This week Just Asia begins with the senseless and brutal attack on lawyers in Quetta, Balochistan on August 8. The blast killed 97 persons, including 63 lawyers, and more than 120 persons including women and children were injured. The attack occurred amidst a gathering to pay respects to the assassinated President of the Bar Association. The Asian Human Rights Commission is urging the United Nations to hold a probe into the planned killings of lawyers in Balochistan, who have been at the forefront of a campaign demanding effective action against violence in the region.
Moving to Thailand, initial projections for the country’s August 2016 referendum predict that the military-backed draft constitution will be accepted by a safe majority. On August 7, the referendum results showed almost 90 per cent of the ballot had been counted, and 62 percent of voters accepted the draft charter. To learn more, Just Asia interviewed Mr. Anon Chawalawan, Senior officer of Documentation Centre, Internet Law Reform Dialogue.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s most controversial action in his two-year leadership has been his recent appointment of Retired Army General Wiranto to the Cabinet. With his dubious human rights record, there are calls for General Wiranto to be criminally prosecuted, rather than given a seat in government.
In India, activist Irom Sharmila ended her 16-year fast on Tuesday. Begun as a protest against the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act in her home state of Manipur, in July 2016 Sharmila told the media that she would continue her fight to repeal the law by joining politics instead.
In other news from India, thousands of Indian citizens have been stranded in Saudi Arabia as they have recently lost their jobs due to the drop in oil prices and the economic downturn in the region. India’s Minister for External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj has promised to do everything in her power to help the Indian citizens. It had been reported that many Indian workers were starving, facing an unprecedented food crisis as they have lost their jobs and many have also not been paid their back wages.
Finally, the Urgent Appeals Weekly features one case from Pakistan, regarding the crackdown on Sindh nationalists for holding protests on various issues.
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