Uwazi

Subway workers blocked a group of disability rights activists from staging a subway protest during the morning rush hour on Tuesday, a day after authorities used force for the first time to deter their yearlong protest.

Since late last year, the Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (SADD) has staged subway-riding protests at major stations in central Seoul on and off, demanding an increased government budget to protect the rights of people with disabilities, including mobility rights.

Wheelchair-bound activists have repeatedly boarded and disembarked trains to cause delays in metro services during the morning rush hour, drawing complaints from commuters.

In their latest protest on Tuesday, about 20 SADD members boarded a subway train on Line 4 at Sungshin Women's University Station at around 8 a.m. and got off at Dongdaemun History Culture Park Station.Immediately after disembarking, the activists tried to get back on the same train, but Seoul Metro workers blocked their entry, sparking protests from the activists.

"Let us get on the subway. Disabled people are citizens as well," they chanted.

The confrontation followed a 13-hour shoving match between activists and authorities at Samgakji Station on Line 4 on Monday.

Up to 640 riot police personnel were mobilized to block dozens of SADD activists from boarding a subway train from the morning through the night on Monday, the first time physical force was used to counter the subway protest in earnest.

Seoul Metro had 13 subway trains pass through Samgakji Station without stopping during the 13-hour confrontation, citing the railway safety act that prohibits rowdiness at train stations and facilities.

As many as 26 students who were members of the Indonesian People's Assembly (IPA) mass action for the NTB region were arrested by the police while holding an action to criticize the G-20 meeting, Tuesday (11/15/2022). The arrests took place at two different locations. A total of 14 people were arrested by the Mataram City Police, while 12 students were arrested by the East Lombok Police. "The action hasn't started yet, but our colleagues have been disbanded by the police, on the grounds of G20 security. They were forcibly transported to the Mataram City Police," explained Badaruddin, Coordinator of LBH Mataram to Kompas.com, Tuesday night (11/15/2022) ). Badar explained that the IPA coordinator for the NTB region, Muhammad Alwi, was also arrested. Another arrest occurred in Selong, East Lombok. As many as 12 students who were involved in the action were secured at the East Lombok Makodim. "Both in Mataram and East Lombok were just about to start their actions, the authorities arrested them," said Badaruddin. He was surprised because one of the students was arrested at his boarding house, because he was suspected of carrying out an action. Until this news was written, all students were still being held by the police. A number of LBH Mataram Teams who checked the whereabouts of these students reported that all students had not been questioned. Meanwhile, the Mataram LBH Team has not been allowed to meet the 12 students who were detained at the East Lombok Police Headquarters. Spokesperson for the Mataram National Student Front (FMN), Andini Nurcholisah, explained that the IPA action in the NTB region was a coordinative action carried out simultaneously by IPA in all regions nationally. This action was a response to the ongoing G20 meeting in Bali, since November 15, 2022. "The last few days, the FMN secretariat in Mataram, which is a member of the IPA NTB, was visited by officers. They stood guard and did not let us leave the secretariat to hold an action," Andini said. "Allegations of a people's movement that will disrupt the security and continuity of the G20 Summit are baseless and fabricated accusations," said Andini. Andini regrets that until Tuesday (15/11/2022) evening, FMN had not received any information regarding the condition of their colleagues who were arrested. Kabid Humas Polda NTB, Kombes Pol Artanto and Kapolres Kota Mataram, Kombespol Mustofa, who were confirmed, have yet to provide an answer regarding the arrest of dozens of students. "I will check first," said Kabid Humas Polda NTB, Kombes Pol Artanto.

The police arrested 13 students from the Jayapura University of Science and Technology (USTJ) who raised the Morning Star flag during a demonstration at the local campus in Padang Bulan, Jayapura.

Jayapura Police Chief Kombes Victor Mackbon said that apart from raising the Morning Star flag, the dozens of students with the help of their colleagues carried out anarchic acts and threw stones at officers when the action was about to be dispersed.

In fact, the police were forced to fire tear gas to disperse the student anarchist action.

"Four police personnel were injured in the incident, so they were immediately ordered to receive an autopsy," said Kombes Mackbon quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, November 10.

The Kapolresta has yet to confirm the status of the 13 students who were secured, whether they are pure USTJ students or not. "Investigators are still examining the 13 students," he added.

Separately, USTJ Deputy Chancellor for Student Affairs Isak Rumbarar acknowledged that there were students who were secured at the Jayapura City Police.

"I can't say for sure whether they are all USTJ students or not because currently they are still being handled by the Jayapura City Police," said Isak.

Isak admitted that he was shocked when he learned that the demonstration by students on his campus was accompanied by the raising of the Morning Star flag, prompting the security forces to act according to applicable law.

According to him, USTJ provides space for students to express their aspirations, but student actions that violate the law by raising the Morning Star flag cannot be justified.

"There was an pelting action by a group of students and the police fired tear gas," explained Isak Rumbarar.

The Papuan Student Alliance of the Bali City Committee is planning a demonstration at the Renon Roundabout, opposing the G20 Summit and demanding that the government give the Papuan people the right to self-determination. Then there was a riot. It all started when the masses were going to the point of action, around 9.30. They also carried posters with their demands. “Prior to the action point, we were immediately intercepted by a large number of mass organizations, pecalang and Banjar Renon village officials. Then silenced and repressed the masses, and shouted racist words," said the spokesman for the action, Herry Meaga, to Tirto, Wednesday, November 16, 2022.

At 10 o'clock, the demonstrators were surrounded and pelted with stones, wood and bottles. Even mass organizations are said to have used slingshots to block them. "Then we couldn't stop the repression from the mass organizations because the number of mass organizations was increasing, they kept pushing and pushing back the comrades," said Herry. So the action coordinator ordered the masses to return to the dormitories. An hour later, the masses read out their position statements. In this incident, six students were injured due to the alleged assault and seizure of alliance flags and posters, and severing megaphone cables. The Head of Public Relations of the Bali Police, Kombes Pol Stefanus Satake Bayu, regretted this incident. At that time, pecalang were on guard around the student dormitory, there were no police. He also stated that there was no letter of action notification from the student alliance to the police. "There was no notification letter for the demonstration (of Papuan students). If they have a notification, we can help with security," he said to Tirto. "But we have appealed to organizations that want to demonstrate to postpone it, because Indonesia is currently having an international event. The TNI and Polri are focusing on securing the G20 Summit," Bayu continued. Today is the last day of the G20 Summit in Bali. With regard to Circular Letter Number 35425/SEKRET/2022 concerning Enforcement of Restrictions on Community Activities in the Context of Implementing the G20 Presidency, which was signed by the Governor of Bali Wayan Koster on October 25, 2022, it is only natural that students are prohibited from demonstrating. The circular letter emphasized that "Restrictions on community activities in the South Kuta District, Badung Regency, and South Denpasar will be implemented on 12-17 November 2022, covering education, government and private offices, traditional ceremonies, religious activities, except for health facilities."

The Alliance of Student Executive Boards (BEM) together with hundreds of students from all over Jayapura held a protest against the G20 Summit at the Lower Gate of Cenderawasih University (Uncen), Abepura Jayapura Papua, Wednesday (16/11).

The action against the G20 Summit began at 08.00 Papua Time. The demonstrators gathered at four points, namely Expo Waena, Upper Uncen, Jayapura University of Science and Technology (USTJ) Campus, Uncen Faculty of Medicine, and demonstrators from Lower Uncen.

The masses of action began to gather together at the Lower Uncen Gate. At around 11.30 Papua Time, the demonstrators from Uncen Atas descended and. Here there was a clash between the demonstrators and the demonstrators were forcibly dispersed by security forces from the police.

Around 12.00 Papua Time, the situation became chaotic when the police fired tear gas, removed and shot the demonstrators with rubber bullets, threw stones and arrested the demonstrators.

At that time the mass action started to heat up because the TNI/Polli entered the campus area and attacked students so that several students were hit, lost their cell phones, motorbike keys and noken.

The names of the students who were detained by the police were Gerson Pigai, an Uncen student, as the Public Field Coordinator. Both Yabet Lukas Degei, Uncen students.

Third, Abel Pauwok, Uncen student; fourth, Uncen's student Bayage Dictionary; fifth, Ayus Heluka, Uncen student, sixth Lukas Gane, Uncen student and seventh, Tinus Heluka, Uncen student.

The seven students are still at Jayapura Porlesta and are receiving assistance from the Papuan Legal Aid Institute (LBH).

The demonstrators could not proceed to the target location of the Papua Province People's Representative Council (DPR) office because the situation was getting hotter and impossible. Then at 12.30 the demonstrators were dispersed by TNI/Polri officers.

The West Papua Regional Police of Manokwari Police have arrested 15 people suspected of being involved in the treason act when dozens of residents commemorated the anniversary of West Papua New Guinea (WPNG) at the Wosi Manokwari terminal, Sunday (28/11).

Head of the Manokwari Police Station AKBP Parasian Herman Gultom confirmed that 15 people had been arrested and they were currently undergoing investigations at the Manokwari Police Headquarters to find out their role in the action.

"The action allegedly contradicts the ideology of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia but is covered with worship activities, because there are cries for an independent Papua to the display of symbols that are prohibited in our country," said the police chief.

The police chief said that based on the initial examination, the 15 people were identified as field coordinators, community liaisons and sympathizers who were present at the prohibited activities.

"At the time of the action, they said that their president was currently in the Netherlands. Therefore, after the investigation, we will hold a hearing to determine who should be named as a suspect in accordance with Article 106 of the Criminal Code on treason," said the police chief.

He explained that the action which was held around 11.30-12.00 WIT at the Wosi terminal began with worship activities and continued with speeches up to the unfurling of the Morning Star flag.

"Our members have made an appeal, but the appeal was not heeded, so law enforcement measures were taken to enforce the forced dissolution to secure the 15 people," said the police chief.

After the forced disbandment and the arrest of 15 people during the WPNG action at the Wosi terminal, the security situation for the Manokwari city area was under control, the Police Chief appealed to the people of Manokwari not to be provoked by provocative issues, and to continue their activities as usual "Until Sunday night the Manokwari situation was under control, the community could carry out their activities as usual and were not easily provoked by various provocative issues," said the police chief.

Thursday (3/11), there was another attempt to silence the people who were defending their land. Wednesday (2/11), 5 farmers from Bunga Raya District, Siak Regency were examined as witnesses for alleged joint criminal acts of violence and threats when rejecting the activities of PT. TKWL on September 29, 2022 based on Police Report No. LP/B/461/IX/2022/SPKT/RIAU dated 30 September 2022.

Last September 29, dozens of farming communities rejected the activities of PT. TKWL on the land they manage because a few weeks earlier, PT TKWL informed residents that the heavy equipment to be operated would only function to repair roads. However, in reality, the heavy equipment entered the land and made excavations on the people's land.

The summons as a witness is a form of criminalization effort to stop people who are members of farmer groups from stopping to manage their own land. Previously, Anton et al were questioned at the Riau Police regarding alleged criminal acts on plantations on complaints from PT. Teguh Karsa Wanalestari No. 008/TKWL/EXT/VIII/2022 dated 25 August 2022 (https://www.lbhpekanbaru.or.id/menagih-jan-reforma-agraria-di-areal-kerja-pt-tkwl/).

“The criminalization patterns of Bunga Raya farmers are very real and this effort also scares farmers who in the end they are evicted from their own land. For this reason, stop scaring farmers, stop all efforts to criminalize in resolving agrarian conflicts because criminal law is actually not a place for resolving agrarian conflicts," said Noval Setiawan, public lawyer for LBH Pekanbaru.

Apart from that, Noval also explained that the criminalization efforts carried out by PT TKWL were a denial of human rights as regulated in Article 28 G of the 1945 Constitution which reads, "Everyone has the right to protection of himself/herself, family, honor, dignity, and property owned by under his authority, and is entitled to a sense of security and protection from threats of fear to do or not do something which is a human right.”

"This effort adds to a series of bad things that have injured the farmers' struggle with patterns of criminalization and silencing," said Noval.

In line with that, the Director of LBH Pekanbaru, Andi Wijaya, stated that Anton and other friends, are local people who have lived for a long time and have a livelihood that came from the transmigration program in the 90s. resolve the issue of agrarian conflicts and accelerate the process of agrarian reform for transmigration communities in Siak district.

"On January 20, 2022, Anton et al who are members of the Marhaen Ideal Farmers Association have written to the President and related ministries including the ATR/BPN ministry to grant their rights which have been mandated in the 1945 Constitution and fulfill the president's commitment to agrarian reform," explained Andi Wijaya.

Repressive actions taken by members of the police occurred again, this time targeting the people of Kalasey Dua Village, Minahasa, North Sulawesi on Monday (7/11/2022). The action was marked by violent arrests, tear gas shots and insults to the public.

The Manado Legal Aid Institute (LBH) reported the incident, which said that 46 people were arrested, ranging from farmers, LBH public lawyers to students.

Director of LBH Manado, Frank Tyson Kahiking, stated that the repressive actions of the local police and Satpol PP were related to the evictions carried out by the North Sulawesi Provincial Government on land cultivated by farmers in Kalasey Dua Village.

"Since 10.00 WITA, the police and Satpol PP have forced their way into the farmers' land to carry out evictions. Farmers who refused to attend have blocked the road, but the police officers continued to force the demonstrators with repressive measures so that some suffered neck injuries. and left hand," Frank said when contacted by Suara.com on Monday (7/11/2022).

Then at 15.10 WITA, a total of 14 people were arbitrarily arrested, then taken to the Manado Police.

It was later reported that the number of people arrested had increased. In fact, it is estimated that the number reached more than 46 people and was taken to the Manado Police.

"Until now there are still several residents and students who continue to chase and be arrested by the Police and Satpol PP in a repressive manner using violence, even the Kalasey Dua Village Farmers Post was destroyed so that several students and farmers had to run into the forest to save themselves," said franks.

LBH Manado stated that the evictions were carried out by the North Sulawesi Provincial Government, in this case the Governor of North Sulawesi did not comply with the legal process.

"That the land is still in the process of cassation efforts and there has not even been a decision to carry out an execution," said Frank.

"However, the North Sulawesi Provincial Government used security forces with full firearms to force their way in and fired tear gas several times at the demonstration. In fact, one police officer was recorded as swearing at farmers," he continued.

Regarding this, LBH Manado together with the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) conveyed their urging,

1. Stop Forced Evictions in Kalasey Dua Village, Minahasa.
2. Withdraw the Police and stop intimidating farmers, students and legal assistants.
3. Release the farmers, students and LBH Manado Public Lawyers who were arrested and taken to the Manado Police.

The Bandung Legal Aid Institute (LBH) urged the court to acquit four farmers from Cikandang and Margamulya, Cikajang District, Garut Regency. The four of them were jailed on a report from PTPN VIII accusing them of cultivating the land illegally.

LBH Bandung's legal team for Cikandang farmers M Rafi Saiful Islam said, on Wednesday (30/11/2022), the four farmers named Nandang, Saepudin, Ujang Juhana, and Pakih had undergone an indictment hearing from the Garut District Attorney. The four were charged with violating Article 170 of the Criminal Code Jo Article 55 Paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code Jo Article 107 letter c Jo Article 55 letter c Law No 39 of 2014, which carries a penalty of 5 years in prison.

"The four farmers who are members of the Badega Farmers Union have been criminalized by PTPN VIII after working on abandoned land in the Cisaroni afdeling land. Their cultivated land includes Margamulya Village and Cikandang Village," said Rafi in his statement, Thursday (1/12/2022).

"We urge the release of the four detained farmers. In fact, these four farmers are agrarian reform fighters who are fighting for land to be managed as a livelihood," he added.

Rafi said the four farmers from Cikandang, Garut, were fighting for land rights that they should have been able to get. This is because the land they are working on is no longer productive and has been neglected by PTPN VIII. However, because of the regulation on cultivation rights (HGU), farmers cannot immediately work on PTPN VIII's land. Even though the land cultivated by the farmers had been abandoned by PTPN VIII and was not productive at all.

"As is the real condition on the ground, the land area located in Cikandang Village, the area cultivated by Cipancur blocks 5 and 6, is no longer productive and has been neglected by PTPN VIII," he said.

According to LBH, the land abandoned by PTPN VII must be of benefit to the surrounding community. Moreover, the four of them were sharecroppers who did not have their own arable land at all. "Most of the people in Cikandang Village are people who make a living in the agricultural sector. However, limited agricultural land causes farmers in this area to work as farm laborers, which results in their income being inadequate and far from enough to support their families. So farm workers in there are many who become cultivators of unproductive or neglected land in the PTPN VIII plantation area," he said.

LBH also urged PTPN VIII's HGU regulations to be repealed for farmers in Cikandang Village, Garut. They also urged the four farmers to be immediately released, and asked law enforcement officials to review their decision. "Revoke the PTPN VIII HGU of Cikandang Village in the area cultivated by Cipancur blocks 5 and 6 which have been abandoned land and cultivated by farmers for a source of life. (And) law enforcement officials should look more at the context of land tenure where these farmers are actually getting land tenure rights is not answered through punishment," he said. Chronology of Events

When confirmed again, Rafi told the chronology of the case. The case that happened to four Cikandang farmers occurred in mid-2022. They were reported by PTPN VIII to the Cikajang Police with accusations of destroying tea trees. "From the beginning of 2022 there was actually a conflict. Until mid-March, June, July, the conflict escalated somewhat and resulted in a report from PTPN to the Cikajang Police. The report was destruction of plantation land," Rafi told detikJabar.

Rafi revealed that the farmers in CiSometimes Village did not feel they had damaged the land or the tea trees on PTPN VIII's land. The residents even helped to re-productive the land on the land because it had been called neglected by PTPN VIII for years. Not only that, residents, according to Rafi's narrative, also felt that since 1995 they had not found any more activity on the land which now has the status of PTPN VIII. According to him, if it has been neglected, the residents have the right to work on the land that PTPN is not using at all.

"The facts on the ground are that the land has been abandoned, the tea trees are approximately 4 meters high and filled with shrubs. Anyway, it's like a wilderness, not like tea plantations in general," he said.

"That's why the residents took the initiative to clear the land. But in fact it ended in a report from PTPN to the Cikajang Police. Even though nothing was damaged, because the land was abandoned land. So there is no such thing as destroying tea plantations, but the residents are working on abandoned land," said Rafi.

Prosecutor's Response

In response to this, the Garut State Prosecutor's Office opened their voices. The Public Prosecutor (JPU) Friza Adiyudha said that currently the case was already being tried.

"The agenda is already in court. Our detention will be made on November 14, during the second stage. We will go to court on November 20, then issue a decision from the court on November 23," said Friza to journalists in his office, Thursday (1/12/2022).

Based on the case file that was transferred by the Garut Police to the Attorney General's Office, investigators charged the four suspects with Article 170 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code, as well as an alternative charge, namely Article 107 C of RI Law Number 39 of 2014 concerning Plantations. "As for the threat of punishment, Article 179 is 5 years and 8 months, for more than 5 years you can be detained. The alternative to Article 107 is 4 years maximum," said Friza.

Friza said, based on the case files he received, the case started with the felling of a number of tea trees, which was carried out by the four defendants, namely Nandang, Saepudin, Ujang and Pakih around June 2022. "The defendants and other perpetrators who are still on the wanted list carried out logging or clearing of PTPN VIII's tea trees. There are many trees, hundreds maybe. Because this happened in several PTPN areas," he said.

The defendants admitted to their actions. According to Friza, based on the testimony of the defendants, they felt they had the right to manage the land which he acknowledged as state property. "Only, in this case, PTPN objected so PTPN finally reported it to the Police. Even during the trial, the defendants still felt that what they did was not wrong," said Friza.

The police arrested five people suspected of being sympathizers of the West Papua National Committee (KNPB).

They were detained during a commemoration of International Human Rights Day in the Uncen Abepura campus area, Jayapura City, Papua, Saturday (10/12/2022).

Jayapura City Police Chief Kombes Victor Mackbon said the action did not receive permission from his party.

Firm action was forced to be taken because the masses put up resistance when given persuasive appeals.

"The action that was carried out today was not permitted, because there were several requirements that could not be met," he told a number of journalists, including Tribun-Papua.com.

Initially the police personnel called on the masses from the KNPB to disperse.

However, it is regrettable that there was resistance from the person who was suspected of being the provocateur of the action.

He said the five demonstrators who were detained were now taken to his headquarters for questioning.

The former Mimika Police Chief emphasized that his party always tries to open up space for the community to express their aspirations in a dignified manner.

"However, there are always provocateurs who take advantage of the situation to disrupt the smooth running of Kamtibmas, of course we always anticipate this," he said.

Meanwhile, Kombes Victor said the current situation in Jayapura City was safe and conducive.

Eight activists from the Indonesian People's Front for West Papua and the Papuan Student Alliance were arrested by the police in Ternate City, North Maluku, on Thursday (1/12/2022), during a demonstration commemorating the raising of the Morning Star flag at the Nieuw Guinea Raad Office ( NGR) or Dutch New Guinea Council in Holland on 1 December 1961. The eight activists were taken to the Ternate Police Headquarters, and were questioned there.

This was stated by the Head of the Department of Unification of the Indonesian People's Front for West Papua, Anton Trisno, to Jubi via the WhatsApp service, Thursday. Anton stated that the eight people arrested by the police were activists from the Indonesian People's Front for West Papua (FRI-WP), the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP), the Indonesian Student League for Democracy (LMID), and individuals.

Those arrested by the police were Jack (FRI-WP activist), Hengky (AMP activist), Dino (AMP activist), Susan (AMP activist), Malo (LMID activist), Kama (LMID activist), Rino (individual), and The (individual) wave. "Our friends were arrested by the police while holding a demonstration commemorating the embryonic independence of the West Papuan people on December 1, 1961," said Anton.

He said the December 1 commemoration action was held in Ternate since Thursday at around 10.46 WIT. During the long march, they met a group of motorcycle taxi drivers. "Shortly after, police and soldiers in plain clothes [came to] the location of the action, and opposed the action, because this is Ternate, not Papua," said Anton.

Moments later, the police came. At around 10.58 WIT, the demonstrators for the December 1 commemoration were dispersed by the security forces along with motorcycle taxi drivers, on the grounds that they were disturbing the activities of other residents.

“The mass action was dispersed by motorcycle taxi drivers, police and soldiers. [They said], 'if you want to say that Papua is free, look for another country'," Anton said, imitating the words of the group that broke up the demonstration.

When the masses moved in the Jatiland Mall Ternate area, clashes again occurred at around 11.00 WIT. “[A number of participants in] the action were injured, and eight people were arrested. They were secured at the Ternate Police for questioning," said Anton.

Anton Trisno expressed disappointment with the disbandment of the demonstration. "We are very disappointed with the arbitrary arrests by the police of FRI-WP, AMP, and Individual activists," he said.

Anton asked the police to immediately release the arrested activists. "We ask for solidarity so we can monitor and advocate for it," he said.

A number of students from Papua who are members of the Human Rights and Democracy Forum Alliance (Formasi) held a demonstration in front of the Widya Mandira Catholic University Kupang Campus on Jalan Ahmad Yani, Merdeka Village, Kota Lama District, Kupang City, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Thursday (1/12/2022). Dozens of students who are a combination of the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) of Kupang City, the Papuan Student Communication Forum (Fokmap) of NTT and the West Papua Indonesian People's Forum (FRI-WP), held a demonstration to voice human rights and democracy issues in Papua. During the action, students carried banners that read their demands. Starting from human rights and democracy issues in Papua, rejection of plans to exploit the Wae Sano geothermal in NTT and rejection of ticket increases and business monopoly in the Komodo National Park in NTT, as well as rejection of the RKUHP. During the demonstration, the students were disbanded by Community Organizations (Ormas). ) Guard Flobamora XXX. The police officers guarding the action then took the students to the Kelapa Lima Sector Police Headquarters for safekeeping. "That's right, our members have secured them (Papuan students) at the Kelapa Lima Police," said Head of Public Relations for the NTT Regional Police, Senior Commissioner Ariasandy to Kompas.com, Thursday (1/12/2022). After that, the student from Papua was taken to the Kupang City Police Headquarters for security reasons. Then, the Kupang City Police took steps to secure the dispute between the Ormas and the students. The police also appealed to both parties not to take actions that violate the law which affect stability, security and public order in Kupang City. "Members of the Kupang City Police then sent the students home using a bus belonging to the Kupang City Police to the Oesapa Village, Kelapa Lima District," he said.

A demonstration demanding the repeal of the Criminal Code (KUHP) in Bandung, Thursday (15/12/2022) afternoon, ended in chaos. The action, which was carried out by hundreds of masses from a combination of students from all over West Java, was dispersed by the police.

The action this time was the form of the umpteenth time rejecting the Criminal Code which was later passed by the DPR and the government some time ago. The masses carried the theme of the action "West Java Sues, Bandung Seas Anger".

One of the participants in the action, Audi, said that initially the action went smoothly. The students demanded that the Criminal Code, which contains problematic articles, be repealed immediately. They gave speeches voicing their demands in front of the West Java DPRD Building until 18.00 WIB.

The demonstrators had asked to have an audience with members of the West Java DPRD, but several people's representatives only stood at the door, not meeting the demonstrators.

After the sunset call to prayer, conditions began to become unfavorable. Allegedly there was a provocation that made the action heated up.

"And finally, right after the call to prayer, we started to break up," said Audi, to Bandungmoving.id when met at the Bandung Polrestabes, Thursday night.

In the midst of a chaotic situation, the masses asked members of the West Java DPRD to leave. But then the first water cannon shots started at around 19.30 WIB. This causes the masses to scatter.

After having retreated for a while, the masses returned to the fence area of the West Java DPRD Building. It was then that the students said they started receiving tear gas shots. The crowd scattered, some of them fainted.

Police armed with batons then chased and dispersed the demonstrators. As a result, a number of students were injured, several people were rushed to the hospital.

"We are advancing again, the tear gas was shot behind the (first) DPRD fence, only then the second tear gas was shot out. There the masses started to get upset, there started a lot of victims from students in West Java," said Audi.

Audi itself became one of the victims. The student from a private university in Bandung admitted that he was hit with a bat and was knocked unconscious. Two of his friends were even caught and taken to the Bandung Polrestabes.

Not only that, several other campus students also became victims of repression. Among others, from UIN Bandung. Preliminary data from the students noted that 17 people were arrested and taken to the Bandung Polrestabes. This data is still being updated.

Head of BEM Unpad, Virdian Aurellio regretted the repressive actions of the police in securing the action. He recorded how many students were examined and their devices were detained to be taken to the Bandung Polrestabes.

"We didn't do anything to point fingers, where here, we checked our wallets, checked our cellphones, then our friends were told to squat like criminals," he said.

