Uwazi

On 31 March 2010, about 50 lawyers, accompanied by MPs, human rights activists and supporters gathered at the entrance of the Bukit Aman federal police headquarters here today to protest the alleged manhandling of a lawyer by policemen at the Jalan Duta Court Complex last week. The lawyers were enraged after lawyer Amer Hamzah Arshad, who was handling the drug possession case of actor Khaeryll Benjamin Ibrahim, better known as Benjy, on March 25 was physically restrained by several policemen. Amer had intervened and tried to seek an explanation from the police who had waited outside a courtroom to re-arrest Benjy, the son of actress Azean Irdawaty, who was charged with possessing methamphetamine and released on bail.

On 27 April 2010, journalist Kh. Namuun-Uyanga, of the "Ogloonii Sonin" (Morning News) daily, received a threatening phone cal. He was urged to stop reporting on alleged embezzlement by Lieutenant Colonel M. Bayarmagnai, deputy chief of the Patrol and Special Defense Department. The threat was madeby Bayarmagnai's lawyer. The journalist heads the paper's Investigative Department. She published an article in the paper's 11 September 2008 edition, issue #175, entitled, "Police Colonel Embezzles MNT 20 million". The article was based on information provided by Lieutenant Colonel Ts. Batbold, head of the Investigation Department of the State General Prosecutor's Office. Batbold explained that his department was investigating a swindling case involving Bayarmagnai. At the time, a number of daily newspapers, including "Zuunii Medee" (Century News), "Ardchilal" (Democracy) and "Ardyn Erkh" (People's Right), also published articles on the investigation. But Bayarmagnai named only "Ogloonii Sonin" in his lawsuit, as it was the first paper to report on the alleged embezzlement. The lieutenant colonel accused the paper of defaming him and asked for 10 million MNT (over US$7,000) from the journalist to "redeem his reputation". The journalist earns about US$200 a month. After reviewing the case on 19 October 2009, the Bayanzurkh District Court found the paper guilty of slander and defamation. "Ogloonii Sonin" was ordered to pay 2 million MNT in damages to the plaintiff and publish a retraction. The paper subsequently filed an appeal with the Capital City Court. The first instance court's ruling was upheld on 18 December 2009, when the newspaper was once again found guilty of defamation. However, the Capital City Court reduced the amount payable to the plaintiff from two million to one million MNT. Unhappy with the decision, Namuun-Uyanga appealed to the Supreme Court. While her appeal was pending, a criminal case involving Bayarmagnai was re-opened. The journalist then wrote to the Supreme Court asking that review of her appeal be postponed until the case was finalized by the State General Prosecutor's Office. Nevertheless, the Supreme Court upheld the court of appeal decision. Based on a request by Namuun-Uyanga, G. Davaakhuu, an attorney for Globe International, submitted a complaint to Supreme Court General Judge S. Batdelger in accordance with Article 1761 on the review of civil cases, opposing the decisions of the court of first instance, the court of appeal and the supervising court, all three of which found "Ogloonii Sonin" guilty of slander and defamation. Namuun-Uyanga has received a number of calls from Bayarmagnai, and most recently, from his lawyer on 27 April 2010. The lieutenant colonel has said he will withdraw his complaint if the journalist agrees to pay him one million MNT. Otherwise, he threatened to use all his powers and connections against her and the paper

The National Human Rights Commission of Thailand should immediately end its groundless inquiry of an outspoken commissioner, Human Rights Watch said today. Commissioner Angkhana Neelapaijit has repeatedly spoken out about Thailand's pressing human rights problems under the military junta. On April 30, 2019, the rights commission began a disciplinary inquiry of Angkhana, accusing her of political partiality. The inquiry was triggered by comments from Tuang Attachai, a junta-appointed National Legislative Assembly member, and a complaint filed with the commission by Surawat Sangkharuek, a pro-junta activist. The inquiry focuses on Angkhana's role in observing legal proceedings and documenting rights violations against opposition politicians and critics of the ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO). She faces possible impeachment. The National Human Rights Commission of Thailand, once considered a model for national human rights bodies in Southeast Asia, has faced interference from successive Thai governments since the first commissioners finished their term in 2009. The Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions and the United Nations Human Rights Council downgraded the commission's global ranking from "A" to "B" in 2015, revoking Thai commissioner's privilege to speak from the council floor and present their views during council sessions. The downgrade stemmed from the government's manipulation of the selection process for commissioners and serious questions about the commission's pro-government political bias.

