Tag: Arbitrary Arrest and Detention
Cambodia: Drop ‘Treacherous Plotting’ Case
(New York) – The Cambodian authorities have no credible evidence and should drop the case against 13 people facing politically motivated charges of planning to overthrow the government, Human Rights Watch said today. A verdict in the case, which was filed months before the July 2013 national elections, is...
Vietnam Frees Two Prominent Dissidents Following Foreign Pressure
Vietnam on Saturday freed two prominent dissidents following international pressure on the one party communist state to improve its human rights record.
Pro-democracy activist Nguyen Tien Trung and writer and blogger Vi Duc Hoi were released after serving up to nearly five years in prison and prior to completion of...
Vietnam – Two netizens released from prison, 31 others still held
Reporters Without Borders is relieved to learn that two netizens who had spent several years in prison – Vi Duc Hoi and Nguyen Tien Trung – were released on 11 and 12 April respectively although they are now assigned to a form of house arrest.
Arrested in October 2010, Hoi...
INDONESIA: Judges grant probation to prison guards involved in torture
The Padang Legal Aid Institute (LBH Padang) informed the AHRC that the judgment on the case of torture against Riko Yeyandra was delivered by Solok District Court on 17 February 2014. A panel of judges – consisting of Justices Dadi Suryandi, Lola Oktavia, and Nani Pratiwi – found Masria...
U.N. condemns Thai court case against journalists over people trafficking report
A criminal defamation case against two journalists in Thailand is set to proceed this week, despite calls from the United Nations and prominent rights groups for the charges to be dropped amid concerns over press freedom there.
The charges relate to an article published July 17 last year that included...
Fears grow for missing activist
Human rights groups are pressuring authorities to investigate the disappearance of a prominent Karen activist who went missing after his arrest in Kaeng Krachan National Park in Phetchaburi province on Thursday. Porlajee Rakchongcharoen, also known as “Billy,” was last seen on that day at the park which is the...
Probe urged over missing Thai environment activist
BANGKOK — Relatives and human rights groups urged Thai authorities on Monday to investigate the disappearance of an environmental activist who has worked to help ethnic Karen villagers report illegal activity at Thailand's largest national park.
Por Cha Lee Rakcharoen, known as "Billy," was detained briefly in Kaengkrachan National Park...
THAILAND: Demanding Immediate Explanation and Investigation by Relevant Officials Regarding the Disappearance of a Karen Hill-Tribe Human Rights Defender
According to a news report, Mr. Billy or Por Cha Lee Rakcharoen has disappeared since the afternoon of April 17th 2014. At the time of his disappearance he was believed to be travelling from his village in the mountains to Kaengkrachan district. Mr. Billy has been helping his fellow...
Burma’s Draconian Protest Laws Repress Dissent
Burma Campaign UK, a human rights advocacy organisation, has called for Burma’s President to release the country’s remaining political prisoners and repeal Article 18 of the controversial Peaceful Procession and Peaceful Assembly Law, claiming that the law is being used to repress political dissent.
In its media statement, Burma Campaign...
Thailand: Free Somyot and promote public debate on lèse-majesté
Paris-Bangkok-Geneva, April 29, 2014. Thailand must release labour rights activist Somyot Prueksakasemsuk and promote a free, open, and informed public debate on lèse-majesté, FIDH and OMCT, within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, and Union for Civil Liberty (UCL) said today. On April...