On the other hand, a number of public defender activists from the Bandung Legal Aid Institute (LBH), the Indonesian Legal Aid Association (PBHI), and LBH Berani experienced difficulty accessing them when they tried to provide legal assistance to students who were arrested at the Bandung Polrestabes. New legal assistance can be given at 22.25 WIB.

"Like the previous pattern regarding entry, we provide access to legal assistance, of course we encounter difficulties. To be precise, they were prevented even though we had received complaints, we were carrying out legal aid work, but still (obstructed)," said Heri Pramono from LBH Bandung.

The demonstration against the Criminal Code that was carried out by a coalition of civil society in front of the DPR RI building today, Tuesday (6/12), was dispersed by the police.

In fact, the masses planned to hold demonstrations until the evening.

Based on CNNIndonesia.com's monitoring, the civil society coalition disbanded after receiving warnings from the police twice via loudspeakers.

"Please disperse," said one of the police.

Apart from that, they have also been visited by the police several times and asked for the same thing. The coalition had asked for the action to continue, but the police kept reminding them to disperse.

The coalition also asked the police for time to carry out the Maghrib prayer. The request was granted. However, they still had to disband afterward. Finally they disbanded around 18.45 WIB.

In action, a coalition of civil society set up two tents. The erection of the tent was carried out as a symbol of the action that will be carried out continuously and for a long time.

They admit that they will continue to reject the Criminal Code, which was just passed today. Because, according to them, the Criminal Code still includes several articles that are problematic and threaten civil liberties.

The Jakarta street paralegal and action field coordinator, Dzuhrian Ananda Putra, previously said that the demonstration would be carried out until the evening. This was done at the same time as testing the impact of the new Criminal Code on space for expression. According to him, demonstrations or actions should not be limited.

"We want to say why tenting, camping, camping is a long activity, requires our energy, and we want to say that the community's resistance will be long and will continue," said Dzuhrian.

"The wave was not only yesterday, today, tomorrow, but also because the impact of the new Criminal Code is very clear," he added.

It is known that the DPR RI and the government finally approved the Draft Criminal Code (RKUHP) to become law at a plenary meeting held at the parliament complex, Tuesday (6/12). Although the RKUHP still contains controversial articles.

The commemoration of International Human Rights Day (HAM) December 10, 2022 was colored by mass actions in Papua. Action oration just about to start, police officers dispersed the masses of action. Several people were reportedly detained at the local police station.

Information gathered by the media from a number of sources, at least 85 people were arrested by the security forces at several points in the area when they were about to commemorate 74 years of world human rights day (10 December 1948-20 December 2022) with a peaceful demonstration, Saturday (10/12/2022).

Forced dispersal and mass arrests took place in Sentani, Jayapura district. Likewise in Wamena, Jayawijaya district. As well as in Abepura and Waena, the city of Jayapura.

According to Ones Suhuniap, spokesperson for the West Papua National Committee (KNPB), 108 protesters were arrested by security forces.

“Earlier there were arrests of 108 people. First in Wamena 30 people. Then in Sentani 51 people and in the city of Jayapura there are 4 people," he said in response to confirmation from suarapapua.com via WhatsApp, Saturday night.

Quoting field reports, said Ones, the silencing of democratic space by means of forced dissolution to arrests and beatings of peaceful demonstrators took place in various cities in the Land of Papua.

"Peaceful demonstrations to commemorate world human rights day were carried out in 9 cities in Papua. Among others, in the city of Jayapura, Jayapura district in Sentani, Gunung Bintang district in Oksibil, Jayawijaya district in Wamena, Tolikara district, Lanny Jaya district, Manokwari and Sorong.”

Outside Papua, Ones explained, peaceful demonstrations were carried out by Papuan students organized by the Indonesian Consulate which were centered in Manado and Gorontalo.

Sentani

The peaceful demonstration in Sentani, Jayapura district, was carried out at 6.15 WIT. With the action point at the eye of the Post 7 Sentani road.

"At 7.30 WIT, police from the Jayapura Police arrived at the demonstrators and forcibly dispersed them. Several action mobs were hit. There were also arrests. 51 people were arrested,” he explained.

Ones confirmed that the action was facilitated by the KNPB Sentani Region to commemorate 72 years of world human rights day and at the same time urged the Indonesian government to resolve various cases of human rights violations in the Land of Papua and demand an immediate referendum as a democratic solution.

Of the 51 people transported by the police from Post 7 Sentani, five of them were injured.

"The victims were injured on behalf of Agustina Darla Kobak (on the head), Zeth (on the head), Insu Ina Su (on the arm), Nodi Tepmul (on the hand), and Frangki Kogoya (on the hand)."

The names secured by the Jayapura Police: Agus Bahabol (person in charge), Sadrack Lagowan (General Coordinator), Demi Tabuni, Silis Uopdana, Nando, Agn, Malis Uopkulir, Dortius Tenget, Saugas Lokon, Oktovianus Wakel, Betok Uropmabin, Eleck Tepmul , Gaulin Balingga, Inzu Ina Su, Frengky Kogoya, Menis Siep, Agustina Darla Kobak, Yosua, Yopina Pahabol, Ance Yoku, Milka, Hinus Siep.

Ektam Kalakmabin, Melly Tepmul, Kurus DM Felle, Oviana Kha Websa, Meksi Taplo, Eiko Taplo, Yan Itlay, Imer Matuan, Elison Pahabol, Eco Passe, Bella Wesapia, Berto Taplo, Gerry Matuan, Steven Tengket (Wakorlap), Mario Kassar, Miles Itlay, Fehri Molama, Elli Sugun, Man Waker, Charles Kogoya.

"We have not recorded the other 10 people," said Ones.

"The demonstrators who were arrested have been transported to the Jayapura Police in Doyo," he continued.

Security forces also took a number of action devices. In the form of billboards, megaphones, pamphlets, command lines and seven KNPB flags.

In addition, 1 Readmi 05 handset belonging to Sadrack Lagowan was also confiscated.

Wamena

Forced dispersal of mass demonstrations and mass arrests also occurred in Wamena, the capital of Jayawijaya district. Apart from the gathering point at the Mission Wouma Market, police officers dispersed the demonstrators at the Jibama Market.

Reportedly, 30 people were taken to the Jayawijaya Police.

"12 people from the Mission Wouma market point, 13 people from the Jibama market, and from Potikelek 5 people were arrested and taken to Jayawijaya Police," he explained.

The protesters from the Wouma Mission Market point that were secured were Nopius Asso, Jhon Iksomon, Nahason Pahabol, Niel Asso, Wene Kabak, Niris Pahabol, Abet Kabak, Tolak Asso, Nikon Kabak, Wei, Sini Ulunggi, Alimos Pahabol.

From Jibama Market, namely Othen Gombo, Mau Iaba, Wilem Kenelak, Ima Alya, Pokemon Wantik, Masongan Endambia, Fakalis Kisa, Yalince Wandikbo, Lidia Wandikbo, Yos Logo, Yosael Gombo, Aten Jaga, Junani Sibak.

Meanwhile, from the Potikelek point, namely Erik Aliknoe, Wenealem Y Kabak, Aten Asso, Lani Yikwa, Rosyan Zine Kogoya.

"All of them are KNPB members," said Ones while adding that the 25 people were undergoing examination.

Before the security forces disbanded, Ones received a report that the mass demonstrations in the context of World Human Rights Day in Wamena had started to move since 08.00 at several points.

Apart from the three gathering points which were forcibly disbanded and dozens of people arrested, said Suhuniap, the mass demonstrations from other gathering points were blockaded.

"Meanwhile, the demonstrators from Sinakma moved at 09.56 to successfully march towards the Jayawijaya DPRD office, but the gate was closed. The masses occupied in front of the DPRD office on Jalan Yos Sudarso Wamena."

Student Action

The commemoration of World Human Rights Day held by the Jayapura Alliance of Student Executive Boards (BEM) at the Uncen Abepura campus was also disbanded by security forces.

The student action in front of the Uncen Auditorium was prevented until several students were secured by members of the Jayapura Police.

The identities of the demonstrators detained were: Engel AP You, Tayai Kotopa Keiya, Olison Pakage, Iso Pekei and Yosep Douw.

The report that Ones received from Francis Yobee, the General Coordinator, stated that a number of students were treated harshly and even injured.

Seven people were beaten, namely Nando Boma (hit in the head), Okto Mote (swollen spine, injured finger), Yoten Mirin (hand wound), Hendrik Muyapa (hand wound, cellphone confiscated), Yabet Degei (back swollen, his clothes were torn), X Dogomo (ear wound), Olison Pakage (head bleeding).

Meanwhile at the Uncen Perumnas III Waena campus, the police dispersed the peaceful student demonstration. The action is centered on the upper Uncen gate.

Forcibly disbanded, the students moved to Perumnas I to join the Waena Expo demonstration masses.

Again, the police blockaded the demonstrators until they were forcibly dispersed at the Expo Waena bridge.

The demonstrators from Expo Waena, Buper and its surroundings gathered at the Papua Museum from 09.30 to 10.30 WIT, and were again disbanded.

The mass of protesters who gathered at the Abepura Circle also shared the same fate. Disbanded the security forces.

At around 13.00 WIT, the demonstrators from the USTJ campus, the lower Uncen campus headed for the Mimi hostel. The mass of action that was dispersed from Abe's circle also joined.

Gathering at the Mimin Dormitory's volleyball court, the masses delivered speeches and read out their position statements.

Manokwari and Sorong

In Manokwari, a peaceful demonstration to mark World Human Rights Day aimed at blocking the West Papua DPR office from the Manokwari Police and the Amban Police.

The action started at 09.00 WIT.

Both Amban and other points have been blockaded since morning.

In Sorong, the plan for peaceful action was centered in front of Ellin Maranata. From 7.00 WIT, at the location of the action, the security forces were on standby before the masses arrived.

The security forces appeared in full gear. By using cars and motorbikes, the security forces were on alert while terrorizing the mass action.

The mass of the KNPB action continued to unfurl banners, pamphlets and put up two KNPB organizational flags.

Beginning with a prayer, orations were delivered alternately at 9.00 WIT.

Delivery of speeches for one hour until 10.00 WIT.

The apparatus then limited it because it had exceeded the time limit.

Several times the KNPB board led by Dengky Pagawak negotiated with the police because they had submitted notification letters about plans for peaceful demonstrations.

Plans for a long march to the DPRD office were canceled because officials did not allow it.

In a matter of two minutes the mass of action must disperse.

Avoiding various bad possibilities, the action was ended after members of the Polres began moving to remove the command lines, pamphlets, banners, and took the KNPB flag.

"The demonstrators were forcibly dispersed around 10.58 WIT."

Unable to survive due to the strength of the number of armed troops, the demonstrators dispersed safely.

Four Current Districts

Actions to commemorate Human Rights Day which were held in four other districts: Lanny Jaya, Tolikara, Gunung Bintang, and Paniai, went smoothly.

Human Rights Day commemoration activities in Tiom, the district capital of Lanny Jaya, were centered in front of the Nirigi Hotel, Tiom.

From the districts, the masses have been moving toward a central point since 08.00 WIT.

The demonstrators were intercepted by the security forces, finally all were able to gather at 13.10 WIT. Then deliver speeches alternately.

The reading of the statement ended the peaceful demonstration in Tiom.

The same action was carried out in Karubaga, the district capital of Tolikara.

Celebration of World Human Rights Day in Tolikara district starts at 09.46 WIT. In general, it runs safely and smoothly.

Likewise in Oksibil, the capital of the Bintang Mountains district. Attended by hundreds of people, the commemoration of World Human Rights Day took place from 09.00 WIT until finished.

In Paniai district, the action was centered on the Karel Gobay field, Enarotali, East Paniai district. Attended by residents from various districts. The masses moved from morning to where the pulpit was free.

The peaceful demonstration was escorted by police officers from the Paniai Police.

Lawyers for Lawyers again expressed concerns about the disbarment proceedings against lawyer and human rights defender Mr. Arnon Nampha.

Lawyers for Lawyers is concerned about the disbarment proceeding against Mr. Arnon Nampha, a lawyer and human rights defender, that is taking place before the Investigative Committee that was established by the Committee on Professional Ethics of the Lawyers Council of Thailand during the Meeting No. 1/2564 on 13 January 2021.

We were informed that the proceeding against lawyer Arnon Nampha is related to a complaint motion filed to the Lawyers Council of Thailand on 7 August 2020 by the Assistant Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, who alleged that lawyer Arnon Nampha’s behaviour violated the Lawyers Council of Thailand’s disciplinary rules as his behaviour would “incite, intend to cause unrest, distort information and insult on the monarchy”. The speech in question called for reform of the constitution and the monarchy, during a peaceful protest at the Democracy Monument on Ratchadamnoen Avenue on 3 August 2020.

According to our information, a first pre-hearing was postponed twice on 24 November 2021 and 3 March 2022, due to the fact that Mr. Nampha was held in detention pending trial. Therefore, the first pre-hearing was scheduled for 7 April 2022 where both parties appeared before the Investigative Committee to schedule witness examination dates. The Committee scheduled the complainer witness examinations on 2 and 20 June and the complained witness examination on 18 July, 1 and 22 August, and 5 September 2022. However, on 2 June, the complainer failed to attend the first hearing taken place at the LCT. The proceeding therefore was adjourned until 20 June. The next witness examination was scheduled on 11 January 2023 but has been rescheduled to July 2023. After the witness examinations are completed, the Committee will schedule the date to deliver the order.

On 16 June 2022, Lawyers for Lawyers and the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe sent a letter to the Thai Authorities expressing their concerns about the disbarment proceedings. Lawyers for Lawyers and the International Commission of Jurists sent a previous letter to the Lawyers Council of Thailand on 1 February 2021, requesting them to dismiss the complaint motion against Mr. Nampha to protect his right to freedom of expression, and the rights of his clients. Unfortunately, this has been without response.

According to the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, lawyers have a right to freedom of expression and assembly, in particular in matters concerning the administration of justice and the rule of law. Moreover, according to Basic Principles 27, 28 and 29, lawyers have a right to fair disciplinary proceedings before and impartial disciplinary committee in line with recognized standards and ethics of the legal profession.

On January 14, the contents of Ji Xiaolong’s indictment letter, a well-known Shanghai human rights activist, were revealed. According to the recent disclosure, the official judiciary arrested Mr. Ji during the COVID lockdown for criticizing the country’s leaders. Authorities recently resumed his case for supplementary investigation.

COVID in China

On the afternoon of January 11, 2023, Ji Xiaolong’s lawyer met with him at the Pudong Detention Center in Shanghai. According to the information released by Mr. Ji Xiaolong Concern Group, the lawyer told Ji about the situation of COVID in China, saying that the country has been fully reopened and many people have been infected. Ji Xiaolong noted that he was once infected in the detention center. At that time, he had pain all over his body and came down with a fever, but the detention center did not provide him with medications for treatment.

Refused treatment

Sources disclosed that the detention center did not arrange for Ji Xiaolong to visit the dentist. The month Ji Xiaolong was arrested, the dentist gave a medical opinion and suggested periodontitis treatment; otherwise, he would not be able to receive dental implants in the future.

Potential charges

Ji Xiaolong read the prosecution’s opinion document to his lawyer. The main content has two aspects: one of them being Ji speaking out for relevant protests during the lockdown, and the official said he’s suspected of fabricating rumors. The other was the authorities stating that Ji Xiaolong was suspected of insulting the country’s leader. The specific details will only be revealed after the lawyer reads the document. Ji Xiaolong’s case was returned for supplementary investigation on January 5, and the lawyers will not be able to review the case until February 5.

Further investigation

In terms of procedure, Ji’s case has reached the prosecution stage in the People’s Procuratorate but has been returned for supplementary investigation. According to the relevant provisions of Chinese law, if, within one month, the prosecutor believes that the evidence of the case is insufficient, it does not meet the requirements for prosecution, the court will decide not to prosecute. In the case of the second supplementary investigation, if the prosecutor still believes that the evidence is insufficient and does not meet the requirements for prosecution, it may make a decision not to prosecute.

His work during zero-Covid

During the complete lockdown of Shanghai in April, Ji Xiaolong posted a letter on Weibo, WeChat, and Twitter on April 2, “Immediately stop the campaign-style disease prevention, relieve difficulties and send relief ——Shanghai Citizens’ Petition for the People.” It has been widely distributed and received widespread attention. He also sent a letter to Li Qiang, the Party Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Committee at the time, who later joined and is now a member of China’s most powerful committee. Ji raised the question of accountability for the excessive COVID prevention policy in the early stage in Shanghai.

His efforts all fall within the category of freedom of speech stipulated in the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China and are based on the most foundational humanitarian considerations.

After that, he organized volunteers in Shanghai to solve the difficulties and resolve the worries of citizens, aided migrant workers who had nowhere to live and offered legal assistance to citizens who were in severe economic difficulties due to covid lockdown.

Detained

For these reasons, Mr. Ji was summoned and detained by the Shanghai police many times and was taken away from his home by the police on August 31, 2022; on September 2 of the same year, he was formally placed under criminal detention by the police again; The People’s Procuratorate approved the arrest on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking troubles,” and he was detained in Shanghai Pudong Detention Center.

During a protest at Chiang Mai University yesterday (23 January) to demand the right to bail for political prisoners, police attempted to detain two students and accused them of causing panic and misunderstanding by dressing like inmates.

From 13.00 – 18.12, while graduation ceremony rehearsals were taking place, 7 students participated in a campus-wide performance as part of the protest to demand the release of political prisoners and to back the demands made by activists Tantawan Tuatulanon and Orawan Phuphong when they revoked their own bail on 16 January.

The students were seen walking around campus dressed in an inmate’s uniform with stockings over their heads and chains on their wrists and ankles. At 17.00, they met by Ang Kaew, an on-campus reservoir, where other protesters were standing as part of the protest calling for the right to bail for detained activists and protesters. Water from the reservoir was poured on them, making it look as if they were bleeding as pigment dissolved onto their clothes. A representative of the students also read out Tantawan and Orawan’s demands.

Tantawan and Orawan called for the reform of the judicial system so that human rights and freedom of expression take priority, and so that courts are independent and protect people’s freedom, as well as for judges to make decisions without intervention from their own executives.

They also called for all charges to be dropped against those exercising their freedoms of expression and assembly, and for every political party to guarantee people’s rights, freedoms, and political participation by backing the repeal of the royal defamation law and sedition law.

After no response was made to their demands within the three-day time limit, Tantawan and Orawan announced on 18 January that they would be going on a dry hunger strike and would not request bail for themselves until their demands are met. They were taken to the Department of Corrections Hospital last Friday (20 January) and are now in their 7th day of their hunger strike.

After several reports that the activists wished to be transferred to another hospital or back to the Women’s Central Correctional Institution due to concerns about how staff at the Department of Corrections Hospital might treat them, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) reported today (24 January) that the Department of Correction has informed the activists’ lawyer that they would be transferred to the Police Hospital for treatment, but they refused, asking instead to be transferred to Thammasat University Hospital.

TLHR said that Thammasat University Hospital agreed to have Tantawan and Orawan transferred to their facility. At around 19.00 today (24 January), the Department of Corrections issued a statement saying that the two activists will be transferred to Thammasat University Hospital, and TLHR noted that they are still in detention even though they are being transferred to a hospital outside of the authority of the Department of Corrections.

At around 20.00, it was reported that Tantawan and Orawan have arrived at Thammasat University Hospital. Police attempt to detain students for dressing like inmates

While the students were taking part in yesterdays’ performance at Chiang Mai University, police officers attempted to detain two medical students while they were standing around Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital, a teaching hospital in Chiang Mai city affiliated with Chiang Mai University’s Faculty of Medicine. The officers accused the students of causing public panic and making the officers mistake them for inmates from a nearby prison brought to the hospital for treatment. They were taken to a police office in the hospital reprimanded, before a lawyer from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR)’s Chiang Mai office arrive to negotiate their release. However, corrections officers refused to release the students until they apologize for dressing like an inmate.

Following the incident, the Chiang Mai Central Prison issued a statement addressed to the Department of Corrections saying that they were informed by correction officers guarding sick inmates receiving treatment at the hospital of a group of people dressed like officers and chained inmates, which may damage the Department’s reputation. The Prison said that it has looked into the incident, and that the group in question is not affiliated with the Chiang Mai Central Prison.

Kazakh authorities should thoroughly investigate a recent spate of attacks on independent journalists, hold all those responsible to account, and ensure that members of the press are able to work safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Tuesday.

Since January 12, journalists throughout Kazakhstan have seen their cars set on fire, apartments attacked, and offices vandalized, according to media reports and journalists who spoke to CPJ. Police have detained five suspects in relation to two of those incidents.

“While Kazakh police should be applauded for their swift work in apprehending suspects in two recent attacks on journalists, authorities must ensure that all the recent instances of harassment against the press are thoroughly investigated and that those who ordered them are held to account,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, in New York. “Authorities’ rhetoric about a ‘new Kazakhstan’ will remain empty words unless they are able to ensure journalists’ safety.”

On January 12, attackers smashed the glass entrance to an office building that houses the independent outlet Elmedia in the southern city of Almaty, according to media reports and posts on Facebook by Elmedia editor-in-chief Gulzhan Yergalieva, which said that it was the sixth such attack on the outlet’s office since October.

Elmedia covers politics on its YouTube channel, where it has about 100,000 subscribers.

Since August, people have also filed false reports to police about bombs in Elmedia’s office and Yergalieva’s home and car, sent the journalist a funeral wreath, and placed her phone number and photo on websites advertising sexual services.

In messages sent to Elmedia’s Telegram account and posted by Yergalieva on Facebook, individuals who claimed to have carried out the attacks threatened “maybe the next brick will be to your forehead,” and told the outlet to “put a muzzle on” Yergalieva, “otherwise we will shut her up.”

Separately, on the night of January 13, a vehicle belonging to independent journalist Dinara Yegeubayeva was set on fire in Almaty, according to news reports and a post by the journalist on Instagram.

Yegeubayeva, who is also a political activist, said in an interview with independent journalist Vadim Boreiko that she believes the attack was related to her journalistic posts on Instagram and YouTube, where she has a combined 94,000 subscribers and has covered allegations of rights abuses by authorities during 2022 mass protests in Kazakhstan and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Police have arrested five suspects aged between 15 and 17 who confessed to carrying out the arson attack on Yegeubayeva’s car and the most recent attacks on Elmedia, saying they were paid to commit them by unidentified individuals who contacted them on the internet, news reports said.

Separately, on January 16, unidentified individuals injected construction foam around the apartment door of Gulnara Bazhkenova, chief editor of the independent news website Orda, in Almaty, for the third time since September, the journalist told CPJ by phone and wrote on Facebook. Bazhkenova said unidentified people also mailed her a tombstone featuring her image and the date “2023” in December, and that her outlet’s website has faced consistent distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks since July 2022.

Also, on January 18, hackers infiltrated the website of the independent news website Ulysmedia, based in the capital city of Astana, and placed the personal data of chief editor Samal Ibrayeva and her children online, according to news reports and a statement by the journalist posted on Telegram.

Following the doxxing, unidentified users flooded Ulysmedia’s social media accounts with an identical message, saying: “This is just the start of your new life full of pain and sorrow. We know about everything that you hold dear.”

Ibrayeva told CPJ by messaging app that Ulysmedia’s website and social media accounts have repeatedly been targeted by DDoS and spam attacks since July 2022.

Separately, in the early hours of January 19, unidentified attackers injected construction foam around the door of journalist Vadim Boreiko’s apartment in Almaty and wrote graffiti featuring a lewd image and the name of Boreiko’s YouTube channel, according to news reports and a Facebook post by the journalist.

On his YouTube channel Giperborei, which has about 250,000 subscribers, Boreiko has covered topics including the war in Ukraine and the 2022 protests, which he told CPJ by messaging app were “the most undesirable topics for Kazakh authorities.”

Ibrayeva and Boreyko told CPJ that they had not received any information about the suspects in their cases.

Bazhkenova told CPJ police arrested two young people in November who admitted to some of the previous harassment of Orda and Elmedia, and who told police they had also been paid by unidentified individuals who contacted them online.

On January 20, a spokesperson for Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev wrote on Facebook that the president had ordered a “thorough investigation” into the attacks on journalists, saying that “not only the perpetrators, but also those who ordered these illegal acts” must be identified.

CPJ emailed the Kazakhstan Ministries of Internal Affairs and Information for comment, but did not receive any replies.

Bangladesh authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Raghunath Kha and investigate allegations that he was electrocuted and beaten in police custody, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday.

At around 11 a.m. on Monday, January 23, plainclothes police officers detained Kha, a correspondent for the privately owned broadcaster Deepto TV and privately owned newspaper Dainik Projonmo Ekattor, according to multiple news reports and a person familiar with the case who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing safety concerns. Kha was detained after reporting on a land dispute in the Khalishakhali area of the southwestern Satkhira district.

Police arrested Kha and two others, alleging they were involved in an attempted bomb blast in coordination with landless people in the area, and authorities initially denied that Kha was in custody, according to those sources.

When the journalist appeared in court the following day, he was unable to stand properly and said that police severely beat him, electrocuted him, and threatened to kill him if he continued reporting on landless people, the anonymous source told CPJ.

During that hearing, the court ordered Kha to be held in the Satkhira jail while his case is investigated. Police have not provided copies of the first information reports in Kha’s case, which would show the specific allegations against him, according to that source.

“Bangladeshi authorities’ arrest and alleged maltreatment of journalist Raghunath Kha constitute only the latest attack on press freedom in the country, where law enforcement continues to retaliate against journalists with raging impunity,” said Beh Lih Yi, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator. “Authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Kha, drop all cases against him, and conduct a swift investigation into claims that police physically abused him.”

Authorities did not produce Kha in court until about 5 p.m. on Tuesday, that source said, in apparent violation of Bangladesh’s code of criminal procedure, which provides that police must present an arrested person before a magistrate within 24 hours.

That source told CPJ that they believe authorities targeted the journalist in retaliation for his reporting highlighting the struggles of landless people in their conflict with land grabbers allegedly supported by police.

In recent months, Satkhira Police Superintendent Kazi Moniruzzaman repeatedly threatened Kha with arrest and legal retaliation in retaliation for his reporting, that source said, adding that the journalist submitted a written complaint sometime about those threats to Moinul Haque, the deputy inspector-general of the Khulna division police, which oversees the Satkhira branch of the force.

No action was taken against Moniruzzaman, that source told CPJ. CPJ emailed Moniruzzaman and Haque and sent them requests for comment via messaging app, but did not receive any replies.

