over 15,000 urban poor was driven out from their houses to the streets by the […]

INDIA: Two hundred Adivasis made homeless over land rights

Dear Friends On 21 July, about 100 police and the Maharashtra State Farming Corporation (MSFC) security personnel destroyed about two hundreds huts of adivasis – indigenous people – and more than thousand acres of crops. No notice was given to the people. Several hundred adivasi children and women have been rendered homeless. The adivasi people […]

INDIA: Fifteen tribals killed by police in Kerala for upholding their land rights

INDIA: Denial of land rights; brutal attack on tribals ——————————————————————— The struggle for land rights waged by the indigenous communities in the southern Indian state of Kerala has taken a violent, tragic turn with the police and the forest protection staff unleashing a brutal attack with gunfire on more than 1,000 tribals to evict them […]

UPDATE (SRI LANKA): OMCT sent open letter regarding the eviction of 168 families to the president of Sri Lanka

Dear Friends, We are forwarding you the following open letter to the president of Sri Lanka from the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) regarding the eviction of 168 families. In the open letter, OMCT urged the president to take immediate measures to ensure the victims’ rights, which are guaranteed by the International Covenant on Economic, […]

KASHMIR: Pakistani police assault peaceful demonstrators

On September 30, 2002, police clashed with protestors peacefully demonstrating against the Mangla Dam extension in Mirpur, a city in the Pakistani controlled area of Kashmir. The police attacked the demonstrators with batons and tear gas, arresting 13 people and injuring others. Mr. Najeeb Asfar, a member of the Association of British Kashmiris, reported that following the incident, most of Mirpur City was put under curfew.

UPDATE (PALESTINE): UN Envoy says Jenin devastation ‘horrific beyond belief’ – requires immediate intervention

Richard Cook, Director of UNRWA operations in the West Bank: 
“The reports we are getting are of wholesale destruction of a kind more normally associated with natural disasters such as earthquakes…. We implore the Israeli authorities to open up the camp to allow our relief teams to help its desperate population.” 

UPDATE (PALESTINE): UNHCHR prevented from monitoring Occupied Territories

The UN Commission on Human Rights, meeting in its 58th session, issued a press statement on 16th April including the following reference to the obstacles placed by ‘the occupying power’ to the proposed visit by the High Commissioner on Human Rights to the occupied Palestinian territories: 

UPDATE (INDONESIA): Head of Militia is Presidential Advisor

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. 

UPDATE (INDONESIA): Attacks on human rights defenders, destruction of property, public use of weapons with impunity

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 […]

PAKISTAN: Bulldozers set to move in on katchi abadi

The Asian Human Rights Commission has received this appeal from the:  Urban Resource Centre  3/48 Mualomabad Khalid Bin Walid Road  Karachi 74800 Pakistan.  We are forwarding it below for appropriate action.  Voice against evictions in Islamabad  Dear friends,  Our friend Aasim Akhtar from federal capital Islamabad informed us that the authorities are planning a massive […]

PAKISTAN: Bulldozers set to move in on katchi abadi

Dear friends,  Our friend Aasim Akhtar from federal capital Islamabad informed us that the authorities are planning a massive bulldozing operation in Islamabad.  I am forwarding this message with a sample appeal. I will appreciate if you will send appeal to the authorities in Islamabad to stop these evictions.  WIth regards  Younus  Dear Younus,  As […]

FORWARDED APPEAL (India): State police assault and detain Narmada Bachao Andolan activists in Khandwa

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward an appeal from the Narmada Bachao Andolan. On 29 October, the evictees of the Narmada Dam Project started a two-day protest meet in front of the District Collector’s Office in Khandwa district, Madhya Pradesh. The participants of the protest meet are mostly the members of […]

FORWARDED APPEAL (South Korea): Deaths of protesters protesting against forced eviction

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Sarangbang Group for Human Rights in South Korea regarding the deaths of activists protesting against forced eviction on 20 January 2009. Five protesters and one police officer were killed and several others injured during the eviction. Although South Korea has achieved economic […]