Authorities in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Lam Dong and other localities were placing many local activists and their families under de facto house arrest before and during the Vietnam-US Human Rights Dialogue which was taken in the capital city on May 15. From HCM City, former prisoner of conscience and well-known lawyer Le Cong Dinh said he was forbidden to go out from May 13 as his private residence was surrounded by a group of five or six plainclothes agents. When he tried to go out, these men came to forcibly request him to go in. Mr. Hua Phi, a senior clerk of the independent Hoa Hao Buddhist sect, said his house in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong was under close surveillance of the local police from May 12. The family of prisoner of conscience Hoang Duc Binh was also watched by police officers. Many other activists or relatives of imprisoned activists in Hanoi, Thai Binh and other localities said they were not permitted to go out on May 15 and before.

The police defended their decision to fire on protesters on Wednesday, saying the demonstration was illegal. Hundreds of student demonstrators clashed with police in Menteng, Central Jakarta, as citywide protests marked the first anniversary of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's second term. Demonstrators burned tires and pictures of the president, and police responded with tear gas and warning shots. One protester, Restu Farel, 20, from Bung Karno University, was shot in the leg. Jakarta Police Chief Insp. Gen. Sutarman said on Friday the decision to open fire was made at the discretion of the officers at the scene. "It wasn't an order, it was left up to their discretion, which is granted to them under the prevailing laws," he said. He added the shooting was the correct thing to do as the protesters did not previously seek the police's permission for the rally. "If they'd officially notified us about the rally, we would have been able to better secure the area and prevent a clash," Sutarman said. The police chief also rebuffed allegations that officers at the scene had breached protocol by firing live rounds rather than rubber bullets. "While it's true that one protester was shot with live ammo, that shot wasn't fired by any of the 70 crowd-control officers we deployed there," he said. "None of them had firearms loaded with live rounds. The shot was fired by an officer who was helping the crowd-control unit at the time." He added the police's internal affairs unit is now investigating the officer, who he said "might have been from a subprecinct police station." "We're also taking eyewitness testimonies from the other demonstrators who were there," Sutarman said. "The investigation is still being processed." Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli Amar said the police formed a fact-finding team to investigate the incidents that led to the shooting. The team includes officers from the Jakarta Police's internal affairs unit, crime division and intelligence unit and the Central Jakarta Police headquarters. Sixteen officers have already been questioned, nine of whom were carrying firearms at the time of the incident, Boy said. He added police had also questioned two civilians, "both of whom are known to hang out regularly in the area." Police also plan to question several demonstrators "so that we get a balanced picture." "We're trying to piece together an accurate chronology of the events that transpired that day, from morning until 3:30 p.m., when the shooting occurred," he said. He added the fact-finding team would be objective in its task of uncovering how and why the shooting occurred. "We'll investigate this case objectively and we will be transparent with the probe. We will determine the accountability of both the officers and the demonstrators as we look at their actions," he said. Boy also said doctors had managed to remove the projectile from Restu's leg. "The projectile is now undergoing a ballistics test at the National Police's forensics lab." Meanwhile, the police have been criticized by politicians and activists for the shooting. House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Pramono Anung called the shooting unnecessary. "It was too much, even if they had used rubber bullets," he said. "The demonstration was within a reasonable scale. That the police opened fire, that was too much." Anis Matta, deputy House speaker from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), also condemned the police shooting. "There is an excessive paranoia from the government in dealing with the October 20 protest; the response was a bit too much," he said. Also on Thursday, Poengky Indarti, director of the human rights watchdog Imparsial, said the police should not have used armed force on the students. "They could have used a water cannon if they wanted to stop them, instead of harming the students," she said. "Police should have used a persuasive approach to the students instead of shooting them. This is totally incorrect." She said the shooting showed the police force was not an independent body.