CPJ has previously documented similar allegations of alleged police abuse of detained journalists in Bangladesh. Journalist Shahidul Alam, who was awarded CPJ’s International Press Freedom Award in 2020, told CPJ that police officers beat him in custody. Cartoonist Kabir Kishore told CPJ that authorities beat him and electrocuted his colleague Mushtaq Ahmed, who died in jail.

A veteran journalist known for covering rights abuses in Indonesia’s militarised Papua region says a bomb exploded outside his home yesterday and a journalists group has called it an act of “intimidation” threatening press freedom.

No one was injured in the blast near his home in the provincial capital Jayapura, said Victor Mambor, editor of Papua’s leading news website Jubi, who visited New Zealand in 2014.

Police said they were investigating the explosion and that no one had yet claimed responsibility.

“Yes, someone threw a bomb,” Papua Police spokesperson Ignatius Benny told Benar News. “The motive and perpetrators are unknown.”

The Jayapura branch of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) condemned the explosion as a “terrorist bombing”.

In Sydney, the Australia West Papua Association (AWPA) and Pacific Media Watch in New Zealand protested over the incident and called for a full investigation.

Mambor said he heard the sound of a motorcycle at about 4 am and then an explosion about a minute later.

‘Shook like earthquake’ “It was so loud that my house shook like there was an earthquake,” he told Benar News as reported by Radio Free Asia.

“I also checked the source of the explosion and smelt sulfur coming from the side of the house.”

The explosion left a hole in the road, he said.

The incident was not the first to occur outside Mambor’s home. In April 2021, windows were smashed and paint sprayed on his car in the middle of the night.

Mambor is also an advocate for press freedom in Papua. In that role, he has criticised Jakarta’s restrictions on the media in Papua, as well as its other policies in his troubled home province.

The AJI awarded Mambor its press freedom award in August 2022, saying that through Jubi, “Victor brings more voices from Papua, amid domination of information that is biased, one-sided and discriminatory.”

“AJI in Jayapura strongly condemns the terrorist bombing and considers this an act of intimidation that threatens press freedom in Papua,” it said in a statement.

‘Voice the truth’ call “AJI Jayapura calls on all journalists in the land of Papua to continue to voice the truth despite obstacles. Justice should be upheld even though the sky is falling,” said AJI chair Lucky Ireeuw.

Amnesty International Indonesia urged the police to find those responsible.

“The police must thoroughly investigate this incident, because this is not the first time … meaning there was an omission that made the perpetrators feel free to do it again, to intimidate and threaten journalists,” Amnesty’s campaign manager in Indonesia, Nurina Savitri, told BenarNews.

The Papua region, located at the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago, has been the site of a decades-old pro-independence insurgency where both government security forces and rebels have been accused of committing atrocities against civilians.

Foreign journalists have been largely barred from the area, with the government insisting it could not guarantee their safety. Indonesian journalists allege that officials make their work difficult by refusing to provide information.

The armed elements of the independence movement have stepped up lethal attacks on Indonesian security forces, civilians and targets such as construction of a trans-Papua highway that would make the Papuan highlands more accessible.

Human Rights Watch, meanwhile, has accused Indonesian security forces of intimidation, arbitrary arrests, torture, extrajudicial killings and mass forced displacement in Papua.

Security forces kill 36 Last month, Indonesian activist group KontraS said 36 people were killed by security forces and pro-independence rebels in the Papua and West Papua provinces in 2022, an increase from 28 in 2021.

In Sydney, Joe Collins of the AWPA said in a statement: “These acts of intimidation against local journalists in West Papua threaten freedom of the press.

“It is the local media in West Papua that first report on human rights abuses and local journalists are crucial in reporting information on what is happening in West Papua”.

Collins said Canberra remained silent on the issue — ‘the Australian government is very selective in who it criticises over their human rights record.”

There was no problem raising concerns about China or Russia over their record, “but Canberra seems to have great difficulty in raising the human rights abuses in West Papua with Jakarta.”

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court this morning denied bail to Chhim Sithar, president of the Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of Nagaworld (LRSU), ordering her to remain in pre-trial detention in Correctional Center 2 prison. No reason was given for the denial.

Sithar was first arrested in January 2022 and spent two months in pre-trial detention after being charged with incitement alongside other members of her union. She was released on bail in March 2022, but she was again arrested in November by immigration police at the Phnom Penh International Airport while returning from a labour rights conference in Australia.

Authorities accused Sithar of violating bail conditions by leaving the country, despite neither Sithar nor her lawyers ever being informed of such conditions. She has been detained at Correctional Center 2 prison since 26 November 2022.

LRSU members have been striking since December 2021 following mass layoffs at the NagaWorld casino that included the union’s entire leadership and a significant number of members.

Sithar and 8 fellow LRSU leaders and members face up to two years in prison if they are convicted of incitement. Another six LRSU members were charged in February under the 2021 Covid-19 Law. In October, at least 18 additional union members were slapped with charges of breaking and entering; intentionally causing damage with aggravating circumstances; and unlawful arrest, detention and confinement, in a criminal case that also references more than 100 unnamed "followers".

NagaWorld union members are alleging that ABA Bank blocked three transactions to their accounts from an overseas donor while giving various explanations about negative news of the union in the press or anti-money laundering measures.

The Labor Rights Supported Union of NagaWorld casino has been in dispute with the gambling corporation over the termination of 1,300 workers in 2021, out of which fewer than 200 workers are holding out for reinstatement. The protests have often taken a violent turn when district security guards and police officers use force to break up gatherings.

Three NagaWorld union members said they were expecting transfers from an overseas sender in October to support protesters without jobs or with babies, but were separately informed by a person saying they were from ABA Bank that the transfers were blocked.

Chhim Sokhorn and Klaing Soben told VOD they were expecting $5,050 each to be transferred into their ABA accounts. The two NagaWorld casino workers said they did not know where the money was coming from as union president Chhim Sithar was handling the grant application.

Sithar has been in pretrial detention since November when she was rearrested for allegedly breaking her bail conditions. Sithar, who was at a bail hearing at a Phnom Penh court last week, told VOD the grant was from the Urgent Action Fund in Australia, a feminist group in Australia that supports movements led by women and nonbinary activists.

VOD was unable to interview Sithar further in court.

Sokhorn and Soben both said they were separately contacted by an ABA staffer in October who questioned them on what they would do with the $5,050 transfers and raised the union’s ongoing dispute as the reason why the transactions had been blocked.

Sokhorn said an ABA employee named Sroy Mengty first contacted her on messaging application Telegram on October 13 and then on two other occasions on the 14th and 26th of the same month.

According to text and audio messages between the two of them on Telegram, Mengty informs Sokhorn on October 13 that the transfers will not be processed because of the “negative news about NagaWorld.” When he asks what the money will be used for, Sokhorn tells him it was to assist unemployed union members and for workers with children.

Mengty further says on the 14th: “The reason is because you don’t have proper documents for the money and have negative news about NagaWorld.”

Sokhorn continues to ask Mengty why the money was blocked, whether it was being sent back to the sender in Australia, and if her account had been frozen. He doesn’t reply until the 26th.

“It is because of the policy of the bank in case there is money laundering,” Mengty informs Sokhorn in a message on the 26th.

“From ABA, the money has been returned back. But I don’t know if an intermediary bank is involved. So it is out of our hands,” he adds, then stops replying to subsequent messages.

Sokhorn said she felt it was suspicious that the bank staffer would message her on Telegram, and not give her a single clear reason for blocking the money.

“The grant was to support protesting workers who don’t have jobs and those with babies. It was not for the protests but for those without jobs,” she said.

Soben, who was elected union treasurer last year, received similar text and voice messages from Mengty starting October 19. He asks her what the money is going to be used for, saying he needs to know before he can allow the “frozen” transaction to proceed.

“He said he needs to check if nothing bad will happen [with the money] and only then can he send it through,” Soben said in December.

Soben was first worried that her account would be frozen — a frequent conduit for small donations the union gets for supporting terminated workers. A week later, Mengty tells her that the money has been permanently blocked and sent back to the sender, but that her account is still active.

The two workers said they were unsure if the restrictions on their account were potentially because of bail conditions imposed on them following arrests related to the ongoing strike. Lawyers for Sithar have argued in court that jailed workers released on bail were not told the full conditions for their release.

VOD contacted Igor Zimarev, ABA’s chief marketing officer, and Khuon Pinoch, public relations supervisor, over the last two weeks, but they did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Emails sent to the Urgent Action Fund in Australia also went unanswered this week.

Terminated workers at the NagaWorld casino and represented by the union have said they are facing financial hardships as part of the prolonged labor action against the casino corporation.

The union’s registration has yet to be renewed by the Labor Ministry after elections last year for senior leadership because the ministry says the elected leaders, like Sithar, Sokhorn and Soben, are no longer employees of the casino. Soben said the union’s official bank account with Acleda bank had been frozen because the union’s registration was not renewed.

Separately, to raise funds for workers, Nop Tithboravy, a union member, started a $1 campaign encouraging donations to her personal Acleda bank account to support workers who were holding out against NagaWorld.

Last August, supporters of the union in Australia tried to transfer around $1,000 to her Acleda account but were unable to send the money. Tithboravy decided to ask Acleda why the transfers were blocked.

“The [senders] recommended I ask the bank and I went to ask them. But the banker said nothing was wrong with the back account. It was still running as normal,” Tithboravy said.

Unlike her colleagues, the bank staff did not ask about her union affiliation or why the money was being transferred. She was left confused because she had previously received transfers from overseas and continues to get domestic donations.

She also rued the lost opportunity to get support for workers.

“When people tried to send the money to support us again and again they couldn’t send it. So they also felt less interest to keep supporting us,” she said.

In Channy, the president of Acleda, asked the NagaWorld workers to contact bank staff because he cannot discuss these issues publicly.

“She should come to meet,” he said. “For these kinds of cases, we can’t put [the information] in public. She should come and they will explain it to her.”

ABA touts itself as one of the top three commercial banks in the country and has 2.1 million customers. The bank is also popular for the omnipresence of its branded QR codes that have become synonymous for bank transfers. ABA was also among a number of banks that last year blocked transfer attempts out of Cambodia to support the fighting in Ukraine.

Snguon Nhoeun, a Kampong Chhnang land activist, said he was detained for two hours by police after taking photos of a protest outside the provincial court.

Around 50 protesters were lighting incense and praying outside the court on January 18 when he was pushed into a car and had three phones seized, Nhoeun said. Police asked him to delete the images and sign a contract, he said.

“They said I took pictures without permission,” he said. “My arrest is very unfair for me because I was only shooting in public and they arrested me. I think the court has something to hide from me.”

Nhoeun added that he worked as a citizen journalist to cover the activities. Nhoeun is part of the Lor Peang community, which has long been in dispute with KDC International, a company owned by Energy Minister Suy Sem’s wife and accused of bulldozing people’s homes.

“This is a serious threat to me. This act threatens not only me … it threatens other citizens who want to photograph in front of the court,” he said.

Kampong Chhnang Provincial Court spokesperson Hak Kimhong denied that any arrests had been made. He said that authorities had only held him to explain some problems. He said the reason why the police detained and confiscated the phone was because Nhoeun was broadcasting live in front of the court without permission so the prosecutor ordered a temporary confiscation.

“I would like to deny his arrest. It is not true. We just explained to him where to shoot and where not to shoot.”

Kampong Chhnang Provincial Police spokesperson Ear Bunthoeun declined to comment on the case, saying the order to detain Nhoeun was made by the prosecutor’s office.

Lawyers for Chea Kheng, Energy Minister Sem’s wife, told The Cambodia Daily in 2010 to not mention the minister in articles about the Lor Peang-KDC International land dispute or they would sue for spreading “disinformation.”

Youth environmental activists advocating against the development of a Koh Kong island say they are facing threats and surveillance after authorities blocked an advocacy push at a Royal University of Phnom Penh event earlier this month.

A group of about 50 young activists organized a stall at an RUPP event in mid-January selling coconuts, providing leaflets and talks on the potential development of Koh Kong Krao island in Koh Kong province. Activists from Mother Nature and Khmer Thavrak have advocated for the government to refrain from leasing the island for development.

The stall — which was set up during the 63rd anniversary celebrations of the university — was shut down by district officials and university staff who considered it against university policies, activists said.

Since then, the activists allege they have faced surveillance from local authorities.

Phuon Keoreaksmey, a fourth-year university student and a Mother Nature activist, said the group was initially allowed to set up the stall in the university premises during the anniversary celebrations hosted from January 13th to 15th.

But on the first day of the event, local authorities and the university’s rector summoned them for a meeting and said they had to close down the stall and were banned from distributing any leaflets with messages about Koh Kong Krao island.

“They dare not to follow their own decision and work based on the advice of another person,” she said.

Kim Chilin, a Mother Nature activist and RUPP student, said authorities were monitoring his residence and even following him since then. He said this was a threat and aimed at affecting the morale of activists advocating for environmental rights.

“Me and my friends were followed by authorities to our homes. This is a kind of threat. For me, I think that it should not have happened to me,” he said.

Last month, activists also distributed pamphlets and held banners at the university’s Institute for Foreign Languages, urging authorities to not allow the development of the island. The Environment Ministry in 2020 said it was assessing whether to allow for development of the island, which was granted to notorious tycoon Ly Yong Phat, who got the development rights to the island in 2019.

Men Sreydav, another activist who was part of the advocacy effort, said authorities began following members of the group as soon as they distributed the leaflets.

“Generally, they followed us to our houses after our dissemination activities. I am worried about my safety because I always come out to do activities,” he said.

VOD could not reach Phnom Penh City Hall spokesperson Met Measpheakdey and Tuol Kork deputy district governor Teav Sam Oeun denied the accusations.

“I would like to deny that authority did not threaten them,” he said. “Whenever they have proper permission, we will cooperate immediately.”

The government has routinely blocked youth and environmental activists for advocating for their issues, even arresting and jailing them.

The Delhi Police on Wednesday detained several students of the Jamia Millia Islamia university after the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) planned to screen the BBC documentary on Narendra Modi and the 2002 Gujarat genocide on campus.

“The detained Jamia Millia Islamia students are kept in Fatehpur Beri police station,” tweeted Shamseer Ibrahim, Fraternity Movement national president.

“The police is not ready to tell the number of detainees nor are they allowing the lawyers to meet the students as given u/s 41D CrPC. The advocates are waiting outside the police station for the last 3 hours,“ he said.

Ladeeda Farzana, student leader in her twitter thread alleged that the city police is misbehaving with female lawyers.

The news agency PTI claimed that more than 70 students were detained. It is not clear how many students were detained.

Around four SFI activists were detained morning, while several students were picked up by the cops around 3 pm. The detainees include leaders of Fraternity Movement, SFI, NSUI and other student organisations.

DCP (Southeast) Esha Pandey said to Indian Express: “A screening for a BBC documentary was to be organised by a group of Jamia students inside the university today, which was not allowed by the administration of the University. The University administration informed the police that some students were creating ruckus on the streets and therefore a total of 13 students were detained around 4 pm to ensure peace in the area.”

The respected lawyer and human rights defender Abdul Latif Afridi was shot and killed inside the Peshawar High Court on Monday. Affectionately known as Lala (meaning elder brother in Pashto), Afridi, 79, was one of Pakistan’s most courageous and outspoken voices for rule of law, democracy, and human rights over several decades.

The alleged gunman, a junior lawyer, was arrested at the scene.

Afridi’s activist career began as a student leader in the 1960s when he was expelled from Peshawar University for denouncing sham elections under the military dictatorship of Gen. Ayub Khan. After becoming an attorney, he represented many victims of enforced disappearances and their families. He was a vocal critic of religious militancy and extremism. He was never intimidated into silence, despite numerous threats to his life and several times suffering imprisonment and torture.

In 2007, he led a lawyers’ protest against then-president Gen. Pervaiz Musharraf, and was struck by a police armored personnel carrier, fracturing his leg.

Afridi was a passionate opponent of the Frontiers Crime Regulation, a draconian British colonial-era law governing the former tribal areas of Pakistan that permitted collective punishments and denied defendants basic due process rights, including the right to legal counsel. Thanks in part to his advocacy, the law was repealed in 2018.

He was a former member of the Pakistan’s National Assembly and a former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association.

My introduction to Afridi was through Asma Jahangir and I.A. Rehman, late icons of the human rights movement in Pakistan. What struck me most about Lala was that despite working under great stress, he retained his wit and charm and always found time for the younger generation of human rights activists and lawyers. His loss is a devastating blow for the human rights movement in Pakistan and for all Pakistanis who stand for rule of law, equality, and democracy.

The most fitting tribute to Lala Latif Afridi is to continue his struggle for a tolerant, rights-respecting Pakistan.

Bangladesh’s Armed Police Battalion (APBn) is committing extortion, arbitrary arrests, and harassment of Rohingya refugees already facing violence from criminal gangs and armed groups, Human Rights Watch said today. Donor governments should press the Bangladesh authorities to investigate alleged abuses against Rohingya living in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, ensure that victims have effective remedies, and develop measures to better protect refugees.

The Armed Police Battalion took over security in the Rohingya camps in July 2020. Refugees and humanitarian workers report that safety has deteriorated under the APBn’s oversight due to increased police abuses as well as criminal activity. Some refugees allege collusion between APBn officers and armed groups and gangs operating in the camps.

“Abuses by police in the Cox’s Bazar camps have left Rohingya refugees suffering at the hands of the very forces who are supposed to protect them,” said Shayna Bauchner, Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Bangladesh authorities should immediately investigate allegations of widespread extortion and wrongful detention by Armed Police Battalion officers and hold all those responsible to account.”

Human Rights Watch interviewed more than 40 Rohingya refugees in October and November 2022 and reviewed police reports, documenting more than 16 cases of serious abuse by APBn officers. These included abuses against 10 refugees who were detained on apparently fabricated grounds for trafficking yaba, a methamphetamine drug, or for violence-related offenses. Human Rights Watch and others have long documented the common practice by Bangladesh security forces of framing suspects with drugs or weapons.

Almost every case Human Rights Watch investigated involved extortion either directly by APBn officers or communicated through majhis, the camp community leaders. Police generally demanded 10,000-40,000 taka (US$100-400) to avoid arrest, and 50,000-100,000 taka ($500-1,000) for the release of a detained family member. Families often had to sell gold jewelry or borrow money for bribes or legal costs. Many worried about the harm to their reputation.

Several refugees were seemingly targeted for information they had shared online regarding APBn harassment of Rohingya. Sayed Hossein, 27, who works as a health volunteer with an international organization and as a citizen journalist, said that on July 25, 2022, at about 10 p.m., around 30 APBn officers arrived at his house, handcuffed him, and confiscated his laptop and flash drive. (Pseudonyms are used to protect the security of interviewees.) He said they told him he was being arrested for posting on social media about an APBn officer harassing innocent Rohingya. They took him to the police camp and demanded a bribe. When his family could not pay 50,000 taka ($500), the APBn officers forcibly photographed him with yaba tablets and sent him to the nearby Ukhiya police station.

“I asked them not to take any photos since it would impact my job and future,” Sayed Hossein said. “They said that because I’m Rohingya, I don’t have any future.” APBn posted the photos on their social media accounts. He was detained on drug trafficking charges and spent 41 days in jail before making bail. He said most of his fellow inmates were Rohingya.

Reacting to news that the authorities in Kyrgyzstan have applied to a court to close Radio Azattyk, the national service of the US broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said:

“The closure of Radio Azattyk would be a deep and stark attack on the right to freedom of expression in Kyrgyzstan adding to the continuing repression against journalists and other voices critical of the authorities. The international community cannot ignore the threat looming over human rights in Kyrgyzstan and must call on Bishkek to comply with its international human rights obligations in full. The application to close Radio Azattyk should be withdrawn, its website unblocked, and journalists and other media workers in Kyrgyzstan should be able to work without fear of reprisals.”

Background

On 24 January, Radio Azattyk was notified of an application submitted to the Lenin District Court in Bishkek by the Kyrgyzstan Ministry of Culture, Information, Sport and Youth, seeking to terminate Radio Azattyk’s operations. The reason for the lawsuit was reportedly the publication on Radio Azattyk’s social media channels of a video produced by the radio’s sister organization, Current Time TV, which covered the September 2022 border conflict between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The video allegedly violates the law “On the Mass Media,” which forbids “propaganda of war, violence and cruelty, national, religious exclusivity and intolerance to other peoples and nations.”

In October 2022, the material was cited as the reason for blocking Radio Azattyk’s website while its bank accounts were frozen under national money laundering laws. In December, the website ban was declared “indefinite.”

Over the past year, government critics, journalists and other media workers have been repeatedly harassed in Kyrgyzstan. On 23 November, Bolot Temirov, the founder of the investigative project Temirov Live, was stripped of his Kyrgyz citizenship and forcibly deported to Moscow in retaliation for his criticism of the authorities.

Police on Monday arrested several rights activists including Ruby Khan, who has been staging a sit-in demanding action against the culprits involved in the suspicious disappearance and death of Banke’s Nirmala Kurmi of Banke.

About the Human Rights Defenders: Ms. Malti Rao (35), Ms. Krishna Rao (24), Ms. Vidhya (58), Ms. Permila (50), Mr. Ravi Rao (28), Ms. Leelawati (50), Ms. Sonpati (45) and other protestors of Ambedkar Nagar Uttar Pradesh. Background of the Incident: On November 06, 2022, black ink was put on the statue of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar installed in front of Haothi Mandir, Ambedkar nagar, by unknown miscreants. When the locals of Ambedkar Nagar saw the defacement of the statue, they started a protest demanding action against the culprits. Details of the Incident: On November 06, 2022, around 10 am a group of locals of Dalit community , mostly women, gathered at Akbarpur-Jalalpur road, Ambedkar Nagar and started a protest to act against the culprits who threw ink on the statue of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar. Around 11:00 am Mr. Sant Kumar Singh, Station Officer, Jalalpur Police Station, Ambedkar Nagar reached the spot with some policemen. The locals demanded action against the culprits and a fair inquiry. An argument started between police and protestors and according to the protestors the police started to lathi-charge the protestors. In the video 15-20 male policemen are seen brutally beating 10-12 un-armed women protestors with lathis as well as hurling “casteist” abuses at them. One woman protestor falls down, while another’s hair is pulled by a policewoman, others are seen running away while being beaten by sticks by policemen. A video of police lathi-charge on women went viral on social media. The video is as follows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPTdw4HwTC8&ab_channel=TheQuint The SP Ambedkar nagar, Mr. Amit Kumar Sinha, claimed that the women hurled stones at the police force forcing them to use ‘mild force’. However, no woman protestor is seeing holding anything in their hands. The police also claimed that they had registered an FIR against the unknown persons who had defaced the statue of Dr Ambedkar and were trying to arrest the miscreants. On 05 November 2022, at 05:30 pm an FIR 0329 was registered against 300 women and men (name unknown) by Sub-Inspector Mr. Awshaf Ali at Jalalpur police station, Jalalpur, Ambedkar Nagar under sections of IPC 147-Punishment for rioting, 188- Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant, 341-Punishment for wrongful restraint, 353-Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty, 504-Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace. 506- Punishment for criminal intimidation. On 06 November, 2022 a second FIR (No. 0329) was registered at 05:30 pm against Mr. Mahesh, Mr. Raju, Mrs. Reeta, Mrs. Parmila, Mrs Sakla, Mrs. Anara, Mr. Shyam Kumar, Mr. Sandeep and Mr. Santosh Kumar by Mr. Dheeraj Barnawal,at Jalalpur police station, Jalalpur, Ambedkar Nagar under sections of IPC 147-Punishment for rioting, 323- Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty, 327- Voluntarily causing hurt to extort property, or to constrain to an illegal act, 427-Mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees, 506- Punishment for criminal intimidation. On 06, November 2022 at 04:00 pm a third FIR 0331 was registered against unknown women, by Mr. Mahendra Prasad a local, at Jalalpur police station, Ambedkar Nagar under sections of IPC 147- Punishment for rioting, 188- Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant, 341- Punishment for wrongful restraint, 342-Punishment for wrongful confinement, 332- Voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty, 336- Act endangering life or personal safety of others, 353-Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty, 427- Mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees and section 7 of Criminal Law Amendment Act 1932.

On November 6, 2022, Ms. Malti Rao 35, Ms. Krishna Rao 24, Ms. Vidhya 58, Ms. Permila 50 were arrested and sent to prison. On November 21, 2022, Ms. Sonpati (45), Mr. Ravi Rao (28) and Ms. Leelavati (50) was arrested. They were released on bail on December 13, 2022, after one month and eight days.

Youth progressive group Anakbayan said that unidentified individuals entered their national office at around 9 p.m. yesterday, January 15.

“Cellphones were not where they were left, tables were moved, windows are open, doors show clear signs of forced entry,” said Anakbayan in their post via their social media accounts.

Later that day, at around midnight, the youth group also stated that some of their members noticed police mobile roaming around the area.

“We fear for our safety. This attempt to enter our office is not detached from what happened to Dyan and Armand in Cebu,” said Jeann Miranda, chairperson of Anakbayan, referring to two Cebu-based activists, Dyan Gumanao, 28, coordinator of Alliance of Concerned Teachers-Region 7, and Armand Dayoha, 27, Alliance of Health Workers-Cebu coordinator, who were reported missing after spending the holidays with their families.

Before their absence, the two reported a series of harassment and tailing. As of this writing, the two have not been found.

Attacks against the youth

Anakbayan has been subjected to relentless attacks under several administrations.

One of the most notable cases is Anakbayan member and student activist Alicia Lucena, whose mother, Relissa, a member of Hands Off Our Children Network, filed a kidnapping and human trafficking case against the youth group along with former Kabataan Representative Sarah Elago and former Bayan Muna representative Neri Colmenares.

However, Lucena goes against Relissa’s statement through a video narrating how her mother illegally detained her at home, prevented her from watching television, and contacted friends and fellow activists.

Aside from this, Jovita Antoniano and the Philippine National Police (PNP) filed kidnapping and child abuse charges against Anakbayan leaders. However, last May 28, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released a 15-page resolution junking the charges due to the ‘lack of probable cause.’

The most recent case was last December 29, where Anakbayan, along with progressive groups such as Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN)’’s Facebook pages, were removed.

The accounts’ administrators and editors have also been locked due to ‘unknown entities trying to access the accounts.’

Prior to this incident, the group’s posts giving tribute to Jose Maria Sison had been flagged for violating the “Community Standards.”

“We are condemning this action made by Facebook because it’s just an attempt to silence the free speech of the youth. Sharing Prof. Jose Maria Sison’s contribution to the freedom and equality of the Filipino should not be considered a threat or terrorism,” said Anakbayan.

Anakbayan called for the youth and other human rights organizations to stand up and condemn the series of harassment against the youth.

“There is no one to blame but the state who wants to silence those fighting for their freedom and rights. We call for the youth, human rights watch, and even the Commission on Human Rights to help us look into what happened. This incident also fuels us to fight the oppressive and corrupt Marcos Jr,” said Miranda.

Dyan Gumanao, 28, coordinator of Alliance of Concerned Teachers-Region 7 and Armand Dayoha, 27, Alliance of Health Workers-Cebu coordinator were expected to arrive in their offices on Jan. 10 after spending the holidays with their families but have not been able to show up or contact family and colleagues since then.

According to Karapatan-Central Visayas, Gumanao and Dayoha had previously reported a series of harassment and tailing, which had increased following Gumanao’s arrest on June 5, 2020 as part of the Cebu 8.

Both Gumanao and Dayoha had also been tailed by suspected state agents after a Mendiola Massacre commemoration protest on January 22, 2021.

“These irregularities that they have observed have been considered to be possible monitoring of the two of them as active development workers and long-time human rights advocates in Cebu,” Karapatan-Central Visayas wrote in their statement.

The group added that Gumano had also experienced numerous instances of tailing by suspected state forces in the last quarter of 2022.

Gumanao had previously served as the head coordinator of Aninaw Productions and had been a key figure in its revival in 2017. Prior to that, she had been the chairperson of the UP Cebu University Student Council of the University of the Philippines Cebu (UP Cebu) and served as the Vice President for Visayas of the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP).

After graduating cum laude with a Mass Communication degree from the university, Gumanao joined the non-government organization Community Empowerment Resource Network (CERNET) as a Special Support Services Coordinator.

She currently serves as a volunteer coordinator for the Alliance of Concerned Teachers-Region 7 after having been a volunteer for several years.

Dayoha, meanwhile, graduated from the Psychology program of UP Cebu and has served as a National Service Training Program (NSTP) lecturer in the university since 2015. He has also been pursuing a bachelor in Fine Arts as a second degree.

Having been active in the pursuit of “art for the people,” he was one of the founding members of the Cebu-based cultural group Art and Tankard Organization (ATO).

During the height of the pandemic in 2020, Dayoha was cited to be one of the key volunteers in addressing the issues of the workers and the urban poor in Mandaue City. He eventually became a staff member of the non-government organization Visayas Human Development Agency, Inc. (VIHDA, Inc.).

Dayoha currently serves as the coordinator of the Alliance of Health Workers-Cebu.

Karapatan-Central Visayas said that the incident has been reported to authorities and concerned government agencies.

“We are demanding the urgent action and cooperation of state forces in our collective efforts to identify the whereabouts of Dyan and Armand. We assert that there is nothing wrong with their work and the advocacies they carry with them, and that citizens who decisively tread the path that they have should not be harassed, threatened, silenced, or arrested,” the organization wrote.

Karapatan-Central Visayas, together with various organizations across Cebu, have strongly called to surface the two

Members of the youth group Anakbayan raised alarm after their official Facebook Page was deleted, while their members were locked out of their personal accounts after multiple log-in attempts from anonymous accounts.

At 3:00 p.m. of Dec. 30, the group noticed that the official Facebook Page of Anakbayan PH was no longer accessible both by the public and its page administrators. Meanwhile, at least ten members received e-mails from Facebook, notifying them that there had been multiple log-in attempts in their accounts.

“This (attack) comes as various of our chapters and other mass organizations have received notices for being unpublished, suspension and restriction of personal accounts,” said Anakbayan, through a post by one of its members.

“We vehemently condemn this brazen attack on the youth. This is a conscious and orchestrated attack to deplatform dissent and to silence the critical voice of the youth,” the group said.

According to Anakbayan, the attack happened while the organization is being very vocal on issues faced by the youth such as attacks on academic freedom through the NCST Program, and the worsening economic crisis in the Philippines.

At the moment, the organization and its members are looking into ways to retrieve Anakbayan’s Facebook page. They have created a temporary page, which can be viewed here.

Groups of artists condemned the death threat on multi-awarded artist Bonifacio Ilagan, saying the incident is yet another desperate ploy against activists and progressive cultural workers.

The Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP) and the Kilometer 64 Writers’ Collective (KM 54) said the threat against Ilagan is part of ongoing fascist attacks against political dissenters.

Ilagan reported to colleagues he was at a pet store in Quezon City in the afternoon of January 2 when he received a call from an unknown number.

He recalled that the caller introduced himself as a commander of a unit tasked to wipe out suspected Communists like the veteran activist.

Ilagan added that the caller warned him to desist from his activities as their so-called unit is just waiting for the “final order from the higher ups.”

“[The caller] said they would surely get me, and that I should not ask for mercy. It would be futile, because I had already been warned,” Ilagan reported.

“While the man didn’t say outright that they would kill me, his point was all too clear: They could,” Ilagan added.

The artist said that while he received his share of messages that cursed and threatened him in the past because of his activism, Monday’s incident was the first time that he received a call that said much more.

“There is no other reason I can think of behind the threat but my activism that goes way back to the 70s,” Ilagan said.

Quick condemnation

CAP said in a statement Wednesday that it condemns that crackdown against activist artists like Ilagan.

KM 64 added that the threat against Ilagan is part of an old strategy against critics of anti-people government policies.

Human rights group Karapatan earlier reported that that at least 17 civilians became victims of mass surveillance and extrajudicial killings from July 1 to November 30 of 2022.

“We are in solidarity and we stand with Bonifacio Ilagan and all other cultural workers who are part of the people’s history by fighting for truth, genuine freedom and human rights,” KM 64 said.

Who is Boni Ilagan?

Ilagan was a student activist during the Ferdinand Marcos Sr. dictatorship who led the historic Diliman Commune uprising at the University of the Philippines in 1970.

Ilagan was abducted in 1974 and was subjected to various forms of torture. After being conditionally released on 1976, Ilagan continued his activism and became a multi-awarded stage and film playwright.

He was again arrested in the 1990s but was released after three months in detention.

He was among the thousands of petitioners who filed a class action suit against the Marcos estate that awarded millions of dollars as indemnification to thousands of Martila Law victims.

He is a member of SELDA (Semahan ng mga Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensiyon at Aresto) and co-convened the Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law (CARMMA), an organization composed of martial law survivors that seek accountability for the various rights violations of the late dictator, his cronies, and the Marcos dynasty.

Ilagan was named the winner of the prestigious Gawad Plaridel in 2019, given by the College of Mass Communication of his alma mater University of the Philippines.

On 27 December, two Ubon Ratchathani high school students were detained for flashing three-finger salutes, a well-known symbol of resistance, at an intersection on a road that was closed ahead of King Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida’s royal motorcade.

Another student who witnessed the incident said that he rode his motorcycle out to the intersection at around 14.00 to run an errand and discovered that the road was closed. He was not aware of the pending motorcade. Two of his friends, whose motorcycles were parked in front of him, flashed three-finger salutes for a moment. Once the traffic was allowed to resume, a police officer pulled them over. The witness thought that they were going to be fined for not wearing a helmet but later learned that they had been detained for their salute.

According to a Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) report, at around 15.30, the two students were detained at Muang Ubon Ratchathani Police Station. Lawyers were not allowed to see them. Volunteer lawyer Wattana Jantanasilp was denied permission to meet with the students and given no explanation of what had happened. Wattana was informed by the police that they had summoned the students’ parents, as well as an official from the Provincial Education Office and a child psychiatrist.

At 8.20, TLHR said that the students were released without charge, but the police refused to allow photos to be taken of the daily record on their detention.

King Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida were visiting Ubon Ratchathani to attend a religious ceremony at Wat Pah Nanachat Temple in Warin Chamrap district at 17.00 yesterday.

A food delivery driver named Nattawut (last name withheld) also said that a police officer from Muang Ubon Ratchathani Police Station called him to ask that he remain at home while the King and Queen were visiting the province. He refused, explaining that he needed to work. The officer then asked if he could follow Nattawut while he worked. When the driver agreed, the officer said that he did not need to be with him all the time and instead would call him periodically to check his location.

Last October 2022, Nattawut ran into difficulties with the police because he was live-streaming when a group of people flashed the three-finger salute and shouted at Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha. One person in the group was detained by police officers and taken away. Another person was pushed to the ground. Nattawut was threatened by the police, who ordered him to delete the recording of the livestream.

In December, Myanmar courts sentenced at least eight independent journalists to prison terms ranging from three to 10 years, according to news reports and journalists who spoke to CPJ.

Separately, on January 4, junta authorities released at least six jailed journalists as part of a wider amnesty of over 7,000 prisoners to mark the nation’s Independence Day, according to news reports, a database compiled by the local rights group Assistance Association of Political Prisoners (AAPP), and a separate database compiled by the Detained Journalists Information Myanmar private Facebook group, which was shared with CPJ via email.

Myanmar ranked as the world’s third worst jailer of journalists, with 42 behind bars when CPJ conducted its annual prison census on December 1, 2022.

“Myanmar’s cruel carousel of jailing, sentencing, and granting early release to journalists is a form of psychological warfare aimed at breaking the will of independent journalists and media outlets,” said Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative. “Authorities must immediately cease treating members of the press as criminals and should release all reporters held in custody for their work.”

And on December 30, a court in Yangon sentenced Thurein Kyaw, founder and publisher of the independent outlet Media Top 4, to 10 years in prison with hard labor under Article 49(a) of the Counter Terrorism Law, according to news reports. Thurein Kyaw was beaten by unidentified attackers and initially detained on February 3, 2022, while covering a rally in support of the military junta in Yangon, according to news reports and photographs of his injuries circulated online.

In December, Myanmar courts sentenced at least eight independent journalists to prison terms ranging from three to 10 years, according to news reports and journalists who spoke to CPJ.

Separately, on January 4, junta authorities released at least six jailed journalists as part of a wider amnesty of over 7,000 prisoners to mark the nation’s Independence Day, according to news reports, a database compiled by the local rights group Assistance Association of Political Prisoners (AAPP), and a separate database compiled by the Detained Journalists Information Myanmar private Facebook group, which was shared with CPJ via email.

Myanmar ranked as the world’s third worst jailer of journalists, with 42 behind bars when CPJ conducted its annual prison census on December 1, 2022.

“Myanmar’s cruel carousel of jailing, sentencing, and granting early release to journalists is a form of psychological warfare aimed at breaking the will of independent journalists and media outlets,” said Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative. “Authorities must immediately cease treating members of the press as criminals and should release all reporters held in custody for their work.”

On December 16, a special court in Yangon’s Insein Prison sentenced Wai Lynn, founder of the local outlet Tingangyun Post, and Ma Htet Htet, an editor at the outlet, to five years each in prison under Section 5 of the Explosives Substances Act, which penalizes the unlawful possession of explosive substances, according to news reports and an AAPP statement.

Both reporters had been charged under Article 505(a), a broad provision that criminalizes incitement and the dissemination of false news, and under the Counter Terrorism Law before their convictions under the separate provision.

On either December 16 or 17, freelance journalist Soe Yarzar Tun was sentenced to four years in prison with hard labor under Section 52(a) of the Counter Terrorism Law, according to a report by The Irrawaddy and a statement by the AAPP. Soe Yarzar Tun was arrested in Bago City on March 10, 2022.

Three youths who survived a three-storey fall to the ground while trying to escape a military raid in Yangon’s Botahtaung Township last year were given 12-year prison sentences on Tuesday, according to a court source.

Ye Min Oo, Min Thitsar Aung, and Wai Yan Htet were among 10 people sentenced in connection with the raid at a hearing held inside Insein Prison, the source said.

All 10 were facing charges under the Explosive Substances Act, including illegal possession of explosives and endangering public safety. The sentences ranged from five to 12 years.

On August 10 of last year, regime forces stormed an apartment on 44th Street in Botahtaung, where they arrested three of the defendants—Thiha Kaung Sett, Poe Kyawt Kyawt Khant, and Wai Phyo Aung.

Ye Min Oo, Min Thitsar Aung, and Wai Yan Htet were caught after falling from the roof of the building as they attempted to flee, while two others—Wai Wai Myint and Wai Zaw Phyoe—plunged to their deaths.

The others sentenced on Tuesday were Kyaw Kyaw Oo, a taxi driver who was arrested before the raid; Kaung Sett and Min Hein Khant, who were apprehended later; and Sai Win Lwin Htut, whose details were not available at the time of reporting.

According to the father of Ye Min Oo, families were not allowed to meet with the prisoners until after they received their sentences.

“I’m in no position to say anything about the other kids, but Ye Min Oo is a very adaptable person. He can survive essentially anywhere,” he said, noting that his son—who was transferred to an interrogation centre soon after his release from the hospital—had still not fully recovered from his injuries.

“He only told us to give him some support from the background so that he could live comfortably in prison. He’s in good health save for a limp in his left leg, which I think is going to be a lifelong disability,” he added.

Poe Kyawt Kyawt Khant, the only woman among the 10 detainees, was handed a five-year sentence for possession of explosives, according to Myanmar Now’s source.

She was pregnant at the time of her arrest and reportedly gave birth inside Insein Prison in late February, the source added.

Kyaw Kyaw Oo, Kaung Sett, and Min Hein Khant each received 12-year sentences after they were found guilty of illegal possession of explosives and being accessories to offences under the Explosive Substances Act.

Kaung Sett and Min Hein Khant, who were arrested in November of last year, were also accused of being members of an urban guerrilla group and are facing additional charges, according to the court source, who was unable to provide further details.

Kaung Min Thant, the only person to escape the raid on the 44th Street apartment, told Myanmar Now that he managed to get away by hiding on the roof of the building for 12 hours before fleeing to a safe area.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urges for the release of Hong Kong journalist Tang Cheuk-yu, who was sentenced on 22 December 2022 to 15 months for possession of alleged “offensive weapons” while covering news for Taiwan’s Public Television Service.

On 22 December 2022, freelance journalist Tang Cheuk-yu, was sentenced to 15 months for “possession of offensive weapons in a public place,” during one of Hong Kong protests. Tang was first arrested on 18 November 2019 for “unauthorised assembly” and carrying a multipurpose knife and a laser pen while filming the siege of Hong Kong Polytechnic University for Taiwan’s Public Television Service (PTS). The court acknowledged that Tang worked as a journalist at the time of the arrest.

“Carrying tools like a multipurpose knife isn’t unusual for reporters while in the field, and sentencing a journalist for possession of so-called ‘offensive weapons’ is clearly an attempt to punish him for doing his work,” says RSF East Asia bureau head, Cédric Alviani, who urges the Hong Kong government to “release Tang Cheuk-yu alongside all other journalists and press freedom defenders detained in the territory.”

Over the past two years, the Hong Kong government has been leading an unprecedented campaign against press freedom which included the prosecution of at least 23 journalists and press freedom defenders, 11 of whom are currently detained, and the forced shutdown of major independent media outlets including Apple Daily, while the climate of fear led at least five smaller media outlets to cease operations.

Hong Kong, once a bastion of press freedom, has plummeted from 80th place in 2021 to 148th place in the 2022 RSF World Press Freedom Index, marking the index’s sharpest drop of the year. China itself ranks 175th of the 180 countries and territories evaluated.

In the space of a week, Myanmar’s military have arrested a banned news agency’s editor and passed prison sentences on three other journalists, including Han Thar Nyein, a nominee for this year’s Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Press freedom Prize. RSF calls on the UN to toughen international sanctions on Myanmar’s generals to deter them from resorting to ever more terror.

“The endless arrests and continued detention of journalists by Myanmar’s military authorities is sickening,” said Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk. “The world cannot watch the country succumb to the terror being used by the junta to control the news media. We call on Tom Andrews, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, to take action to toughen the international sanctions targeting its generals.”

Nominated in November for RSF’s Prize for Courage, Han Thar Nyein was tried in the utmost secrecy yesterday, 26 December, by a court inside Insein prison in the Yangon suburbs and was sentenced to five years in prison for allegedly violating Section 33 (A) of Myanmar’s Electronic Transactions Law, which penalises acts detrimental to the security of the state. The details of his trial were leaked to social media the same day and were verified by RSF.

Manipulated legislation

Han Thar Nyein was already sentenced in March to two years in prison with hard labour under Section 505 (a) of Myanmar’s penal code, which penalises spreading “false news” and is widely used to persecute journalists. He will have to serve the two sentences consecutively, meaning he will have to spend a total of seven years in prison.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urges for the release of Chinese political commentator Ou Biaofeng, already detained for two years and who was sentenced on 30 December 2022 to three years and six months in prison for “subversion”.

“As a political commentator, Ou Biaofeng published fact-based essays that allowed the Chinese public to access information on regime's human rights abuses despite heavy censorship. Regime should release him as well as all other press freedom defenders detained in China.

On 30 December 2022, after two years in detention, Chinese political commentator and blogger Ou Biaofeng, 42, was sentenced by a court in the city of Zhuzhou City in Hunan Province (southern China) to three years and six months for “inciting subversion of state power”. Ou was also deprived of his political rights for three years and had 70,000 renminbi (almost 10,000 euros) confiscated, on the pretext that they were an “illegal income” earned from a series of articles critical of the Chinese government published in Apple Daily, Ming Pao and on the website of the civil society organisation Human Rights Campaign in China.

On 3 December 2020, Ou was placed in administrative detention for 15 days for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” and was two weeks later transferred to one of China’s “black prisons,” under the regime of “Residential Surveillance at a Designated Location” (RSDL) in which detainees are deprived of legal representation and unable to communicate with the outside world. On 22 July 2021, Ou was then formally arrested on the charge of “inciting subversion of state power” and moved to the No. 1 Zhuzhou Municipal Detention Center.

Since Chinese leader Xi Jinping took power in 2012, he began a crusade against journalism as shown in RSF’s report The Great Leap Backwards of Journalism in China, which details Beijing’s efforts to control information and media within and outside its borders.

China ranks 175th out of 180 in the 2022 RSF World Press Freedom Index and is the world's largest captor of journalists with at least 111 detained.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns a Pakistani businessman’s “unacceptable” threats against a newspaper editor in response to a story implicating him in a prominent corruption scandal, and calls on Pakistan’s government to guarantee the journalist’s safety.

The threats were made in a phone call that Hamza Azhar Salam - the editor of The Pakistan Daily newspaper - received on 9 December, the day after he ran a story implying that, in 2019, property tycoon Malik Riaz helped then Prime Minister Imran Khan cheat the state of millions of dollars. If the story and a tweet about the story were not deleted, “routes, alternate to legal routes” would be used,” Salam was told by a man working for Riaz.

“This type of threat is absolutely unacceptable,” said Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk. “Regardless of their power and the brutality of the methods they otherwise employ, the business community cannot use threats to block the revelation of matters that are of major interest to the citizens of Pakistan. We call on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government to do whatever is necessary to ensure that Hamza Azhar Salam is protected and to guarantee respect for the rule of law.”

The story published by Salam under his own by-line provided evidence that Farah Gogi, a close friend of then Prime Minister Imran Khan’s wife, flew to Dubai on 29 April 2019 aboard a plane owned by Bahria Town, Riaz’s construction company.

Corruption scandal

The timing of the trip is important because it coincided with the sale in Dubai of a diamond jewellery set that Khan had received from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. Khan is said to have sold the jewellery for two million dollars in violation of regulations stipulating that gifts received by government representatives from foreign leaders belong to the state.

The alleged violation has been used by the Election Commission of Pakistan as grounds for banning Khan from running for public office for five years.

“The implication of my story” was that Bahria Town CEO Malik Riaz “actively facilitated an act of corruption by Farah Gogi that ultimately benefited then Prime Minister Imran Khan and his family,” Salam told RSF.

Extensive influence

As well as being threatened, Salam is also being summoned by Riaz to pay 10 billion rupees (more than 40 million euros) in damages. He has tried to resist by legal means but says the property tycoon’s influence extends to many areas of Pakistani society including the judicial system.

“Malik Riaz's family has a history of using armed goons to intimidate people,” he said. “I have been advised to change residence frequently and to limit my contact with the outside world. I’m still trying to lead a normal life, but I live in fear because of the threats from Bahria Town.”

Salam’s fears should be taken seriously as almost all of the murders of journalists in Pakistan in the past 20 years have gone unpunished. Pakistan is ranked 157th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2022 World Press Freedom Index.

On December 25, in the Rangunia region of the southeastern Chittagong division, a group of six to seven men confronted Azad, a reporter covering the environment and politics for the privately owned newspaper The Business Standard, while he was photographing brick kilns that were allegedly operating illegally, according to multiple news reports and the journalist, who spoke with CPJ by phone.

Azad identified himself as a journalist, and the men then forced him into a vehicle at gunpoint, and they threatened to kill him; they then beat him and brought him to a local government official’s office, where they assaulted him further and robbed him, he told CPJ, saying he was released after about 90 minutes.

Azad suffered a neck fracture and pain in his chest, abdomen, and hands, according to the journalist and medical documents that CPJ reviewed.

“The abduction and gruesome beating of Abu Azad demonstrate the grave dangers facing journalists who cover environmental issues in Bangladesh,” said Beh Lih Yi, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator. “Authorities must swiftly and thoroughly investigate this incident and hold the perpetrators accountable. Bangladesh must put an end to its dreadful record of impunity involving attacks on journalists.”

Azad told CPJ that one of the attackers was Mohiuddin Talukder Mohan, a member of the Islampur Union Parishad government unit, and said he was brought to Mohan’s office, where three additional men joined the others. The men deactivated the office’s security cameras, beat him with their hands and pistols, kicked him repeatedly, and confiscated his mobile phone, wallet, and identification card, Azad told CPJ.

At the office, Mohan called Sirajul Islam Chowdhury, chair of the Islampur Union Parishad, who threatened the journalist, saying, “nothing will happen if a journalist like you was killed,” and then ordered the men to beat Azad further and destroy his phone, Azad told CPJ.

The men withdrew all the money from Azad’s mobile banking app, bKash, and stole 10,000 taka (US$97) in cash that he carried with him, the journalist told CPJ, adding that they demanded an additional 50,000 taka (US$486) as ransom, which he did not provide.

While releasing him, one of the men hit Azad on the neck with a steel rod, the journalist told CPJ. As of Wednesday, January 4, Azad had not received his phone, wallet, money, or identification card, he said.

CPJ contacted Mohan via messaging app for comment but did not receive any reply. CPJ texted Chowdhury for comment but did not receive any response.

On December 26, Azad filed a police complaint against 10 people, including Mohan and Chowdhury, for assault, extortion, kidnapping, and attempted murder, according to the journalist and The Business Standard.

Police arrested one suspect that day, identified as the manager of a brick kiln, who appeared in court on Wednesday, January 4, and was ordered to be transferred to jail, the journalist and The Business Standard said. On Tuesday, January 3, the Bangladesh High Court granted anticipatory bail to Mohan and Chowdhury, protecting them from arrest for four weeks, Azad said, adding that the other suspects have not been apprehended.

CPJ sent a request for comment via messaging app to Md Mahbub Milky, officer-in-charge at the Rangunia Model Police Station, where Azad filed his complaint, but did not receive any response.

Mohan and Chowdhury are both members of the ruling Awami League party and both have business and political interests in the kilns, Azad told CPJ.

CPJ emailed the Awami League for comment but did not receive any reply.

Police in Bishkek have dispersed and briefly detained dozens of supporters and relatives of 26 Kyrgyz politicians and activists arrested last year for protesting against a border deal with Uzbekistan.

Police forced the men and women onto buses and took them to police stations while they were holding a rally near Bishkek's Gorky Park on January 10 demanding the release of the jailed politicians and activists.

Several journalists who covered the rally-- including a reporter for RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service -- were detained along with the demonstrators, but released shortly afterwards. Others were released hours later.

Kyrgyz authorities arrested 26 members of the so-called Kempir-Abad Defense Committee in late October after they protested against the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border demarcation deal which saw Kyrgyzstan in November hand over the territory of the Kempir-Abad water reservoir, comprising 4,485 hectares, to Uzbekistan in exchange for over 19,000 hectares elsewhere.

Those arrested were charged with planning riots over the border agreement, which was more than three decades in the making.

Seventeen of those detained have been on a hunger strike for a week.

In November, the presidents of the two Central Asian nations signed the controversial deal into law after lawmakers in both countries approved it.

The Kempir-Abad reservoir, known in Uzbekistan as the Andijon reservoir, was built in 1983. It is located in the fertile Ferghana Valley and represents a vital regional water source. Uzbekistan, whose population of 35 million is five times larger than that of Kyrgyzstan, uses most of the water from the area.

Many Kyrgyz civil activists, opposition politicians, and residents living close to the dam have been against the deal, saying Uzbekistan should continue to be allowed to use the water, but the reservoir's land should remain within Kyrgyzstan.

President Japarov and his allies claim the deal benefits Kyrgyzstan and that Kyrgyz farmers will still have access to the water reservoir.

A right group’s head has been questioned by cybercrime police over the NGO’s involvement in releasing a rap video commemorating the ninth anniversary of bloody clashes between security personnel and garment workers.

Am Sam Ath, operations director at Licadho, was questioned by the cybercrime unit of the Phnom Penh Municipal Police on Monday. Sam Ath said he was asked where the NGO got the images and videos for the music video, and that police officials asked the NGO to take down the video.

He said the video was not meant to incite and that the NGO does not want violence like what was seen in 2014 to be repeated.

“We don’t support violent events. That is why we ask for it to be prevented from happening anymore, meaning we don’t support violence no matter which party does it,” he said.

Sam Ath added that only Licadho’s management committee as a whole could decide to take down the video.

Licadho and labor rights NGO Central released the video, sung by rapper Kea Sokun, on January 3, marking nine years since violence erupted on Phnom Penh’s Veng Sreng Boulevard, when workers were on general strike demanding an increase to the minimum wage.

The video is titled “Workers Blood” and uses visuals of the violence, including images of workers being beaten by security personnel. The video also uses clips from media outlets like Radio Free Asia, showing military police in riot gear marching into factory and housing premises on Veng Sreng Boulevard while bleeding workers are carried away by their peers.

“For the past nine years they have been left with pain and sorrow and sadness by gestures full of blood,” Sokun says in the song.

“There is no information and they do not know where they have drifted away. There is no one who knows, and they have been waiting for justice for the past nine years, waiting so long but there is no one held responsible.”

At least four civilians were killed, another 38 were injured, and one 15-year-old boy went missing and is believed to be dead.

Sokun previously was arrested and convicted in 2020 for another rap song with nationalist lyrics like “stand up,” “I’m opposed to the dictator,” and “the other race is encroaching.”

Apart from Sam Ath, VOD has seen summon letters for three other civil society leaders: Moeun Tola, who heads Central; Vorn Pov, president of informal worker association IDEA; and Theng Savoeun, leader of the Coalition of Cambodian Farmer Community.

Tola and Pov are summoned on Tuesday, and Savoeun is scheduled to be questioned on Wednesday.

Tola said he would present himself on Tuesday but was unsure what questions the police would have for him.

“It is remembering nine years since the violence happened. … I will wait and see what the police want to know about it,” he said in brief comments.

San Sokseyha, a Phnom Penh Municipal Police spokesperson, said the Culture Ministry had asked the police to look into the video because of its incendiary lyrics. He confirmed four people had been summoned.

“We just summoned, questioned and advised him about this issue to avoid [problems] as stated by the ministry that [the video] can provoke and incite, which could affect security and public order,” he said.

Last week, the Culture Ministry asked the National Police to restrict access to the video.

Kampong Speu residents accused soldiers of threatening to use violence against a monk trying to protect the community’s Metta forest, confiscating his phone to stop him from taking photos of their activities.

Teok Mao, a member of the Metta forest community in Oral district, said soldiers threatened violence against the monk, who lives in the forest and was taking photos of soldiers plowing land that was previously part of the forest.

The soldiers grabbed the monk’s phone during the incident on Friday to stop him taking photos, Mao said.

It was not the first violent incident in the forest dispute, he pointed out, referring to previous gunshots amid confrontations between community members and soldiers.

“We have to keep all of this evidence and not allow them to go further,” he said. “They destroyed the forest and destroyed all the evidence.”

In 2021, a government sub-decree granted 262 hectares of forest land to the military’s armored vehicle military unit. The land is part of the Phnom Oral Wildlife Sanctuary and has traditionally been used by about 253 families, according to rights group Licadho.

Another community member, Khorn Sarith, said the soldiers had been active in the cleared parts of the forest, dredging for sand and digging boundaries.

“They plow and place marker poles. When community members stop them, they leave, but when we return home, they come to do it again. They do this almost every day.”

Pen Sarin, who villagers said was the soldier leading the clearing of Metta forest, denied any threats and said soldiers were only clearing the land the government had given them.

A young man in Ghor was arrested for posting critical content on Facebook and criticizing the Taliban for the ban on university education for women.

Local sources told Hasht-e Subh on Tuesday, January 3 that Majid Ahmadi, who had criticized the Taliban on his Facebook page for their decision to ban university education for women, was arrested by Taliban forces.

Taliban members arrested the young man four days ago in Firuzkoh, the capital city of Ghor province, according to sources. Sourced reiterated there are no details about his whereabouts and whether he is alive or dead.

Taliban officials in Ghor have not hitherto expressed their opinion on this matter.

The Taliban had kept another young man in custody for almost two months in Ghor province for criticizing the group’s governance and incompetency.

A Kyrgyz blogger known for his critical reports of authorities has been detained after the Bishkek City Court canceled his three-year parole-like probation.

Adilet Ali Myktybek, known on social media as Alibek Baltabai, was sentenced to five years in prison in November on a charge of calling for social unrest via the internet, allegations he has called politically motivated.

The court ruled at the time that Myktybek would not have to serve his prison sentence immediately, but instead would be under a three-year parole-like probation period. If he served that period without any violations, the court said his five-year prison term would be canceled.

The blogger's lawyer, Taken Moldokulov, told RFE/RL that the Bishkek City Court's decision January 12 to send his client to a penal colony was made at the request of prosecutors who considered Myktybek's sentence too lenient.

Moldokulov added that the court annulled the probation part of the sentence leaving the five-year prison term without changes.

"The Penitentiary Service is expected to inform us where exactly Adilet Baltabai will be serving his term," Moldokulov said, adding that the court decision will be appealed.

Myktybek was detained in late June last year after he was questioned by Bishkek police for a third time since May about his coverage of rallies by civil rights activists.

Following his release in November, Myktybek continued his blogging activities and took part in a rally January 10 to express support for 26 jailed Kyrgyzstan politicians and activists arrested in October for protesting a border deal with Uzbekistan.

Myktybek has been known for actively covering anti-government rallies and pickets in the Central Asian nation.

He is also a freelance correspondent for the Next television channel, whose director, Taalaibek Duishembiev, was handed a suspended three-year prison sentence in September after a court found him guilty of inciting interethnic hatred by airing a controversial report related to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The Observatory has been informed about the arbitrary detention and ongoing judicial harassment of Mr Sopon Surariddhidhamrong, aka Get, leader of the student pro-democracy group Mok Luang Rim Nam, and Ms Natthanit Duangmusit, aka Baipor, member of the pro-democracy and monarchy reform activist group Thalu Wang. Founded in August 2020, Mok Luang Rim Nam has expanded from advocating for the rights of students at Navamindradhiraj University in Bangkok to various human rights issues in Thailand, including enforced disappearance, labour rights, and equality. Formed in early 2022, Thalu Wang has been advocating for the abolition of Article 112 of Thailand Criminal Code (“lèse-majesté”) and conducting public opinion polls at various locations in Bangkok on how the Thai monarchy affects people’s lives and whether the institution should be reformed.

On January 9, 2023, the Bangkok Criminal Court revoked Sopon and Natthanit’s bail and ordered their detention, on the ground that the two violated the bail conditions of their temporary release, granted on May 31, 2022, and August 4, 2022, respectively, by participating in an anti-government protest on November 17, 2022, during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Bangkok. Sopon’s bail conditions stemmed from a “lèse-majesté” case in which he is being prosecuted for allegedly giving a speech critical of Thailand’s Queen on April 22, 2022. As for Natthanit, her bail conditions also stemmed from a “lèse-majesté” case in connection with a Facebook post she shared on March 30, 2022, concerning the budget allocated to the monarchy as well as to public opinion polls she conducted in Bangkok. These surveys questioned the appropriateness of the government allegedly allowing Thailand’s King to exercise his powers at his discretion.

On the same day of their bail revocation, Sopon and Natthanit’s lawyer submitted a bail request, which was rejected by the Court, arguing that both had already broken their previous bail conditions by participating in the November 17, 2022 protest and were likely to cause other danger or commit again acts similar to the ones of which they were accused. Upon the Court’s decision, Sopon was taken to the Bangkok Remand Prison, and Natthanit was taken to the Women’s Correctional Institution in Bangkok to be held in pre-trial detention.

The first bail revocation hearing on December 15, 2022, was initiated by a court staff who submitted a report to a judge alleging that Natthanit may have violated her bail conditions by participating in the protest. Sopon was later added to the bail revocation hearing.

The Observatory recalls that Sopon and Natthanit face charges for alleged violations of Article 112 in connection with their pro-democracy and human rights activities. Sopon is currently facing “lèse-majesté” charges stemming from three separate cases: 1) a speech he made in Bangkok on April 6, 2022, which was deemed critical of the King; 2) the above-referenced speech he made at a protest in Bangkok on April 22, 2022; and 3) a speech he made on the occasion of International Workers’ Day on May 1, 2022, in Bangkok, which was deemed critical of the King. Sopon was detained for 30 days from May 2 to May 31, 2022, at the Bangkok Remand Prison, before being released on bail.

Natthanit, in turn, is currently facing charges under Article 112 in connection with three cases: 1) conducting a public opinion poll about royal motorcades at Siam Paragon in central Bangkok on February 8, 2022; 2) the above-referenced case related to the sharing of a post on Facebook about the budget allocated to the Thai monarchy on March 30, 2022; and 3) conducting public opinion polls on April 18, 2022, at different locations in Bangkok questioning the appropriateness of the government allegedly allowing the King to exercise his powers at his discretion. Natthanit was detained in connection with the February 8 event for 94 days between May 3 and August 4, 2022, at the Central Women’s Correctional Institution in Bangkok, before being released on bail.

While in detention, Sopon and Natthanit went on a hunger strike to protest their pre-trial detention and to demand their right to bail. They were granted temporary release on the conditions that they would refrain from repeating their offences, participating in demonstrations that cause public disorder, and engaging in activities that may damage the monarchy.

The Observatory expresses its deepest concern about the arbitrary detention and judicial harassment of Sopon and Natthanit, who seem to be only targeted for the legitimate exercise of their rights to freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly. Furthermore, Tantawan Tuatulanon - a human rights defender who is currently being prosecuted for delivering a speech allegedly critical of the King via Facebook live on March 5, 2022 - is scheduled to attend a bail revocation hearing on March 1, 2023, where the Court will consider whether her participation in the November 17, 2022, APEC protest violated any of her bail conditions.

The Observatory notes that between November 24, 2020, and January 11, 2023, 226 people, including many human rights defenders and 17 minors, were charged under Article 112 of the Criminal Code. Five of them are currently held in detention pending trial.

The Observatory calls on the Thai authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Sopon Surariddhidhamrong, Natthanit Duangmusit, and all other human rights defenders in the country, and to put an end to all acts of harassment, including at the judicial level, against them.

The police in Dak Lak province detained religious freedom campaigner Y An Hdrue and a fellow worshiper as they tried to attend a Christmas service at the Evangelical Church of Christ.

The Protestant church is not one of the country’s approved religions and does not belong to the State-linked Vietnam Fatherland Front.

According to the Montagnard Stand for Justice Facebook page, early on Sunday morning, Y An Hdrue, 52, and fellow worshiper Y Pok Eban, 37, traveled to Cuor Knia 2 village in Buon Don district’s Ea Bar commune to attend a Christmas service at the invitation of the church.

The traffic police stopped them when they arrived, demanding to see their vehicle documents and driver's licenses.

Y An Hdrue is a former prisoner of conscience who served four years in prison for demanding religious freedom and fighting land grabs.

“Going to the gas station near Cuor Knia village, the traffic police and security forces stopped our motorbike and asked to check our papers,” he told RFA. “After checking our papers, they said they were fake."

Even though Y An Hdrue told them he had passed his driving test and been given a license by the police the two men were forced to go to Ea Bar commune’s police headquarters.

“They forced us into the commune. We were held from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. before we were allowed to go home,” he said.

During the 10 hours, a group of five to six plainclothes policemen took turns questioning the two men, Y An Hdrue said. The officers refused to give their names, positions and places of work.

The police confiscated the men’s phones and searched through the files on them. Y An Hdrue told RFA his phone contained the International Human Rights Law and Vietnam's Law on Religion and Belief as well as some documents reporting human rights violations in Vietnam that he had collected and sent to foreign human rights groups.

Before they were released the two were forced to sign confessions.

Y An Hdrue admitted to storing information about human rights violations in Vietnam on his phone. The police then returned their papers and ordered them to drive home, keeping their phones.

Speaking from the U.S., Pastor Aga of the Central Highlands Evangelical Church of Christ told RFA followers in Dak Lak province had planned to celebrate Christmas at the house of Ea Bar commune vice president Y Kreek Bya.

He said members of the congregation told him the police warned them not to attend the service.

“The Provincial Police called to threaten them, saying that if they left their homes to go to Cuor Knia village where Y Kreek Bya was, they would be sent to prison, making them very scared and confused,” he said. “Some people still went and some had their phones and motorbikes confiscated.”

Pastor Aga said some followers hung a celebratory banner written in the Ede language at Y Kreek’s house but local authorities sent someone to take it down.

Even after harassment by the police and local authorities, he said many believers from Ea Bar commune still attended the Christmas service.

RFA called the police in Buon Don district and Dak Lak province several times to try to verify the information, but no one answered the phone.

The Vietnamese government has repeatedly accused the Central Highlands Evangelical Church of Christ of being reactionary and anti-State.

In January the People's Public Security newspaper published an article on its website accusing the religion of gathering dignitaries and ethnic minority followers in the Central Highlands and the U.S. "to establish their own religion and ethnic minority state in the Central Highlands," a claim the Evangelical Church has denied.

On Dec. 2, the U.S. State Department included Vietnam in the group of countries on its Special Watch List for religious freedom.

The State Department said there are not enough violations of religious freedom to label Vietnam a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) which is the highest level of censure for countries that violate religious freedom. However, it said it would monitor the government closely and add it to the CPC if there was no improvement.

About the Human Rights Defenders: • Villagers of Gangaloor block in Chhattisgarh who are protesting the establishment of illegal paramilitary camps in Pusnar and Burji villages. • Moolwasi Bachao Manch is a civil society platform steered by educated youth that works towards protecting the constitutional, legal and cultural rights of socially marginalised groups. The Moolwasi Bachao Manch also spearheads similar ongoing peaceful protests against paramilitary camps proposed/set up without gram sabha consent in several other places in south Bastar area of Chhattisgarh such as Silger, Nahadi and Dharmaram.

Background of the Incident: Villagers in Gangaloor block in the Maoist-insurgency affected Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh have been opposing the establishment of new paramilitary camp in Burji village without due process. In end-2021, villagers – predominantly tribals – began a peaceful sit-in protest at Burji village, located 3 km away from Gangaloor police station, demanding the withdrawal of all proposed security camps in the block. The dharna was organised under the banner of Moolwasi Bachao Manch, and a stage and temporary shelters were constructed at the venue to facilitate the indefinite protest. Hundreds of villagers including men, women and children from Gangaloor and adjacent blocks took turns to visit the dharna site every day for over a year to participate in the protest. The protestors alleged that proposed paramilitary camps in Burji and Pusnar villages were in violation of provisions in the Forest Rights Act, 2006 and the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, as they did not have consent from gram sabhas.

They demanded withdrawal of proposed paramilitary camps, and protested against the construction of a concrete road through the farm lands of hundreds of families in Gangaloor, Pusnar, Hiroli and other villages. They also demanded justice for the victims of police firing in Silger village (May 2021) and other encounters in Bastar. Activists from Moolwasi Bachao Manch also met and/or wrote to various government authorities in 2021 and 2022 demanding withdrawal of proposed paramilitary camps. Details of the Incident: Shortly after midnight on December 15, 2022, a large contingent of police and paramilitary personnel led by Mr. Anjaneya Varshney, Superintendent of Police Bijapur; Mr. Ashok Patel, Divisional Forest Officer; Mr. Pavan Verma, Officer in Charge, Gangaloor Police station; and Officer in Charge, Bijapur Kotwali Police station arrived at the protest spot in Burji in official vehicles. The police used brute force to break up the peaceful assembly of about 200 protestors. They bulldozed the stage and temporary shelters set up by protestors and destroyed or threw away their belongings such as rice, dal, vegetables, utensils, and clothes. When villagers and activists from Moolwasi Bachao Manch protested against the vandalism, police began a lathi-charge. They charged at protestors, many of whom were still asleep, and hit them with batons, forcing them to flee from the dharna site. The police force then moved to Pusnar. At 10 AM on December 15, 2022, when the protestors started trickling back to the protest site, they chased away villagers who, hitting them with batons. Meanwhile, other police and paramilitary personnel proceeded to Pusnar village, located 7-8 km away through dense forests, where they set up a security camp within a few hours. More than 25 protestors suffered serious injuries on their head, back, hands and legs due to the assault by police. Though many of them were unable to walk or stand upright for over a week, they did not visit the government hospital or access medical treatment fearing intimidation and arrest by police. Since the construction of the camp in Pusnar, police and paramilitary personnel stationed there have not allowed villagers to harvest their crops in farmlands in the vicinity of the camp. Police also beat and chase away villagers when they venture into the forest to fetch firewood and other forest produce. Tribal villagers and Moolwasi Bachao Manch activists who were part of the dharna in Burji had been highlighting violation of their constitutional and legal rights through peaceful means for over one year. While the government paid little heed to their concerns, a security camp was established in Pusnar overnight on December 15, 2022. It also appears that police personnel led by the Deputy Superintendent of Bijapur unleashed violent reprisals and assault on protestors on two occasions.

About the Human Rights Defenders: Mr. Vivekanand Pathak, Mr. Rahul Patel, Mr. Ajay Samrat, Mr. Abhishek Yadav, Mr. Navneet Singh, Mr. Harendra Yadav, Mr. Ayush Priyadarshi and Mr. Satyam Kushwaha students and ex-students of Allahabad University who have continuously and peacefully protested against the fee hike by the University. Background of the Incident: In June 2022, the fee of Allahabad University’s fee for under-graduate courses, was increased by 300%+. (from Rs 975 per year to Rs 4,151 per year). Since September 2022, Allahabad University students and student leaders have been protesting against the fee hike continuously, by protests, social media and even threatening self-harm, demanding that the fee hike be rolled back. On December 18, 2022, a fierce clash took place between students protesting against the fee hike and the police. During this there was chaos in the university campus. Some of the agitating students had even announced self-harm by burying themselves. After that, the police started forcibly removing the students who were trying to take bhu-samadhi (land burial) during which there was a lot of clashes between the police and the students. Details of the Incident: On December 19, 2022, around 12:30pm Mr. Vivekanand Pathak, an ex-student of the university was going to the university campus bank in relation with his KYC. Suddenly the security guard, Mr. Prabhakar Singh stopped him from entering the campus. When Mr. Pathak said that he was going for some work in the campus, they had an argument and the guard hit him with sticks and butt of a gun. This caused him to fall to the ground with his head bleeding. Seeing him falling on the ground, the students present there run to pick him up. Seeing this the guard started firing. Mr. Ajeet Yadav, a student leader said that Mr. Pathak even called an employee of the bank and said to the guard that “if you do not believe then talk to an employee of the bank. At this, the guard threw the mobile and started abusing Mr. Pathak. Suddenly he attacked Pathak with the butt of his pistol. By the time we reached there, some more guards had come there and started firing on seeing the students. There must have been around 5-6 rounds of firing.". The students also alleged that they were trampled by boots. According to media reports, many vehicles were damaged in the violence that followed. On December 20, 2022, at 03:17 pm an FIR 0682 was registered against Mr. Vivekanand Pathak, Mr. Rahul Patel, Mr. Ajay Samrat, Mr. Abhishek Yadav, Mr. Navneet Singh, Mr. Harendra Yadav, Mr. Ayush Priyadarshi and Mr. Satyam Kushwaha by Mr. Prabhakar Singh, security guard of Allahabad University at Colonelganj police station, Prayagraj. The FIR was registered under sections of IPC 147- Punishment for rioting, 323- Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt, 336- Act endangering life or personal safety of others, 427- Mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees, 435- Mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage., 504- Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace and 392- Punishment for robbery. The FIR stated that student leader Mr. Vivekananda slapped the guard, snatched the mobile and other students together beat the guards and vandalized the collage. Another FIR was registered was registered against 43 security guards at the Colonelganj Police Station on a complaint by Mr. Vivekanand Pathak.

Vietnamese authorities arrested an activist on Tuesday on unknown charges after he posted two short messages on his Facebook page that appeared to criticize his former employer, a water purification company.

The first post on Hoang Van Vuong’s page said, “Whoever has party membership should establish clean water companies to sell dirty water but receive payments for clean water. Easy earn!”

The second post said, “Clean water companies provide dirty water. Who is held responsible?”

Vietnam has come down hard in recent years on activists and individuals who make critical comments on Facebook, which is widely used in the Southeast Asian nation, arresting them on vague charges of “abusing the rights of freedom and democracy” or “spreading anti-state propaganda.”

Last year, authorities convicted and imprisoned at least 31 such people, handing out prison terms ranging from one to eight years.

Vuong’s younger brother, Hoang Van Quoc, told Radio Free Asia that on Tuesday, Vuong received a call from his former employer asking him to come to the office to pick up a New Year’s gift. Police at the scene then arrested him.

Then the police went with him to his house, asked that the electricity be cut off and read out a house search warrant. They confiscated a camera, a cell phone and a broken laptop. said Hoang Van Long, his older brother.

After that, they made a record of the house search, made six copies, and had Vuong sign one before taking him away, Long said. The police didn’t tell the family what he was arrested for.

Tuyen said he was surprised by the arrest because Vuong was not an influential political dissident and he did not post messages often on Facebook.

Vuong, 44, began voicing critical viewpoints in 2011 and as a result was detained and beaten by authorities that year and in 2012, Tuyen said.

“He is an ordinary person and does not belong to any organization,” Tuyen said. “He spoke up whenever he saw injustice. He only talked about what he witnessed. He sometimes took part in a demonstration together with me or other groups.”

Thong Nhat district police told RFA that they did not have the authority to respond to inquiries about the arrest and suggested contacting Dong Nai provincial police. But someone there said provincial police had not conducted the arrest, and referred RFA back to district authorities.

Facebooker Hoang Van Vuong, 44, was arrested in Dong Nai Province for allegedly criticizing the water authorities. A relatively unknown but outspoken critic of injustice, Vuong began voicing his opinions in 2011 and was detained briefly in 2012. According to RFA, Vuong was called into his former workplace to pick up a gift whereupon he was promptly detained by waiting public security. It is not known what the charges are against Vuong.

A court in An Giang Province has sentenced activist Nguyen Nhu Phuong to five years in prison plus three years of probation for spreading “anti-state propaganda,” in accordance with Article 117. A member of the No-U group, Phuong participated in many protests in years past such as against the Formosa environmental disaster and the Cybersecurity Law. During the pandemic, Phuong reposted a video purported to be of an An Giang provincial chief refusing to order the police to prevent people in the city from escaping to the countryside. Prosecutors argued at the trial that the video was fake and damaged the reputation of the Party. In a rare sign of openness, Phuong’s mother and wife were allowed into the courtroom. Born in 1991, Phuong went to Japan to study in 2014. He set up an import business after returning to Vietnam. He’s currently under investigation for a separate drug charge.

Lawyer Mr Dang Dinh Manh, representing Mr Phuong, reported:

On the morning 26 Dec 2022, An Giang province court sentenced Mr Phuong to 5 years jail plus 3 years probation on anti-state propaganda charge pursuant sec 117 of the penal code. His mother and his wife were allowed in court.

Mr Phuong was born in 1991. In 2014, he went to Japan to study. On his return, he opened a shop selling Japanese imports. He had participated in anti-Chinese hegemony protests.

On his Fb page, he often expressed his opinion on social, political issues. Authorities had assessed many of his articles and concluded that they were extremely negative against the state, the Vietnamese Communist Party and top leaders, causing social disorder, public confusion...

During the investigation phase and the trial, Mr Phuong acknowledged he was the owner of several Fb accounts and the author of articles that were considered as violating the law.

The trial lasted over 2 hours, the sentencing statement was read in 15 minutes.

After the trial, Mr Phuong was transported to Ba Ria temporary detention centre, where he was still subject to another criminal prosecution proceedings on 'storing and using illegal drugs'.

He will face an additional sentence on top of the recent one. Mr Phuong is facing an extremely difficult time ahead - his lawyer Mr Manh wrote.

Lu Phan Kar, who led anti-regime protests in Ayeyarwady region’s Pathein city, has been sentenced to another two years in prison for incitement against the military.

Pathein Prison Court handed down the sentence on Monday under Section 505 (a) of Myanmar’s Penal Code.

Lu Phan Kar is a published poet who began leading anti-junta demonstrations in Ayeyarwady region following the Feb. 1, 2021 military coup. Protests swelled to around 5,000 people in the days leading up to his arrest in Pathein the following month.

He was charged with incitement against the military, sedition against the State and withholding information on an attempt to commit treason.

Last November, Lu Phan Kar was sentenced to 26 years in prison under Sections 122 and 124 of the Penal Code for sedition and misprision of treason, and six months for breaking prison rules.

“I found out that he received the additional sentence when I met with him yesterday,” said a friend, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons.

“At first, I thought the cases would total 25 years but I heard that the court sentenced him to 28 years and six months. He doesn’t even hire a lawyer anymore. He only hired a lawyer for one case … and won’t hire one now because he will be jailed anyway.”

In November 2021, eight political activists, including three former National League for Democracy lawmakers from Ayeyarwady region were sentenced to 20 years each for sedition and defamation of the State.

More than 16,500 people have been arrested in the 22 months since the coup for their real or alleged involvement in Myanmar’s pro-democracy movement, with 13,088 of them still in prison according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

Concern is growing over the fate of four Tibetan women detained by China for protesting strict COVID lockdowns in Sichuan, with no word given yet by authorities concerning their whereabouts, according to Tibetan sources.

Zamkar, Kelsang Dolma, Dechen and Delha — all in their 20s and residents of Dardo (Kangding, in Chinese) county in the Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture —were arrested on December 5 and are now being held somewhere in Kardze, sources told RFA.

“Their exact location is still unknown, but we have heard that they are being given political re-education sessions by the Chinese government,” a source living in the region said, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

The women were taken into custody in their hometown after returning from Sichuan’s provincial capital Chengdu, where they had participated in anti-lockdown protests, RFA’s source said.

“They had also written a letter to their employer, complaining they hadn’t been paid while the lockdown was in force.

“Only one of them reported to the police when they were summoned for questioning, but the rest were taken from their homes and brought to the police station by force,” he added.

Also speaking to RFA, a Tibetan living in exile said the four women had worked at a Chinese-owned restaurant in Chengdu before their arrest. “But the Chinese authorities have refused to provide any information to their relatives regarding their arrest or current whereabouts,” the source said, citing contacts in the region.

Political prisoner’s sister also held

Chinese authorities in Tibet’s capital Lhasa have meanwhile arrested the sister of a Tibetan businessman now serving a life sentence on what rights groups and supporters call politically motivated charges of loan fraud, a Tibetan advocacy group said on Wednesday,

Gonpo Kyi, also called Gontey, was taken into custody on Dec. 19 shortly after staging a peaceful protest in front of the Higher People’s Court in Tibet’s regional capital Lhasa, the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet, or ICT, said in a statement.

Elder sister of businessman Dorjee Tashi, jailed since 2010, Kyi had also staged a sit-in in June in front of the People’s Court calling for her brother’s release. Tashi had first been charged with secession, a charge frequently used by authorities to silence Tibetans promoting Tibetan national identity or criticizing Chinese rule in Tibet, ICT said.

ICT research analyst Tenzin Norgay told RFA it was no surprise that Kyi was detained only minutes after she began her latest protest.

"As we all know, Dorjee Tashi was unjustly sentenced to life imprisonment and framed by the Chinese government," he said.

“Dorjee Tashi has spent almost 14 years in Drapchi prison and his health condition is unknown. His family members initially discretely appealed for his release from prison, but there was no outcome, so in the past few years we have seen his family members openly calling for his release in front of the court.”

Formerly an independent nation, Tibet was invaded and incorporated into China by force more than 70 years ago. Chinese authorities maintain a tight grip on the region, restricting Tibetans’ political activities and peaceful expression of cultural and religious identity.

Authorities in the eastern Chinese province of Nanjing have jailed a prominent democracy activist for a further four years on subversion charges after he criticized the government's handling of the pandemic as it emerged in Wuhan, Radio Free Asia has learned.

The Nanjing Intermediate People's Court handed the four-year jail term to former Nanjing Normal University lecturer Guo Quan for "incitement to subvert state power" on Dec. 20, after he had been held for nearly three years in pretrial detention.

Guo stood trial on the charges on Sept. 9, 2021, where he was accused of seeking to "divide the people from the ruling party" and negate the existing political system by advocating multi-party democracy, on the basis of less than 20 articles criticizing the CCP's COVID-19 response, social injustice, and official corruption.

Guo, 54, who has also served as a judge, addressed the court for nearly two hours, presenting a systematic legal defense of the articles.

He was initially detained by Nanjing police on Jan. 31, 2020 and held at the Nanjing No. 2 Detention Center on charges that were unknown at the time.

Guo had previously served a 10-year jail term from 2009 on the same charge after he set up the China New People's Party in 2007 in a bid to campaign for multi-party democracy in China, an idea that has been banned by Beijing.

Guo's lawyer Chang Boyang said his client had likely gotten a harsher sentence because it was his second conviction for subversion.

"Back during the pandemic in Wuhan three years ago ... he expressed his opinions on the attempts to cover up the extent of the outbreak on WeChat," Chang told Radio Free Asia on Wednesday.

"The charges against him really didn't stand up, but he was handed this four-year jail term mainly because of his earlier sentence, as repeat offenders are dealt with more severely," he said.

'There is nothing we can do'

Guo's octogenarian mother Gu Xiao that she was unable to attend the sentencing hearing for health reasons.

"I didn't attend because I'm not in good health," Gu said.

She said two of Guo's defense lawyers, Chang Boyang and Shi Weijiang, had planned to go but had been unable to due to testing positive for COVID-19.

"The lawyer called me afterwards and told me he had been sentenced to four years," Gu said.

She said there was nothing to be done about it.

"If they want to pin another crime on him, what can we do? There is nothing we can do. Can we talk back or protest against it?"

Gu, who said she has never agreed with Guo's political activism, dismissed Guo's plan to appeal the sentence.

"It's not going to happen," she said. "Appealing is 100 percent pointless. I have hired more than a dozen lawyers for him [over the years] but it hasn't done any good."

"He's already served three years, so I just have to wait one more year," Gu said. "I just hope I can stay alive that long."

She added: "I was a very good person and I have lived a good life, a very ordinary and low-key life, but this son of mine has turned my old age into a living hell. Even if he comes back [from prison], he won't have a job, and I will have to support him instead of the other way around."

Sending a warning

U.S.-based commentator Hu Ping said Guo had managed to make a difference to the democracy movement in China, despite the consequences he now faces.

"He practices freedom of speech and association, and won't give in even under huge pressure," Hu said. "He has definitely made a contribution to the Chinese democracy movement, and his case has attracted international attention."

Hu said Guo was likely jailed at this time to send a warning to anyone who took part in recent "blank paper" protests against COVID-19 curbs in the wake of a fatal lockdown fire in Xinjiang's regional capital Urumqi.

"We have lost contact with a lot of people [since the protests] and their whereabouts are still unknown," Hu said of fellow democracy activists in China.

"They're bringing out the older cases and pronouncing these judgments with great fanfare, because they want to threaten and intimidate the public, to shock them," he said.

Police in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou are denying the mother of a rights activist detained after an anti-lockdown protest permission to meet with her daughter.

Yang Zijing, who uses the social media handle "Dim Sum," was taken away on Dec. 4 by plainclothes police from her home in Guangzhou on suspicion of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," a charge frequently used to target critics of the government, the Hubei-based Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch website reported on Dec. 14.

Yang was detained after getting home from a Dec. 4 protest on Guangzhou's Haizhu Square, and her friends warned not to post details of the arrest to social media, the website said.

The Beijing Road police station confirmed on Dec. 7 she was being held under criminal detention, despite the fact that she had neither held up a sheet of paper, nor made any kind of public speech in Haizhu Square.

Yang's mother Gao Xiusheng flew to Guangzhou as soon as she heard the news, she told Radio Free Asia in a recent interview.

"When I arrived in Guangzhou at 10.00 p.m. that evening, I went straight to the police station, who told me the officer in charge of the case wasn't there," Gao said. "They told me she was in criminal detention but didn't tell me why."

"I asked them to explain why they had brought Dim Sum in, but they said I wasn't allowed to have that information, just to know that she had been detained," she said.

"I went back to the police station with my lawyer the next day, but they told me that they couldn't let me meet with her, and the lawyer couldn't either," Gao said.

Makes no sense

She said it made no sense that people who protested for an end to the zero-COVID policy should be locked up now that it had been lifted.

"Dim Sum was just going along with everyone else," Gao said. "Maybe the means weren't right, but her intentions were good."

"Now, everyone else is allowed to move around freely, but Dim Sum is still locked up," she said.

Uncertainties remain over Yang's exact location.

While a police detention notice claimed she was being held in the Yuexiu District Detention Center, the civil rights website said she was still in Beijing Road police station as of Dec. 12.

Gao said she is concerned for Yang's well-being in police detention.

"I'm most worried about her health, because of the [current COVID-19] outbreak," she said. "I tried to deliver some clothes, but the police officer told me they can't take them, because prisoners aren't allowed to wear their own clothes."

'White paper' protests

Gao's lawyer recently tested positive for COVID-19, and is currently in self-isolation, making it impossible to proceed any further with their attempts to get a meeting with Yang, she said.

"She is a good kid who has always been obedient and never did anything illegal," Gao said. "I had no idea it was so serious at first; I just thought it would be a question of bringing her back home."

"I've been here more than 10 days, and I'm not even allowed to see her ... I've never experienced anything like this before," she said. "All I want is for her to get out as soon as possible, even if we're told we can't talk to anyone about it, and go back home."

Three other Guangzhou-based protesters were detained around the same time for their role in "white paper" demonstrations, in which protesters held up blank sheets of paper in a mute protest at the lack of freedom of speech around ruling Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping's zero-COVID policy.

The authorities relaxed most restrictions under the policy within days of the protests, which were sparked by public anger over a fatal lockdown fire in Xinjiang's regional capital Urumqi, and included calls for Xi to step down and call elections.

Chinese human rights lawyers have been scrambling to assist the friends and families of people arrested during a wave of anti-lockdown protests at the end of November, many of whom have little experience being treated as dissidents by Chinese authorities.

While the legal volunteers have reported large numbers of enquiries in the aftermath of the protests, lawyer Wang Shengsheng said the authorities have been contacting the dozens of attorneys who signed up and putting pressure on them to withdraw their services.

The Communist Party, faced with the biggest challenge to its rule in decades, views the "white paper" protests as the work of "foreign forces" infiltrating China, a notion that has been met with widespread derision among protesters and social media users.

The Nonthaburi Juvenile and Family Court has found 19-year-old activist Thanakorn (last name withheld) guilty of royal defamation for giving a speech criticizing the monarchy during a protest on 10 September 2020.

Thanakorn was charged with royal defamation and sedition for a speech given during the 10 September 2020 protest at Nonthaburi Pier about King Vajiralongkorn’s alleged taxpayer-funded travels to Germany. Thanakorn also raised questions about why there is a need to use a different way of speaking with the royal family and asked whether the monarchy is still something the Thai people can believe in.

Thanakorn was initially charged with sedition along with activists Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, Panupong Jadnok, Shinawat Chankrajang, and Parit Chiwarak, who also participated in the protest, and later charged with royal defamation after the inquiry officer ruled that the speech insulted the King.

Thanakorn, who identifies as being part of the LGBTQ+ community, was 17 years old when they were charged, and so they were tried in a juvenile court. Last Thursday (22 December), Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) reported that the Nonthaburi Juvenile and Family Court found them guilty of royal defamation and sentenced them to 3 years in prison. Since they were a minor when they were charged, the Court reduced their sentence to 1 year and 6 months, suspended for 2 years, during which time they will be on probation. The Court also dismissed the sedition charge due to lack of evidence.

This is the second time Thanakorn has been found guilty of royal defamation. They were previously convicted for a speech given at a protest on 6 December 2020, in which they said that Thailand is not a democracy but an absolute monarchy and spoke about the role of the monarchy in military coups. The Central Juvenile and Family Court sentenced Thanakorn to 2 years in prison but ruled to commute their prison sentence to a juvenile training centre and ordered Thanakorn to undergo training for a minimum of 1 year and 6 months or a maximum of 3 years, but not after they turn 24 years old.

Students at Mahasarakham University attempted to protest during the university’s graduation event, before being stopped by police and military officers, one of whom pushed a student into a nearby pond.

In a Facebook live video broadcast at around 13.00 on 20 December by the student activist group Move High, two students were seen standing among family members of graduates waiting for the ceremony, which was presided over by Princess Sirindhorn, King Vajiralongkorn’s younger sister. The students were holding signs saying “All humans are born equal” and “Feudal degrees” and were surrounded by plainclothes police officers.

While walking away from the spot where they were originally standing, they were surrounded by plainclothes and uniformed military officers, who told them to put the signs away and leave. As they were passing a pond on campus, an officer attempted to seize the signs, pushing them into the water in the process.

Kriangkrai Banchongpuk, a 1st year student from the Mahasarakham University’s College of Politics and Governance, said that the students wanted to show that everyone is equal, royal or not, and that graduates do not need to receive their degree certificates from members of the royal family. He said that the certificates can be given by a university dean or the students’ lecturers or parents to reduce the cost of organizing a graduation ceremony.

Kriangkrai said that he and his friend were surrounded by plainclothes military and police officers and uniformed military officers. He said that the students tried to tell the officers that they were exercising their constitutional right, but the officers said that they are responsible for security at the event and asked the students to leave.

He said that the students were told the officers would escort them out, but he believed they were tricked as the officers led them behind a building and tried to take their signs away. Once they refused to put the signs away, the officers tried to pull the signs out of their hands and in the process pushed Kriangkrai into a nearby pond.

After Kriangkrai’s friends pulled him out of the water, a police officer who said he was an inspector from the Muang Mahasarakham Police Station came to apologize to them and said that they will be allowed to leave campus without being followed. However, Kriangkrai noted that the officer knew his name even though he did not know the officer.

Nevertheless, the students were followed by three plainclothes officers who approached them and asked them to go to the police station for ‘a talk’ and coffee. They initially refused but had to relent and were taken to a nearby coffee shop before another friend came to pick them up.

Once the students arrived at their home, they were visited by plainclothes police officer, a uniformed military officer, and an official from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security who said they had come to monitor the students because they were concerned the students would try to protest again. The officers only left the house after the end of the graduation ceremony, when Princess Sirindhorn left the campus.

More than a dozen activists of the opposition movement Oyan, Qazaqstan! (Wake Up, Kazakhstan!) have been detained in the country’s largest city, Almaty, as the Central Asian nation marks the 31st anniversary of its independence.

RFE/RL's correspondents in Almaty say that Bota Sharipzhan, Mira Ongharova, Fariza Ospan, Naghashybek Bekdaiyr, Aidana Aidarkhan, Beibarys Tolymbekov, Bauyrzhan Adilkhanov, and Asem Zhapisheva are among those who were detained on December 16.

Many of the activists were detained while they were making their way to the Independence Monument in the city center to commemorate the anniversaries of two violent crackdowns on protests that coincide with Kazakhstan's Independence Day.

One is the 1986 anti-Kremlin youth demonstrations, known as Zheltoqsan, in Almaty that erupted after Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev replaced Kazakhstan's long-term ruler, Dinmukhammed Konaev, with Gennady Kolbin, an ethnic Russian sent by Moscow to head the then-Soviet republic.

Demonstrations against the appointment were put down by a violent crackdown by Soviet authorities. Hundreds of people are believed to have been killed by security forces, although officially only several people were said to have lost their lives during the demonstrations that lasted for three days.

Also, 11 years ago police opened fire at protesting oil workers in the southwestern town of Zhanaozen, killing at least 16 people and one person in the nearby town of Shetpe.

Several opposition activists across the Central Asian nation were detained before December 16 on charges related to their previous participation in unsanctioned rallies.

Kazakh rights activist Sanavar Zakirova has been sentenced to 10 days in jail on a charge of "disobeying police." Zakirova was detained along with several other women on December 20 after they demonstrated in Astana demanding that President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev meet with them over social problems faced in the country. It is not known if the other detained women faced trials as well. Zakirova has been sentenced to several jail terms in recent years and has been prevented from registering her Nashe Pravo (Our Right) political party.

In the span of three days, 23-year-old Phon Sao went from forming a union to unemployed.

The Bright Flushing factory worker in Takeo province contested the union’s first election on October 29, but saw two unknown people at the election taking photographs and decided to withdraw.

Two days later she was signing resignation documents under duress.

“I asked them for a reason. But they didn’t tell me the reason,” she said on Thursday.

The case of Sao and Workers’ Rights Protection Union of Bright Flushing at the Takeo factory was documented by labor rights NGO Central to illustrate long-held concerns over the formation of new unions on the factory floor, including use of the controversial Law on Trade Unions to install potential bureaucratic hurdles.

In the past 14 months, at least seven factory-level unions have reported obstacles in registering new unions under law. Union leaders say they have been fired or their contracts not renewed to block union formation, and in some cases the Labor Ministry has dragged its feet on processing registration documents.

These concerns are exacerbated, say unions and labor advocates, when one takes into account alleged union-busting attempts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic at both NagaWorld casino and other industries.

The union at Bright Flushing was formed to advocate against working on holidays and weekends, said Sao. But since her departure from the factory, a number of founding members have quit the union.

Central provided VOD with documentation of the case — which includes intimidation of union founding members, alleged forced resignations of the union president and other members — and increased harassment after staff from sports brand Puma met with the workers to discuss issues with union formation.

Yum Oun, who was voted union secretary at Bright Flushing, said the union was formed to make sure workers got sick leave and because the factory was routinely violating the Labor Law by terminating workers.

“A lot of staff were fired. They have no job. I don’t when they can return back to work,” she said.

Central also documented six other cases of union formation in the last 14 months, all showing instances of bureaucratic delays, intimidation of workers and termination of union leaders and found members. Below are two examples showing similar patterns in the union formation process at I Tao Pet Supplies and ML Intimate Apparel.

Kazakh authorities should release investigative journalist Mikhail Kozachkov immediately and ensure that members of the press are not prosecuted in retaliation for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday.

On Sunday, December 18, officers from Kazakhstan’s Financial Monitoring Agency (FMA) in the southern city of Almaty arrested Kozachkov, who covers alleged corruption and abuses by government officials and prominent business figures for independent news website Vremya and his Telegram channel, according to news reports and a report by local free speech organization Adil Soz.

In a statement on its Telegram channel, FMA accused Kozachkov of helping a criminal group carry out illegal hostile takeovers of local businesses by publishing information discrediting the takeovers’ victims. The statement added that the journalist was under investigation for spreading state secrets.

CPJ was not able to obtain contact information for the journalist’s lawyer, but Adil Soz told CPJ that the journalist, via his lawyer, denied the accusations. A news report, citing a Facebook post that Adil Soz confirmed as authentic, said the journalist denied the accusations, calling them retaliation for articles he wrote about FMA and its head.

An open letter to Kazakhstan President Qasym-Zhomart Toqayev published by Adil Soz and signed by dozens of prominent Kazakh journalists, media outlets, and free speech organizations said there were numerous indications that Kozachkov’s arrest was a “political order, linked to his journalistic investigations.”

“The arrest of Mikhail Kozachkov, a well-known anticorruption journalist who frequently published allegations against state officials, law enforcement agencies, and wealthy businessmen, is concerning, especially given reports of procedural and rights violations against him by the investigating body,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. “Kazakh authorities should reveal the nature of the charges or release Kozachkov pending a transparent and impartial investigation of his case and ensure that his legal rights are fully upheld.”

In its statement, FMA accused Kozachkov and an acquaintance of the journalist of receiving 52 million tenge (US$111,200) from the criminal group to obtain and publish information discrediting several of its victims. FMA said the group was run by a man identified by Kazakh media as an assistant of the brother of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

FMA officers searched Kozachkov’s home following his arrest, those reports said, and the journalist’s lawyer told local news outlet Nege.kz that Kozachkov was placed in 48-hour detention, and that a court would decide on further custody measures.

Officers conducted the search without a lawyer present, detained the journalist for “several hours” without the chance to communicate with his lawyer, and did not allow the journalist to talk privately with his lawyer, Adil Soz reported.

In articles for Vremya and on his Telegram channel, Kozachkov offside, which has around 91,000 subscribers, Kozachkov regularly reported allegations of corruption against government and law enforcement agencies and had recently covered alleged abuses by FMA, according to a Vremya statement and a CPJ review of the journalist’s reporting. The FMA statement claimed Kozachkov published articles critical of FMA after learning that it was investigating Kozachkov’s associates.

In its statement, Vremya said it stood by Kozachkov’s reporting, saying he always verified information and that the outlet “scrupulously” checked his articles and consulted legal advisors before publication.

Kozachkov had recently received threats against him and his family, been subjected to online slander, and complained of surveillance, the open letter and Vremya statement said.

CPJ emailed FMA for comment but did not receive a reply. In response to the open letter, President Toqayev’s spokesperson, Ruslan Zheldibay, said Kozachkov’s legal rights must be “fully observed” and called on the prosecutor general’s office to ensure that any investigation into him was legal.

6 women among 8 protesters arrested by Taliban members in Afghanistan’s northern Takhar province.

The Taliban have suppressed a march initiated by female students in Taloqan city, sources in Takhar confirmed.

Sources detailed the Taliban arrested two male protesters yesterday and six female protesters today.

Most of the protestors are students of local-based education centers and private universities who had gathered in Yunus Abad and Maarif Alley.

According to sources, the Taliban dispersed the protesters and did not allow local journalists to cover the march.

Meanwhile, female protesters in Herat were also violently dispersed by the Taliban. The Taliban used water cannons to disperse the protesters.

The Taliban violently suppressed a rare women’s demonstration in Herat province.

Several dozens of female protesters took to the streets in Herat on Saturday morning (December 24th) to protest against the Taliban’s regressive order, and their protest was immediately dispersed by the Taliban.

Despite being violently suppressed by the Taliban, protesters in Herat still continue to chant slogans, and the Taliban frequently used water cannons for dispersing crowds and limiting access to certain areas, sources indicated.

Protestors consider the Taliban’s order to ban university education for girls against Islamic principles, calling on the Taliban to “respect the holy book and do not deny women’s rights of access to education.”

The Taliban’s decision to ban university education for women has led to widespread objections at the national and international arenas.

Defying the Taliban’s latest ban on university education for women, dozens of Afghan women's rights activists and girl students Thursday staged a protest in Kabul, Takhar and Nangarhar provinces, demanding that women be allowed access to education and employment.

“Rights for everyone or no one,” the women wearing Islamic hijabs chanted as they marched through the streets in the western part of the capital, Kabul, home to the country’s largest universities.

Eyewitnesses said the protests in Kabul were quickly shut down by Taliban security officials and that at least five women and a couple of male protesters were arrested. Sources connected to women activists confirmed two of those arrested were released.

One of the female protesters, who asked that her name not be used for fear of Taliban retaliation, told VOA, “The Taliban forces beat us up and arrested some of our female and male protesters and took them away. They scattered us apart. However, we will not let it go. We will fight for our rights.”

'They kicked us out'

The Taliban’s armed security guards on Wednesday allowed male students to attend exams but stopped female students from entering their classrooms in different universities.

"We went to the university to give our exam; our male classmates were able to get in the hall, but we were not allowed by the armed Taliban forces. They kicked us out of the university with violence and cruelty, as if we had committed a huge crime. We have four exams left. What is going to be our future?” said one female student from Nangarhar University who asked not to be identified for safety reasons.

“I had studied and prepared for my exam until very late that night. As soon as I woke up and saw the news about the ban, my dreams shattered. I started crying. Why are we treated as criminals? We have no respect and no values for these people,” said Bahar Ahmadzai, a student at Kabul Medical University.

The ban was announced Tuesday, a day before the universities’ final exams.

Following broad condemnation of the move, the Taliban’s higher education minister, Neda Mohammad Nadeem, defended the decision in a post on Twitter.

“The Nation is angry with me because of the closure of girls' education, while this is the order of the Messenger of Allah," the tweet said. "Islam does not allow women to do prostitution in the name of education. A woman is like a piece of land owned by a man, and she is obligated to be at his service, not perusing education.”

In the eastern city of Nangarhar, some male university students also walked out of their exams in protest against the Taliban’s decision to ban female students from higher education.

One male student, who also declined to provide his name, said, “We did not attend the exam and we will not until our female classmates are allowed to take exams, too.”

On Wednesday after female students were not allowed to take part in the exams, several male professors from various universities in multiple provinces resigned in protest.

'Dark day'

Obaidullah Wardak, assistant professor at Kabul University, said, “I and some of my colleagues resigned in protest against this dark day. We will not return to the university unless the decision is revoked by the Taliban.”

Afghan writer and human rights activist Shafiqa Khpalwak called the ban on girls’ education a crime against humanity. She asked the international community and Islamic countries to step forward and help the Afghan women in this fight against extremism.

“This catastrophe does not only concern the rise of women but threatens the whole existence of our country," she said. "The so called 'international community' is also responsible for the crisis and now they cannot look away from us, they cannot walk away from the mess they have created. We need them to come up with practical and pragmatic solutions that will eventually bring results for us.”

“Afghan women are alone in this fight against radicalism. They need help!” she added.

Lida Afghan, a Danish-Afghan artist whose art highlights social problems and women’s rights, said it is time for the world to stand with the Afghan women.

“I was supposed to focus on my exams today and then I got the news that Afghan women are banned from going to the university," Lida said. "I thought: It could have been any of us if our parents hadn’t fled the country. In these tough times the whole world should be standing up for the Afghan women, knowing it could have been one of us.”

The Taliban have so far shut girls’ secondary schools; banned women from public parks, gyms and baths; imposed mandatory hijab “covering faces”; and imposed executions and harsh public punishments such as flogging.

Several countries including the United States and the U.N.'s mission in Afghanistan asked the Taliban leadership to "immediately" revoke the decision.

A court in Vietnam has convicted seven people for “resisting on-duty state officials” during a demonstration against the demolition of a road that ran through their parish, which ended in clashes between protesters and riot police.

The trial took place at the headquarters of the People's Court of Nghe An province, according to state-controlled media. All seven residents of Binh Thuan parish were found guilty under Article 330 of the Criminal Code.

Bui Van Canh, 44, was sentenced to one year in prison. Ha Van Hanh, 42, Tran Thi Hoa, 52, and Tran Thi Thoa, 58, were sentenced to eight months. Tran Thi Nien, 38, and Ha Thi Hien, 35, were both sentenced to six months in prison. Bach Thi Hoa, 70, was sentenced to four months and 17 days -- exactly the same amount of time she spent in detention -- and was released.

On July 13, hundreds of riot police descended on the parish in Nghe An’s Nghi Thuan commune to stop protesters removing a fence blocking a road that connects the parish to a national highway. The road, which had been in use for more than 100 years, is located on land the government granted to a private company for a planned industrial zone.

According to the indictment, the defendants "and many other extremists strongly opposed and obstructed" construction workers who were trying to demolish the road and the police sent to protect them. The indictment said protesters were: “shouting, cursing, carrying beer bottles; picking up and gathering rocks and glass bottles to provide for other protesters to throw at the riot police who were guarding works; using their hands and sickles to push the barbed wire fence to widen the road for the opponents; and directly rushing in and using their hands to push and beat repeatedly on the shields of the riot police.” As a result, it said, five police officers were injured and had to be treated at the hospital.

The protesters’ version of events differs from that given by the police. Demonstrators said police threw smoke grenades and explosives at them. Of three people released over the next few days, one said he was beaten while in custody.

No lawyers, no families in court

The seven defendants had no legal counseling and their relatives said they were not permitted to attend last week’s trial.

“I went to the detention center on November 29 to send things to my wife, but they didn't say anything [about the following day’s trial],” Ha Thi Hien's husband Nguyen Minh Duc told RFA, adding that none of the defendants' families had been informed.

“On the morning of November 30, around 7:30 a.m., there were two commune policemen in plain clothes walking along the street saying: 'Today the trial is in the province, the families should go to see how it goes.' The families were about to go when Mrs. Hoa came back from the hearing. She said that the trial was held in the district and not in the province.”

Duc said his wife and other defendants did not have defense attorneys because the police had told their families that if they hired lawyers the sentences would be heavier.

The seven were held in a Nghe An provincial Police detention center for the past four months. During that time, Duc said he only saw his wife twice, for five minutes each time. He said the other six defendants were only allowed to see their families once for five minutes.

Duc called the sentences unfair and too long, saying the people of Binh Thuan parish just wanted to protect a road that has existed for more than 100 years and helped locals go about their business.

He said his wife did not take part in any of the actions listed in the indictment, fellow defendant Ha Van Hanh only recorded a video of police grabbing people, and Bach Thi Hoa was found guilty despite suffering two broken ribs during her non-violent protest.

Duc said the prison sentence will seriously affect his family's life because he has to take time off work to take care of his two children - a two-year-old and an eight-year-old.

On December 20, the investigation agency of the Hanoi Police Department officially indicted Hoang Ngoc Giao, a Vietnamese NGO leader and a legal expert, on charges of “committing tax evasion” under Article 200 of the Penal Code, State media reported. But earlier, three anonymous sources told RFA Vietnamese that Giao was arrested on December 16 for “providing classified information to foreign entities.” The Hanoi People’s Procuracy reportedly approved the arrest of Giao. Hoang Ngoc Giao is also the director of the Institute for Policies on Law and Development (PLD), a locally registered NGO that carries out research on Vietnam’s development policy. The organization remains under the management of the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology (VUSTA), a government-controlled agency. The investigation agency of the Hanoi Police Department has not provided preliminary investigation results regarding Giao’s alleged “tax evasion.” The NGO leader is also an advisor who regularly assists the government in improving the country’s legal framework. Last month, Giao chaired a workshop proposing amendments to Vietnam’s Land Law at the Government Guest House in Hanoi. In early 2020, he demanded an independent investigation into the police raid of Dong Tam Village, a land conflict hotspot. Last October, Giao was elected chairman of the Vietnam - China International Trade Arbitration Center (VCITAC). The director of PLD is the latest NGO leader indicted on “tax evasion” charges. Previously, four directors from different Vietnamese nonprofit organizations were charged and imprisoned on similar charges. They include the prominent environmental activist Nguy Thi Khanh, who won the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize in 2018 for her anti-coal advocacy. Convicted tax evaders face up to seven years of imprisonment in Vietnam.

Men in official uniform armed with HK rifles charging in and dismantling barricade at the entrance and exit of Klong Sai Pattana Community, SPFT, while coercing and intimidating women/land rights defenders and community members and seizing their phones, SPFT members calling out the barbaric operation by the officials and preparing to stage a protest at Government House to demand justice, while reporting the case to the police in Chai Buri According to the Southern Peasants' Federation of Thailand (SPFT), on 21 December 2022 around 12.30, the land rights defenders of Klong Sai Pattana Community under the Southern Peasants' Federation of Thailand (SPFT) were confronting with more than 15 men clad in forestry official uniform, Territorial Defense Volunteer uniform and administrative official uniform, in three vehicles, some of which with a sticker of the Department of Provincial Administration while others had no licenses plates. They were charging in to dismantle barricade at the entrance and exit of the community causing damage to the barricade. They also forcibly held two land rights defenders in custody including one woman and one man without producing any warrant. They even threatened that “If you shut down the gate, you will face prosecution.” They proceeded to seize the two defenders’ phones and delete the photos they had taken while the intimidation was taking place and adjusted the frequency on their walkie talkie making the rights defenders unable to communicate with other fellow community members. It was to prevent them from immediately reporting the situation while they were subjected to rights violation to their fellow rights defenders. After dismantling the barricade, the men in uniform have released both individuals who then drove their motorcycle to bring the situation to the attention of their community members. That day marked the 14th anniversary of the struggle and the demand for the right to land of the Southern Peasants' Federation of Thailand (SPFT). HRDs of the Southern Peasants' Federation of Thailand (SPFT) have then reported the case to the local police in Chai Buri District for record. While the police were preparing the record of the incidence, the men in official uniform were reportedly returning to the community, but this time, they stopped at about 1.5 kilometers from the entrance. They announced that they wanted to participate in the event held to mark the 14th anniversary of one of SPFT community‘s member, but were told that the event had been finished. The officials then went back. Around 15.20, while walking back inside their community, SPFT members have found more than 20 officials led by the President of the Sai Thong Tambon Administration Organization, officials from the Surat Thani Office of Social Development and Human Security, the Chai Buri District Chief Officer, officials from the Agricultural Land Reform Office (ALRO) and Territorial Defense Volunteers armed with HK rifles and pistols, had

gone inside the community whose members are peasants who have been struggling to demand their right to land. According to Pratheep Rakhangthong, a SPFT’s land rights defender and leader, the arrival of the official was not a peaceful action but rather a sign of repression. If they want to do this nonviolently, they must have sought to dialogue with us. We put on the barricade to preempt further loss since until now; we have lost at least four members of our community. We do not want to see further loss. As a result, we need to put up some protection. In addition, the road access into our community has been made possible by our persistent demand and struggle. During our struggle, the local authorities have hardly paid any attention to us. The road access is also not built on a public road, and it has been built exclusively for the use of the community. Therefore, the community wants to have power to manage our own security to prevent further loss and imminent intimidation. Chusri Olakit, a women land rights defender and leader of SPFT said that the incidence has stemmed from a couple of earlier requests made by the Sai Thong TAO to ask for permission to use this road access, although we refused to give them access citing the road’s bad condition. We fear that if we allow the use by vehicles with heavy load, it will further exacerbate the road condition. We would allow access by small vehicles, though. However, all of a sudden, without notifying us in advance, they sent people here to charge at our checkpoint. Given this incidence, it makes us concerned that this will happen again similar to how our community members have been subjected to repeated assassinations. We have no idea if we will be safe in our life and property tonight, or tomorrow night. The act of the authorities was barbaric. They just barged in and dismantled our property. Now, our community members feel unsafe since the people who claim to be government officials have constantly harassed and intimidated us during their invasion. The authorities have to offer an explanation for this act. If not, we will go and seek a negotiation in front of the Government House. The District Chief Officer has dared us to do anything and anytime. Klong Sai Pattana Community is situated in Tambon Sai Thong, Chai Buri District, Surat Thani, and is one of the four communities established by members of the Southern Peasants' Federation of Thailand (SPFT), the landless peasants who demand their right to land and agricultural rights. They help the state to investigate the land occupied illegally by private investors without paying their rent to the state. In 2002, the land rights defenders have demanded that the Provincial Governor of Surat Thani set up an inquiry committee. As a result of the committee’s investigation, it was found the land has been illegally occupied by private investors although local authorities have failed to execute their duties accordingly. In 2008, the land rights defenders have formed themselves and established the Klong Sai Pattana Community and continued to demand policy reform by the state. The state has been urged to allocate land to small-scale farmers and landless workers based on the “community title deed” model in collaboration with the People's Movement for Just Society (P-Move). In addition, Klong Sai Pattana Community has been subjected to constant intimidations. During 2010-2016, the Community’s four members including two women human rights defenders have been assassinated, while one another sustained serious injuries. No one has been held accountable and punished for the crime. As a result, the community has to come up with measures to protect their own security in life and property.

Land and environmental rights defenders in Thailand are struggling to make their voice heard, particularly since the 2014 coup d'état. Since then, the shrinking space to address their concerns has been drastically compromised. Land right defenders (HRDs) in Thailand have been systematically crimininalised, prosecuted and even killed for their human rights and environmental work. These recent attacks SPFT highlight the lack of effective mechanisms to protect women and HRDs in Thailand, particularly those operating in rural areas with limited resources. They are not isolated incidents, but they are part of a larger pattern of human rights violations, which illustrate the increasing tensions between state, corporations and the communities affected by their business activities. Protection International Thailand urge Thai government and all stakeholders to recognise the link between the climate crisis and the growing violence and repression against women/land and environmental defenders and take immediate meaningful steps to protect the role of women and defenders in promoting ambition and enhancing climate action.

Chinese police are engaging in systematic reprisals against protestors who took to the streets across China to call for an end to inhumane “zero-COVID” lockdowns, mourn victims of the November 24 apartment fire in Urumqi, and demand political change.

“The outpouring of grief and empathy have united Han Chinese and Uyghurs. People have woken up to the reality that no one under Xi Jinping’s rule can escape the extraordinarily harsh and inhumane measures, which have had fatal consequences, and for which victims of the Urumqi fire paid the price with their lives,” said Renee Xia, CHRD Executive Director.

“We just witnessed one of the most significant protest movements in China since 1989, but now many of these brave protestors are at grave risk of being disappeared and tortured. The Chinese government is likely to put many of them in secret detention facilities and deny their due process rights,” said William Nee, CHRD’s Research and Advocacy Coordinator.

We at CHRD are seriously concerned that detained protestors are at high risk of being forcibly disappeared and subjected to torture and deprivation of due process rights. This is in light of the Chinese government’s track record of rights abuses of detained or jailed critics who have previously expressed dissent over Xi Jinping’s COVID polices and his increasingly dictatorial governance.

“The international community – heads of governments, international organizations, and private sectors and civil society leaders —must speak out now, loud and clear, to condemn the unfolding crackdown on demonstrators exercising their freedom of expression and peaceful assembly guaranteed under international human rights law and the Chinese Constitution,” said Ramona Li, CHRD Senior Researcher and Advocate.

People across China showed up in historic numbers in the streets and on college campuses to mourn victims of the Urumqi fire on November 24 and vent outrage over strict COVID lockdown measures. They demanded lifesaving measures that would require easing the daily suffering that the government has inflicted on them in the name of pandemic control.  The protests in some cities quickly turned into demonstrations against the escalating repression under Xi Jinping’s one-man dictatorial rule. Protestors demanded Xi and the Chinese Communist Party step down and voiced their desires for democracy, human rights, and rule of law. Police harassed and intimidated demonstrators, dragging scores into vehicles.

Authorities are also cranking up censorship online and deploying large numbers of security guards to cordon off roadways, conducting door-to-door inspections, searching cellphones for protest-related content in the streets, and arresting people who continue to protest.

When spontaneous protests erupted in Urumqi on November 25, demonstrators expressed demands for ending the lockdowns and aired frustration over disregard for lives and food shortages. As mourners and protestors poured into Shanghai’s Urumqi Road on the following day, speeches and chants connected the fatal consequences of “zero-COVID” lockdown to the Chinese political system. Protestors chanted “Communist Party: Step Down!” “Xi Jinping: Step Down!” Other cities followed suit.

On November 27, a crowd in Beijing gathered under the Sitong Bridge and chanted the demands on the banners hung from the bridge by a lone protester, Peng Lifa, who was detained and forced into disappearance, less than a month prior: “We want food, not COVID tests / Freedom, not lockdowns / Dignity, not lies / Reform, not Cultural Revolution / Elections ballots, not a ruler / To be citizens, not slaves.”

These demands were echoed in protests against not just local authorities for specific issues but Xi’s dictatorship in many other cities, with protestors also chanting, “Give me liberty, or death!” in what has come to be known as the baizhi geming (The White Paper Revolution).

At the time of this statement’s release, there have been many online-circulated video/audio clippings, photos and text messages of police dragging people away, forcing them into vehicles, or making arrests at homes.  Participants, bystanders, and journalists shared some information about police rounding up protesters.

Shanghai resident Chen Jialin (陈佳林), was taken away near the subway station, on her way home from protests at Urumqi Road. She was talking to a journalist on her cellphone when a policeman from the city’s Railway and Transportation PSB detained her. As of November 29, at around 10pm, she was detained at Shanghai No. 2 Detention Center. A protester was filmed as police wrestled him away while he cried, “Let me speak just once! Why not allowed?…” in Shenzhen on November 29. Details about this detainee are unavailable. A protester named Li Kangmeng (李康梦) has gone missing near Nanjingxi Road, Shanghai, on November 30, and is feared to have been detained.

Chinese police are engaging in systematic reprisals against protestors who took to the streets across China to call for an end to inhumane “zero-COVID” lockdowns, mourn victims of the November 24 apartment fire in Urumqi, and demand political change.

“The outpouring of grief and empathy have united Han Chinese and Uyghurs. People have woken up to the reality that no one under Xi Jinping’s rule can escape the extraordinarily harsh and inhumane measures, which have had fatal consequences, and for which victims of the Urumqi fire paid the price with their lives,” said Renee Xia, CHRD Executive Director.

“We just witnessed one of the most significant protest movements in China since 1989, but now many of these brave protestors are at grave risk of being disappeared and tortured. The Chinese government is likely to put many of them in secret detention facilities and deny their due process rights,” said William Nee, CHRD’s Research and Advocacy Coordinator.

We at CHRD are seriously concerned that detained protestors are at high risk of being forcibly disappeared and subjected to torture and deprivation of due process rights. This is in light of the Chinese government’s track record of rights abuses of detained or jailed critics who have previously expressed dissent over Xi Jinping’s COVID polices and his increasingly dictatorial governance.

“The international community – heads of governments, international organizations, and private sectors and civil society leaders —must speak out now, loud and clear, to condemn the unfolding crackdown on demonstrators exercising their freedom of expression and peaceful assembly guaranteed under international human rights law and the Chinese Constitution,” said Ramona Li, CHRD Senior Researcher and Advocate.

People across China showed up in historic numbers in the streets and on college campuses to mourn victims of the Urumqi fire on November 24 and vent outrage over strict COVID lockdown measures. They demanded lifesaving measures that would require easing the daily suffering that the government has inflicted on them in the name of pandemic control.  The protests in some cities quickly turned into demonstrations against the escalating repression under Xi Jinping’s one-man dictatorial rule. Protestors demanded Xi and the Chinese Communist Party step down and voiced their desires for democracy, human rights, and rule of law. Police harassed and intimidated demonstrators, dragging scores into vehicles.

Authorities are also cranking up censorship online and deploying large numbers of security guards to cordon off roadways, conducting door-to-door inspections, searching cellphones for protest-related content in the streets, and arresting people who continue to protest.

When spontaneous protests erupted in Urumqi on November 25, demonstrators expressed demands for ending the lockdowns and aired frustration over disregard for lives and food shortages. As mourners and protestors poured into Shanghai’s Urumqi Road on the following day, speeches and chants connected the fatal consequences of “zero-COVID” lockdown to the Chinese political system. Protestors chanted “Communist Party: Step Down!” “Xi Jinping: Step Down!” Other cities followed suit.

On November 27, a crowd in Beijing gathered under the Sitong Bridge and chanted the demands on the banners hung from the bridge by a lone protester, Peng Lifa, who was detained and forced into disappearance, less than a month prior: “We want food, not COVID tests / Freedom, not lockdowns / Dignity, not lies / Reform, not Cultural Revolution / Elections ballots, not a ruler / To be citizens, not slaves.”

These demands were echoed in protests against not just local authorities for specific issues but Xi’s dictatorship in many other cities, with protestors also chanting, “Give me liberty, or death!” in what has come to be known as the baizhi geming (The White Paper Revolution).

At the time of this statement’s release, there have been many online-circulated video/audio clippings, photos and text messages of police dragging people away, forcing them into vehicles, or making arrests at homes.  Participants, bystanders, and journalists shared some information about police rounding up protesters.

A person with the WeChat account name of Linrimbaud (林怼怼) [RX1] has gone missing in Shanghai since the late night of November 28 or early morning of November 29.  Police knocked on the door, demanded to search mobile devices, while Lin was on the phone talking to a journalist.  On Twitter, activist Wang Qingpeng shared that Jing Xueqin (景雪琴), using the name Li Xiaoxiao (李笑笑) was taken away by police in Wuhan, at around 11:30pm on November 28 for participating in protests.  Ms. Jing was able to send a last text message to friends that she was detained at the Changfeng Station in Jiaokou District in Wuhan.  On November 28, around 4:00pm, a man named Li Mu (李牧) was reportedly detained in the Jinshui District, Zhengzhoul, Henan province, for posting protest messages in the streets, according to a netizen group that collects and releases information on a Telegram Channel. The Channel posted the messages that Wang Chenghao (王晨皓), likely a student protester, and his girlfriend went missing on November 28, in Shanghai.

Chinese authorities have arrested an artist who painted a portrait of the "Bridge Man" protester Peng Lifa and posted it on Twitter, his wife and a rights group said, in the latest example of restrictions on free expression in the country in the wake of nationwide protests against harsh anti-virus measures.

The rights website Weiquanwang said it learned on Sunday that painter Xiao Liang, based in Nanchang, in the eastern province of Jiangxi, was recently arrested. His detention was confirmed to Radio Free Asia by his wife on Monday.

Peng was dubbed the “Bridge Man” after he hung a protest banner from a Beijing overpass in October calling on President Xi Jinping to step down, as well as for “food, not PCR tests, freedom, not lockdowns, reforms, not the Cultural Revolution.”

Images of the banner went viral and sparked sympathetic protests and social media support around the world, and Peng was almost immediately detained by police.

"We heard that Xiao was initially held by the authorities under administrative detention for "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," before being transferred to criminal detention," the Weiquanwang report said.

The last tweet to appear on his account, @xiaolong999, was a photograph of the portrait, dated Oct. 15.

"I happened to be out with friends when he was taken away and didn't get the news until [later]," said his wife, who gave only her surname Yan. "They have asked me to cooperate with their investigation. The police told me he painted somebody [politically] sensitive and circumvented the [Great Fire]wall."

"I told them he doesn't have many friends and spends most of his time at home," she said. "I was [at the police station] for a few hours, and they wouldn't let him come home with me."

Self-taught artist

Yan said she is concerned about her 63-year-old husband's health.

"He has high blood sugar, high blood pressure, and high blood lipids, and he has a very serious intervertebral disc herniation," she said. "The police told me that he is fine and that the doctor [in the detention center] can deal with it."

Yan said she is unsure whether to hire a rights attorney, or whether it would risk "angering the police," leading to a worse outcome for Xiao.

"He taught himself to draw and paint. He loves to paint and draw, and paints all kinds of people: men, women, young and old, Chinese and foreign celebrities," she said. "The starting point for his painting of this person [Peng Lifa] was that they were the protagonist of the Sitong Bridge incident in Beijing."

Xiao's detention came after authorities in the eastern province of Zhejiang detained dissident Wu Jingsheng after he reposted the slogans displayed on Peng's banners on the Sitong traffic flyover in Beijing's Haidian district, days before the ruling Chinese Communist Party convened its five-yearly party congress.

Struck a chord

Retired Shanghai University lecturer Gu Guoping told Radio Free Asia in a recent interview that Peng's banners had struck a chord with many in China.

"[His protest] was representative of the innermost thoughts, hopes and wishes of the majority of people on the lowest rungs of mainland Chinese society," Gu said. "[Peng and his supporters] had the courage to stand up and make this appeal on behalf of everyone."

"This is hugely important ... the Communist Party cannot be allowed to destroy our human rights in this way," he said. "Those rights are enshrined in our constitution, and yet they say one thing and do another."

Gu called on the international community to keep track of China's record on implementing international human rights laws and treaties, and try to help victims of rights abuses.

Authorities in the southwestern province of Guizhou also detained several members of the Guizhou Human Rights Forum, including Shen Youlian, Liao Shuangyuan, Huang Yanming, Li Renke, and Zeng Ning.

The activists were taken away by Guiyang state security police on enforced "vacations" ahead of Human Rights Day on Dec. 10, a dissident who asked to remain anonymous told Radio Free Asia.

"All of the members of the organization were taken out of town by police from several different police stations in Guiyang city and held under house arrest," the dissident said, adding that they were held for "two to three days" before being allowed back home.

Two prominent Guizhou activists, Chen Xi and Mi Chongbiao, remain under close surveillance following their release from prison, they said.

"The police sent people to watch their homes constantly, and none of their friends or co-workers are allowed to visit them: they are basically isolated," the dissident said.

Dissident poet and wife sentenced

Meanwhile, dissident poet Wang Zang and his wife Wang Liqin were jailed by a court in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan after it found them guilty of "incitement to subvert state power" in connection with his public support for the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement, Weiquanwang reported.

Wang Zang was handed a four-year jail term by the Chuxiong Prefecture Intermediate People's Court, while his wife Wang Li was jailed for two years. Both have said they were unhappy with the verdict and sentencing, and have vowed to appeal, Weiquanwang reported on Dec. 11.

It said the trial, which took place in December 2021, had focused on Wang Zang's social media posts as evidence for the charges, including his poetry and performance art. He was detained by Beijing police in November 2014 after posting a photo of himself with an umbrella in support of the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement.

He has also taken part in activities commemorating the death of Mao-era dissident Lin Zhao, the June 4, 1989, Tiananmen massacre and actively supported Uyghurs and Tibetans persecuted by the government, the report said.

The charges against Wang Li appear to stem from her speaking out about her husband's arrest via social media and interviews she gave to foreign journalists, the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said.

The wife of prominent human rights lawyer Ding Jiaxi said there are concerns over the well-being of her husband and fellow activist Xu Zhiyong, who haven't been allowed visits from lawyers or family members while in pretrial detention.

"Lawyers haven't been allowed in to meet with Xu Zhiyong or Ding Jiaxi for several months now, and I haven't heard anything from [Xu's wife] Li Qiaochu," Ding's overseas-ased wife Luo Shengchun told Radio Free Asia in a recent interview. "There has been no trial or sentence, yet there's no reason for the delay."

"Not holding a trial is in violation of Chinese law, which tells us that the Communist Party doesn't abide by its own laws."

Luo said the human rights situation in China is only getting worse. "There has been no let-up in the suppression of human rights defenders,” Luo said. “It's still going on."

A court in Yangon’s Insein Prison has sentenced Ye Lin Oo, who served on the central executive committee of Dagon University Students’ Union, to a further seven years in prison.

A students’ union member told RFA the sentence was handed down on Thursday, under Section 52(a) of the Counter-Terrorism Law.

He had already received a three-year prison term on March 10, under Section 505 (a) of the Penal Code, for incitement against the military.

“Ye Lin Oo has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Currently, there are no more charges to face,” said the students’ union member, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons.

“Young students are sentenced to long terms in prison although they are innocent. Even if they have been given the death penalty, young students will not give up or step back. We will speed up the revolution.”

Ye Lin Oo was arrested along with five other students’ union members on Sept. 14, 2021 in central Yangon’s Kyauktada township. The six were accused of participating in anti-junta activities.

The 25-year-old was studying archeology at Dagon University before the Feb. 2021 military coup. He stopped going to university after the coup and took part in pro-democracy campaigns.

“His parents are very upset,” said Ye Lin Oo’s friend Khant Naing. “They had already estimated he would spend many years in prison … but he was sentenced to another seven years, which made them sad. The family regularly sends him the medicine and food he needs.”

He added that Ye Lin Oo’s parents are worried because prison officials have been moving student activists to prisons with brutal conditions, far away from their families.

Dagon University Students’ Union says 40 of its members have been arrested in the 22 months since the military coup.

Death Sentences

On Nov. 30, a secret military court in Yangon’s Insein Prison sentenced seven Dagon University student activists to death under Article 302 of Myanmar's Penal Code for allegedly killing a retired army officer.

Former Lt. Col. Saw Moe Win was shot at a bank he managed in Yangon's South Dagon township on April 18. Students Khant Zin Win, Thura Maung, Zaw Linn Naing, Thiha Htet Zaw, Hein Htet, Thet Paing Oo, Khant Linn Maung -- all males -- were arrested three days later and charged with his murder.

A spokesperson for the junta’s Prison Department told RFA this month the executions would probably not take place for several months because the students could appeal against their sentences.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners said on Thursday that the junta has arrested 16,557 people for their alleged or known roles in the pro-democracy movement, 13,083 of whom are still being held in prisons across Myanmar.

A protester was arrested on Friday (25 November) and subsequently denied bail on a contempt of court charge resulting from a speech demanding bail for a detained activist.

54-year-old Chiratchaya “Ginny” Sakunthong was arrested last Friday (25 November) while traveling from the South Bangkok Criminal Court, where a small crowd of pro-democracy protesters gathered as the ultra-royalist group the People’s Centre to Protect the Monarchy was giving a press conference after they filed petitions with the court to revoke bail for activists Tantawan Tuatulanon, Patsaravalee Tanakitvibulpon, Nutthanit Duangmusit, and Netiporn Sanesangkhom, supposedly for being involved in anti-government protests during the APEC meetings.

Chiratchaya was stopped by plainclothes police officers while riding a motorcycle past the Robinson Bangrak shopping mall. The officers presented an arrest warrant issued on 18 October by the South Bangkok Criminal Court on charges of contempt of court, defamation by publication, and using a sound amplifier without permission.

She was taken to Yannawa Police Station on the back of a police officer’s motorcycle. However, once she arrived at the police station, Chiratchaya was told that she would be taken to the police club on Vibhavadi Road. She was then put into a police truck, but instead of heading to the police club, the officers drove back to Yannawa Police Station. They also drove up and down Sathorn Road several times because ultra-royalist protesters were gathering in front of the police station.

Chiratchaya was charged for a speech she gave during a protest demanding bail for detained activists, in which she criticized the court’s decision not to grant bail to activist Shinawat Chankrajang, who was charged with royal defamation for speaking at a protest on 28 July to demand the release of detained activists.

According to the inquiry officer, Chiratchaya said that it was shameful for the police and the court to accept the cases against pro-democracy activists, and that the police should have dismissed these complaints. She also said that the court does not consider the ethics of their occupation before accepting these cases, and that this situation is not lawful. The police claimed that the content of her speech was defamatory and amounted to contempt of court.

Chiratchaya was detained overnight at Yannawa Police Station before being taken to court on Saturday (26 November). The South Bangkok Criminal Court then denied her bail on the ground that her speech contained unfounded accusations aimed to pressure the court on bail requests. The court also said that she was a flight risk and that she is likely to cause further damage. The order was signed by judge Phaibun Thongnuam.

Chiratchaya was then taken to the Women’s Central Correctional Institution, where she is now detained.

This is the second time Chiratchaya has been charged with contempt of court. In August, Chiratchaya and another protester named Ngoentra Khamsaen were charged with contempt of court, defamation, and using a sound amplifier without permission for protesting in front of the South Bangkok Criminal Court to demand bail for detained activists, during which they gave speeches criticizing judges in the South Bangkok Criminal Court for denying bail to monarchy reform activists Nutthanit Duangmusit and Netiporn Sanesangkhom, who were detained pending trial on royal defamation charges at the time. Chiratchaya and Ngoentra were detained for 9 days before being granted bail.

A 13-year-old protester says he has been harassed by the police after he tried to protest at Sanam Luang on the late King Bhumibol’s birthday.

“Oia” (pseudonym), a 13-year-old protester, said that on Monday (5 December) he tried to stage a protest calling for the repeal of the royal defamation law at Sanam Luang, where an event commemorating the birthday of the late King Bhumibol was taking place, saying that he disagrees with the royal defamation law because it has been used to harm people.

However, he was stopped by plainclothes police officers while near Thammasat University’s Tha Prachan campus, which is across the street from Sanam Luang. The officers confiscated Oia’s sign saying “Repeal Section 112” and forced him to move to the McDonald’s near the Democracy Monument.

While at the McDonald’s, Oia said that another officer came to talk to him and confiscated more signs, so he went home to get more paper with the same message before returning to the McDonald’s in the evening. While walking back to Sanam Luang, he was blocked by plainclothes police near the Rattanakosin Hotel, who tried to convince him to go back to the McDonald’s, claiming that a royal motorcade was going to pass through the area, even offering to give him a lift in their motorcycle.

Oia said he told the officers that he was just walking around and did not intend to disrupt the royal motorcade, but the officers did not believe him and told him that either he leaves on their motorcycle, or they will take him in a van. After a few more minutes of negotiation, Oia agreed to go back to the McDonald’s.

Later, Oia said he was walking towards the 14 October 1973 Memorial, near Khok Wua intersection, before heading towards Chana Songkhram Police Station. He then noticed plainclothes officers following him on their motorcycle and taking pictures of him. The officers then reprimanded him and told him not to go to Sanam Luang. Oia then went back to the McDonald’s since he felt unsafe. He also said that he did not want to travel with the police because he was concerned for his own safety.

After arriving at the McDonald’s, Oia said he was approached by a police officer, later reported to be Pol Capt Chumphon Suthiprapha, an inspector from Metropolitan Police Division 2, who tried to pull a piece of paper Oia was carrying under his arm. When Oia tried to walk away and into the McDonald’s, the officer threatened him, telling him that he will have Oia removed from the restaurant unless the 13-year-old showed him what was on the piece of paper.

An argument then took place, during which Oia told the officer that the police have no right to make him leave the restaurant. The officer then asked for Oia’s name and ID card. Oia said that he told the officer his name, but did not give him his ID. Around 10 plainclothes police then came to the McDonald’s along with personnel from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS). Oia said it seemed like he was going to be arrested, and so he told the police that this is inappropriate because he had not done anything.

Oia said that, around 10 minutes later, he received a call from his family telling him to stop what he was doing because a police officer was going to visit them, which Oia said might be an attempt to threaten him to stop his activity, but he said that he wasn’t doing anything at the time and did not do anything wrong.

Oia said he was concerned that the police would either charge him or harm him, and that he found it to be inappropriate for the police to threaten a child and his family. He also said that MSDHS officers said they will be visiting him at home to ‘investigate his behaviour.’

13-year-old Oia is a regular protest-goer. He was previously charged with violating the Emergency Decree because he passed by a protest while riding a bicycle home on 13 September 2021. He was also charged with violation of the Emergency Decree and joining an assembly of 10 or more people threatening violence when he joined a protest on 15 April 2022.

A 19-year-old protester who was arrested during a protest on 13 October 2020 has been sentenced to 2 years and 5 days in prison on charges resulting from the protest, including violation of the Emergency Decree and resisting officials.

Sasaluk (last name withheld) was among the 21 people arrested when crowd control police forcibly dispersed a protest at the Democracy Monument on 13 October 2020. The dispersal was reportedly done to clear the road for a royal motorcade.

During the 13 October 2020 protest, activists were occupying the area ahead of a mass protest on 14 October 2020. In this latter demonstration, protesters marching from the Democracy Monument to Government House were again forcibly dispersed in the early morning of 15 October 2020.

Sasaluk was charged with violating the Emergency Decree, joining an assembly of more than 10 people, causing violence and disrupting public disorder, obstructing traffic, violating the Public Cleanliness Act by placing objects on the road, destruction of property, refusing to follow an official order, assault, and resisting arrest.

The public prosecutor accused Sasaluk and other protesters of blocking the street by parking vehicles in the area, and trying to prevent police officers from arresting activist Jatupat Boonpattararaksa by blocking them with metal fences, as well as throwing objects and paint at the officers, who were also assaulted. The public prosecutor said that protesters did not disperse when ordered to do so by a police officer, who told them that they must open the road to prepare for a royal motorcade.

Since he was charged before he turned 18, Sasaluk was tried by the Central Juvenile and Family Court, which sentenced him on Tuesday (13 December) to a total of 2 years and 5 days in prison.

According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), he was sentenced to 1 year in prison for violation of the Emergency Decree, 1 year for joining an assembly of more than 10 people, causing violence, public disorder and destruction of property, and 5 days for refusing to follow an officer’s order.

The Court then commuted the sentence, ordering Sasaluk to be sent to a juvenile training centre for 6 months. He must also complete his junior high school education, Mathayom 3 or Year 9, and take two occupational training courses.

TLHR reported that the Court did not allow observers in the courtroom while the verdict was being read, claiming Covid-19 prevention measures. They also noted that the public prosecutor had earlier decided not to indict 6 other activists charged at the same protest for violation of the Emergency Decree on the grounds that the protest did not risk the spread of Covid-19 since protesters were wearing masks and the area was a large, open space.

Sasaluk’s family members were shocked and saddened by the verdict as they expected the Court to dismiss the violation of the Emergency Decree charge, since the State of emergency has already ended.

Sasaluk was later granted bail pending appeal using a 5000-baht security covered by the Will of the People Fund, a bail fund for pro-democracy protesters and activists.

Phoe Chit, a prominent proponent of Myanmar’s traditional performing arts, was taken into custody last week for his role in opposing military rule, according to a source familiar with the situation.

The former chair of the Myanmar Thabin Association (MTA), who resigned from his position five days after last year’s coup, was arrested at his home in Yangon on November 30, the source said.

His close friend and colleague Shan Tun—a lyricist also known as Myanmarsar—was arrested while attempting to leave Yangon the same day, according to a man with professional ties to both men.

“Shan Tun was on his way to a show in Bagan and wasn’t arrested in the same place as Phoe Chit,” said the man, noting that they both lived in the same neighbourhood in Yangon’s Mingaladon Township.

“I’m assuming this means [Shan Tun] was tipped off,” he added.

While their exact whereabouts is unknown, it is believed that Phoe Chit and Shan Tun are currently being held at an interrogation centre.

“We were repeatedly denied permission to visit them, but we weren’t given any reason,” the man told Myanmar Now.

Following the coup, the newly installed regime issued warrants for the arrest of Phoe Chit and other celebrities who spoke out against the ouster of Myanmar’s elected civilian government.

The military council has not released a statement regarding the arrests. However, pro-junta social media pages claimed that Phoe Chit was funding People’s Defence Force groups opposed to the military takeover.

A renowned performer of thabin, a traditional dramatic art form that features song and dance, Phoe Chit has won several gold medals in Myanmar National Performing Arts competitions. His performances have earned him nationwide acclaim for more than a decade.

He is also known for his public support of democratic causes. To mark Martyrs’ Day in 2016—the year that the National League for Democracy (NLD) came to power—a theatre group that he founded performed a play about independence leader Aung San, who was also the father of NLD founder Aung San Suu Kyi.

In addition to resigning in protest from the MTA, Phoe Chit led several anti-junta demonstrations in Yangon in the coup’s immediate aftermath. He continued posting pro-democracy messages on social media until his arrest.

A Mandalay-based LGBT activist who was arrested in October of last year was sentenced to an additional 22 years in prison on Monday, according to a source close to her family.

A special court inside Mandalay’s Obo Prison handed down the sentence after finding Sue Sha Shinn Thant, 27, guilty of two charges under Myanmar’s Counter-Terrorism Law for allegedly financing terrorist activities, the source said.

“They combined the charges before handing down the sentence. We don’t know the details yet, but she was already given a three-year sentence [for incitement] earlier this year, so her total prison sentence is now 25 years,” said the source, who did not want to be named.

Sue Sha Shinn Thant was arrested more than a year ago near the Myintge toll gate, at the southern entrance to Mandalay, after junta soldiers crashed their vehicle into her motorcycle. She and a fellow activist, Than Toe Aung, who was riding the motorbike with her, were both taken into custody at the same time.

According to the source, the pair were chased after arguing with soldiers who checked their phones. Than Toe Aung suffered unspecified injuries to the lower part of his body, but Sue Sha Shinn Thant was not badly injured, the source said.

Than Toe Aung was sentenced to a total of 15 years on incitement and terrorism charges, but Sue Sha Shinn Thant received a heavier sentence for her alleged role in financing anti-regime activities, according to the source.

“She was actually innocent of all these charges. She had to help with money transactions for charity purposes, since she worked for an NGO. I think she was accused and prosecuted for that,” the source said.

Another source close to the victim said she was sexually assaulted and tortured during interrogation.

“They touched her breasts and burned her with cigarette butts. She’s a trans woman and well-endowed. She asked for a bra to wear in prison, but the guards would not accept care packages with bras,” the source said.

Aung Myo Min, the human rights minister for the shadow National Unity Government (NUG), called Sue Sha Shinn Thant “a symbol of embodiment for the LGBT community” and denounced her arrest and sentencing.

“The soldiers did not comply with lawful arrest procedures and arrested her by crashing into her motorbike. She was also sexually assaulted during interrogation. It is a great loss for her to be given a 22-year prison sentence after all these abuses,” he told Myanmar Now on Tuesday.

He added that imprisoned LGBT people are often targeted by both junta authorities and convicts due to “a deep-seated hatred” towards the community.

“But we will bring justice to Sue Sha Shinn Thant and others who were unjustly arrested, tortured, and imprisoned,” he said.

Sue Sha Shinn Thant is well-known for her charity work in Mandalay and as an advocate of human rights, including LGBT and children rights. She has worked for a number of NGOs and was the chair of the Mandalay regional youth association under the ousted National League for Democracy government.

She was studying in Thailand when the military seized power in a coup in February 2021. She was arrested soon after her return to Myanmar late last year.

“Words can’t even describe how I feel about this sentence. But the silver lining is that she is still alive. I just hope that she will be freed as soon as possible,” said a friend from the LGBT community.

The military council sentenced an activist leader of the 1988 pro-democracy protests, now nearing 80 years of age, to 17 years in Mandalay’s Obo Prison on Monday.

Shwe Htoo, 78, had already spent nearly two decades of his life in prison under a previous dictatorship for his role in the protests of 1988. He was arrested on April 29 at a plantation site in Sakhan Ward near his home in Pyin Oo Lwin, Mandalay Region, along with two friends: Sein Lin, 57, and Banyar, who is in his 40s.

The detainees were then held and interrogated at Obo Prison. Shwe Htoo’s friends were convicted on two counts of terrorism each, and all three received 17-year sentences eight months after their arrest.

It is believed that Shwe Htoo was also convicted of terrorism but Myanmar Now has yet to confirm the charges.

“The sentence was handed down by the Pyin Oo Lwin District Court through video conferencing at the Obo Prison Court,” said a source close to Shwe Htoo’s family, who preferred to remain anonymous.

“The military accused him of being a terrorist,” the source added. “But my interpretation is that they imprisoned him simply because he was a politician.”

According to the same source, Shwe Htoo’s state of health is unknown as his family is not allowed to visit him in prison.

“The last time we heard from him was when he first arrived in Obo Prison and he asked us to send him food and clothing,” the source added.

Shwe Htoo was a retired teacher when he became involved in the Mandalay Strike Committee during the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, for which he spent three years in prison. In 1998, he was imprisoned again under the Than Shwe dictatorship.

After his release in 2012 during a period of nascent democratic reform, he remained politically engaged. When Ko Ko Gyi—another activist leader of the 1988 pro-democracy movement—assumed chairmanship of the newly founded People’s Party in 2018, Shwe Htoo was appointed party patron for Mandalay Region.

However, according to sources close to him, Shwe Htoo resigned from the party after the February 2021 military coup.

“He’s very old now and he’s a man of respectable reputation, so the military council should really try to minimize his punishment,” said a Mandalay-based politician who requested anonymity. “I always have and always will respect him for his efforts to support democracy and human rights.”

Reporter at News 24 television Khem Dhungana was taken under control for some hours while reporting on December 11 in Kailali. Kailali lies in the Sudurpaschim province of Nepal.

Reporter Dhungana was reporting on the misuse of vehicles owned by the Lamki Chuha Municipality by it Mayor Ms Sushila Shahi for construction of her own residence.

According to the reporter, he asked Mayor Shahi whether she had rented the vehicles but Shahi refused to talk to the reporter. Then, reporter Dhungana went to the construction site and took photos and videos of the site.

As he was taking videos of the construction site, Mayor Shahi reached there and started threatening him to delete the videos. Shahi's personal secretary seized the reporter's mobile and asked him to delete the videos.

Later, reporter Dhungana deleted a few footages in front of police officers. But, Mayor Shahi and her team took Dhungana under control and threatened him not to broadcast the news on television.

Reporter Dhungana was set free after three hours as he commited seemingly to not broadcast the news on television. The news was, however, broadcast on the television channel later.

Freedom Forum condemns the incident. Reporter has the right to report on the misuse of public properties. Threatening and taking an on-duty journalist under control is a gross violation of press freedom. Media is the fourth pillar of a State and the government authority is responsible for its safety. It is condemnable because the public person-Mayor- wanted to hush her criticism by threatening journalist. The public officials must respect the journalists' rights and value of information in society.

Senior reporter at Kantipur National daily, Abdhesh Jha was issued death threat for news published on December 3 on the daily. Jha is Saptari based reporter for the daily which is located in Madhesh province of Nepal.

Reporter Jha had published news about appointment of staffs with the direct order of executive Municipal Chief Ishrat Parveen. Following this, few people posted abusive and threatening posts against reporter Jha on their social media pages.

Journalists at Saptari also reported the incident at the District Police Office but no investigation has started yet, according to reporter Jha.

Freedom Forum condemns the death threat issued to the reporter. Despite availability of a legitimate way to complain at Press Council Nepal for any dissatisfaction over news, writing abusive posts on social media and threatening journalist is a gross violation of press freedom.

Hence, FF urges the concerned authority to investigate the case seriously and ensure safety of the journalist to avoid any untoward incident.

State security police across China have been questioning lawyers who volunteered to help people arrested during recent anti-lockdown protests, with some withdrawing from the scheme due to political pressure from the authorities, Radio Free Asia has learned.

Chinese human rights lawyers have been scrambling to assist the friends and families of people arrested during a wave of anti-lockdown protests at the end of November, many of whom have little experience being treated as dissidents by Chinese authorities.

Lawyer Wang Shengsheng, who compiled and published a list of dozens of attorneys offering to volunteer to help people detained for protesting China’s “zero-COVID” restrictions or mourning the victims of a Nov. 24 lockdown fire in Xinjiang's regional capital, Urumqi, said state security police had starting investigating her after she started helping detained protesters.

Wang, who hails from the central city of Zhengzhou but works for a law firm based in the southern city of Guangzhou, said the city's justice bureau had turned up at her law firm and taken away all of the files linked to previous cases she has represented.

"They sent people from the judicial bureau's [Communist Party] committee," she told RFA on Tuesday. "They were checking whether my records were in order, for example, we need to sign a contract when taking a new case, and issue a receipt when we receive our fees."

"They're trying to find some [error] they can pick up on, also whether or not I have taken any politically sensitive cases," Wang said. "They are deliberately trying to catch me making a mistake.”

"The reason behind it was the fact that I offered pro bono legal advice ... I don't know why they think that was such a bad thing to do that they need to put pressure on me via my law firm," she said, adding that the state security police had also contacted her.

"The Zhengzhou state security police came looking for me, because I'm in Zhengzhou right now," Wang said.

The ruling Chinese Communist Party, faced with the biggest challenge to its rule in decades, is saying that the "white paper" protests were the work of "foreign forces" infiltrating China, a notion that has been met with widespread derision among protesters and social media users.

Wang told RFA in November that some lawyers had declined to take part in the volunteer network, believing they would risk losing their license to practice law by participating, as happened to many attorneys who spoke up in favor of human rights, or helped political dissidents and other marginalized groups considered a stability risk by authorities.

She said that since then, several other attorneys who offered their services have been contacted by state security police or justice bureau officials where they live.

"The justice bureau officials and the state police have been contacting them," Wang said. "For example, Lin Baocheng was contacted by the state security police in Xiamen and Lu Siwei had the state security police come to find him in Chengdu."

"I don't understand what our actions have to do with the police," she said.

Wang said she has now been prevented from logging onto the volunteer lawyers' group on the social media and messaging platform WeChat.

"My WeChat account has been restricted, so I can't send messages in the group, or make any changes to the list [of volunteer lawyers]," she said. "No one can post messages in the WeChat circle."

The volunteer legal team has received more than 30 inquiries so far, she said.

"The authorities should understand how helpless the protesters felt ... and their frustration, and treat them with compassion," Wang said. "Why do those in power not trust their own people?"

Meanwhile, veteran rights lawyer Yu Wensheng said he didn't take part in the volunteer legal team for fear of political reprisals, although he was cheered to see the lawyers standing up for protesters.

Jiangsu's Xuzhou Intermediate People's Court handed a four-year jail term to Yu on subversion charges in June 2020 after nearly three years in pretrial detention, finding him guilty of "incitement to subvert state power" in a secret trial.

The sentence was widely seen by fellow lawyers as a form of political retaliation for Yu's outspokenness following a nationwide operation targeting rights lawyers and law firms that began on July 9, 2015, and his call for fully democratic presidential elections in China.

"After I got out of jail, I found that human rights lawyers had been decimated, almost wiped out by the government," Yu told RFA on Monday. "Now, some lawyers are finally standing up [to the authorities]. This is a good thing."

"But we should also be wary of another July 2015 [nationwide operation targeting rights lawyers], which would be very bad, and is entirely possible," he warned.

Yu, whose license to practice law was revoked in January 2018, still has traumatic memories of his time in incommunicado detention under "Residential Surveillance at a Designated Location," describing much of his incarceration as "unbearable to look back on."

He said he would like to leave the country, but fears it may not be possible.

"My desire to leave China is particularly great now, because I really can’t bear the current situation, and I am very pessimistic about its future direction,” Yu said.

"A lot of very capable and professional human rights lawyers have basically had their licenses revoked, and the ones who remain are too afraid to stand up to the government when it comes to representing cases," he said.

"It sometimes feels as if there's not a lot of difference between life in prison and life outside," Yu told RFA.

Protests in China against Xi Jinping’s stringent zero-Covid policy are on the rise and it has now spread to several cities. Chinese authorities have moved quickly to suppress demonstrations deploying police forces at key protest sites and tightening online censorship.

In a twitter post, several men in hazmat suits were seen stopping Chinese human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng, and his wife Xu Yan when they tried to go downstairs to throw out garbage. Both were later put under house arrest. Xu Yan in the twitter post also claimed that the men in hazmat suits did not tell them their names and titles.

In another video, both Yu and a man in hazmat suit were seen lying on the ground, and the reason for that remains unknown.

Soon after been put under house arrest,

Yu Wensheng posted a video on twitter and said, “Xu Yan and I are now locked up at home. Their behavior is not only a crime against us personally, but a crime against the entire Chinese people and the people of the world. We firmly oppose their zero-Covid policy.”

He also issued a letter and urged world leaders to press the Chinese government to end its repressive zero-Covid policy.

Philippine authorities should not contest the appeal of journalist Frank Cimatu, and should stop filing spurious cyber libel charges against members of the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday.

On Tuesday, December 13, a Quezon City court convicted Cimatu, a contributor to the independent news outlet Rappler, of cyber libel over a 2017 Facebook post by the journalist about alleged corruption by then Agriculture Secretary Manny Pinol, news reports said.

The court ordered Cimatu to serve a prison term ranging from six months and one day to a maximum of five years, five months, and 11 days, according to those reports, which said he was also fined 300,000 pesos (US$5,385) in moral damages.

Cimatu is free on bail and will appeal the ruling, according to news reports, which said he could appeal as high as the Supreme Court.

“The spurious charge against Filipino journalist Frank Cimatu should be dropped and authorities should start work immediately on decriminalizing libel and overhauling the overbroad cybercrime provisions that allow for these kinds of outrageous convictions,” said Shawn Crispin, CPJ’s senior Southeast Asia representative. “The wanton abuse of cyber libel laws is killing press freedom in the Philippines.”

In a 19-page ruling, Judge Evangeline Cabochan-Santos wrote that Cimatu’s Facebook post, which alleged that Pinol had personally profited from state corruption, was defamatory and appeared to impute a crime, reports citing the ruling said. The ruling said Cimatu made the post in malice and “failed to show any proof to establish that his post was done in good faith.”

Cimatu reportedly argued that the post was private and was only seen by his Facebook friends, but the court ruled it was initially made under a public setting, news reports said. CPJ was unable to review Cimatu’s Facebook account, which has been taken down or set to private.

NewsLine Philippines reported that Cimatu’s Facebook post was referencing a report by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism about Pinol’s personal asset and liability declaration. Cimatu covers a wide range of political and other news topics from the northern region of the main Philippine island of Luzon, his Rappler profile shows.

Pinol, a former news broadcaster, filed the charges against Cimatu, according to those reports. CPJ was unable to find contact information for Pinol.

Cimatu is at least the third Rappler reporter to be convicted of cyber libel, along with Rappler CEO and executive editor Maria Ressa and ex-Rappler researcher Reynaldo Santos Jr. Their appeal of a 2020 cyber libel conviction was rejected in October and is now pending at the Supreme Court. CPJ has repeatedly called for the charges to be dropped.

CPJ emailed the Quezon City prosecutor’s office for comment but did not receive any reply.

Commune authorities in Pursat province allegedly barred a celebration in the lead up to the United Nations’ Human Rights Day on Sunday, according to environmental activist Kuch Veng, the event’s would-be organizer.

“They don’t want me to hold an anniversary because they are afraid of us understanding our rights and they are afraid their reputations will be affected for having failed to respect human rights issues,” said Veng, 58.

Veng, 58, said commune authorities, police and security guards blocked the gate of Ratanak Raingsei pagoda in Krakor district’s Kbal Trach commune, where he had planned to hold a celebratory event in commemoration of the 76th anniversary of Human Rights Day on December 10.

Veng said he had planned to celebrate the anniversary early because he would be harvesting his rice paddy the following week. After being barred from the pagoda, the approximately 40 participants held the event at a community member’s home.

Met Samol, Kbal Trach commune deputy commune chief, said the commune had not banned Veng from holding an event related to Human Rights Day. She said the commune asked Veng to first gain approval from district authorities.

“We have asked him to get permission from the district governor, but he didn’t go,” she said. “The commune level is low and officials dare not give permission.”

Another Kbal Trach commune resident, Loun Sivy, who planned to attend the event, said getting approval from district authorities was unnecessary.

“We are saddened that authorities prevented us from holding a human rights celebration [at the pagoda], it seemed like authorities discriminate against us,” she said. “We have done nothing wrong, and we have already informed the commune authorities, we do not need permission from district officials.”

Krakor district governor Liv Senghim and the Ratanak Raingsei pagoda chief monk could not be reached for comment.

Nguon Sarun, a commune clerk, said that the district authorities instructed Veng to invite commune officials to attend any events related to Human Rights Day but complained they had not been invited.

“If he [Veng] holds an event, please allow commune officials to join because we are the parents of the villagers,” he said.

Sarun said the commune had also requested all the event participants identify themselves in advance of the event but Veng had failed to provide this information.

“He [Veng] has a stubborn character and refused [to invite] commune officials to attend the event,” Sarun said. “He doesn’t cooperate well with the commune.”

Am Sam Ath, operations director for human rights group Licadho, said he was disappointed local authorities prohibited a community from holding a celebration of international human rights.

“The prevention does not show a good image and threatens and restricts the freedom of the community,” he said.

He added Cambodia had made no progress on improving human rights this year, even as international observers and national human rights groups called on the government to restore democratic norms and civic freedoms.

Katta Orn, spokesperson for the government-run Cambodian Human Rights Committee, said the Pursat authorities’ actions were justified because the event’s organizers had allegedly not followed proper protocol.

“The prevention does not mean to restrict citizens’ fundamental right to freedom of assembly,” he said. “The community had not correctly requested [the event].”

Chak Sopheap, executive director at the NGO Cambodian Center for Human Rights, said the Pursat authorities violated the fundamental right to freedom of assembly enshrined in the Cambodian Constitution.“The authorities are reminded that citizens are not required to request the authorities’ permission, but only to notify them of assemblies,” she said. “Critical voices continue to face intimidation, threats, judicial harassment, and sometimes physical attacks for expressing their opinions both offline and online.”

Chhim Sithar will remain in pretrial detention for incitement after the Phnom Penh Municipal Court turned down the casino union leader’s appeal for bail, a rights group said.

Sithar was arrested late last month after returning from an overseas labor conference.

Initially arrested in January over ongoing worker protests against NagaWorld, she was released on bail after promising she would stop participating.

Licadho, a local human rights NGO, said on Monday that its lawyer, who was part of Sithar’s legal team, had received a notice from the court today that she would remain in detention.

Sithar was rearrested at the Phnom Penh airport after returning from Australia. Authorities said she had been banned from traveling as part of her earlier bail conditions, but her defense has said they had not been told of the restriction.

Another of her lawyers, Sam Chamroeun, said he was busy Monday afternoon and could not immediately comment.

NagaCorp laid off 1,300 workers amid Covid-19 and is accused of union-busting for targeting labor leaders who the workers say should have been protected from termination.

More than 100 workers continue to resist their terminations as the protests against the Phnom Penh casino reach almost one year.

Dozens of protesters stood outside NagaWorld in orange prison jumpsuit-like outfits on Monday in support of Sithar, a live video by worker Mam Sovathin showed.

In addition to several union leaders like Sithar who still face incitement charges, some others have been questioned over an unclear NagaCorp court complaint about alleged breaking and entering. Unionists have also been summoned to testify over the company’s request for a court ruling on the protracted labor dispute.

Another NagaWorld worker was questioned by a Phnom Penh court on Tuesday in a case filed by the casino corporation, where very little has been made public about the events leading to the charges.

NagaWorld workers have been protesting against the casino corporation for firing more than 1,300 workers last year, with little more than 100 workers refusing to accept termination compensation. After months of strikes and protests, the casino corporation filed a court complaint against at least nine workers alleging breaking and entering, intentional damage and illegal confinement.

But workers say they are unclear what incident the charges are based on. Several workers who have already been questioned in the case said they were only shown photos of them standing outside the casino complex protesting.

Seak Panha, 32, appeared in court on Tuesday and was questioned for around 90 minutes. She was asked about her participation in the protests and if anyone ordered her to join the labor action. She said the investigating judge repeated these questions even though she gave the same answers.

She was also shown the photos of the protesters outside the casino on August 19 and 20 but said that she was not in any of the photos.

“The questions are to pressure the workers. For me, it is mental pressure,” she said after her questioning. “Taking the court procedures forward is like a mental threat to us to stop protesting against the Naga company.”

Unionist Nop Tithboravy said seven workers had been questioned in the case and two others were scheduled to be questioned on December 15 and 27, respectively.

Apart from the criminal charges, NagaCorp has also filed a civil suit to get a court to enforce its compensation package for workers. While most workers have accepted compensation, the Ministry of Labor said 124 have yet to take severance packages.

The court is still investigating charges against around a dozen NagaWorld union leaders and members, with union leader Chhim Sithar, who was on bail, arrested at the Phnom Penh Airport for allegedly violating her bail conditions. She had traveled to Australia for a labor conference but the court said she was not allowed to leave the country, as per her bail conditions.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is appalled to learn that Burmese reporter and political columnist Sithu Aung Myint has been given an additional seven-year jail term, bringing his combined sentence to 12 years in prison. RSF demands his release and sounds the alarm about the shocking recent increase in the severity of the sentences being passed on journalists in Myanmar. There seems to be no limit to how far Myanmar’s military junta is ready to go in order to crush press freedom. After being sentenced to three years in prison on 7 October, and then another two years on 24 November, Sithu Aung Myint, was given a further seven years on 9 December on a charge of sedition under Section 124 (a) of the criminal code. “The severity of the sentences imposed in a totally arbitrary manner on journalists such as Sithu Aung Myint is obscene,” said Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk. “The world cannot watch Myanmar sink deeper into terror in this way without doing anything. We call on Tom Andrews, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, to take action to toughen the international sanctions targeting Myanmar’s generals.” Kafkaesque charges Ever since his first conviction for “inciting crime” on 7 October, RSF has denounced the Kafkaesque nature of the charges being brought against Sithu Aung Myint, who was arrested on 15 August 2021.  His latest sentence came just nine days after freelance reporter Myo San Soe was sentenced to 15 years in prison on 30 November on charges of “terrorism” and “funding terrorism”. This is longest prison sentence that any journalist has received since the military retook power in Myanmar in a coup in February 2021. Two weeks before that, two journalists working for reportedly pro-junta online media – Win Oo and Zaw Min Oo – were jailed for asking difficult questions during an information ministry press conference. Since the military takeover, Myanmar has become the world’s biggest jailer of journalists relative to population size, according to RSF’s press freedom barometer. It is ranked 176th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2022 World Press Freedom Index, 36 places lower than in 2021.