Mushfiqur Rahman has been missing since the evening of 3 August, when he was last seen in CCTV footage getting on the back of a motorcycle-taxi. That was after leaving his office at Mohona TV at around 5 pm, dining with his uncle in the residential neighbourhood of Gulshand and talking with his wife, Salma Rahman, by telephone.

“I talked to my husband at 7:03 pm over the phone. He spoke normally,” she told the Daily Star newspaper. His mobile phone was turned off at around 9 pm.

Rahman’s mysterious disappearance occurred two weeks after he received a death threat by telephone on 22 July. In the complaint he filed the next day with the police in Pallabi, the Dhaka district where he lives, he mentioned his investigation into corruption involving several governors of an important secondary school in Comilla, a city 110 km east of Dhaka.

“You are from the press, you are not allowed,” a local Kashmiri news editor says Indian security forces told him yesterday at one of the dozens of checkpoints set up across the region.

Journalists aren’t able to report, it’s hard to move around, and many have been restricted from shooting videos or taking photographs, the journalist told CPJ via a messaging app. He is the only journalist that CPJ has been able to reach on the ground in Kashmir since the near total communications blackout in the region began on August 4. We are withholding his name for security reasons. “I fear that they will arrest journalists, especially those who will report what is happening,” he said.

What is happening is that the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken measures to toss constitutional provisions that underpinned Kashmir’s agreement to join India 72 years ago, removing the legal framework supporting its limited autonomous rule. The decision in the world’s largest democracy was made without asking the people of Kashmir—or even telling them. Authorities have set up military-manned checkpoints and concertina wire throughout the city of Srinagar. They’ve arrested key local political figures, according to news reports, but since they have also cut off any and all forms of communication, including landline phones, people in the region have no easy way, or any way at all, to find out.

India has had plenty of practice blocking communications, having frequently unplugged the internet in Kashmir and elsewhere, according to the Software Freedom Law Centre. But the move is only likely to exacerbate fear and frustration among Kashmiri people, who have long fought for self-determination. As reports of protests, injuries, and casualties trickle out, increasing the environment of uncertainty, accurate and verified information from Kashmir is crucial.

Over the past few days, we have attempted to reach any and all contacts we have in the region to get a better understanding via phone calls, emails, and messaging services, with little luck. One wire service reporter based in New Delhi told CPJ that photojournalists in Kashmir were having difficulty sending photos, so they have loaded them on flash drives and given them to people flying out of the region. He spoke on condition of anonymity given company policy. The Telegraph’s Srinagar reporter, Muzaffar Raina, reported that he typed out his reports on his computer, took screenshots, and sent them on a flash drive to New Delhi, from where they were transmitted to the newspaper’s office in Kolkata.

At CPJ we have had to largely rely on accounts of journalists who have left the region, aside from the one editor we were able to reach on the ground. Here is what the journalists told us:

The local news editor cited above, messaging with CPJ today:

I along with a few other journalists were thrashed by police on August 6th in downtown Srinagar near Khanyar after one of the photographers had clicked a photo of the barricade. They also took a photo of one of our ID cards, snatched cameras and phones, deleted photos and then also clicked photo of the vehicle plate.

And the same editor messaging with CPJ on August 6:

Hundreds of arrests are being made here and the communication is jammed. I guess the state would be keen on looking at what information goes out. I am writing several stories using prohibited network and I guess that could become an issue in a day or two. So please do take care of things if anything happens.

Freelance reporter Adnan Bhat, on a call over messaging app today from New Delhi, after leaving Kashmir:

Very few newspapers have published, but mostly being circulated late at night. Last night I saw copies of Greater Kashmir and Kashmir Uzma. Greater Kashmir, which usually comes out with 30-odd pages, is only printing five to six pages. Journalists had gone to the District Magistrate's office for curfew pass but they were asked to come back later. Even government officials are confused as it is not officially a curfew. In fact, it is easier to move around without a press card. If you tell the security personnel that you are a journalist, they try to stop you.

Ahmer Khan, a freelance reporter, told CPJ today on a call over messaging app, after leaving Kashmir:

When I tried to move around in Srinagar, I was stopped at barricades and abused by the security forces. I decided not to argue and took another route. Local journalists are not reporting because they are being constantly harassed.

The following are excerpts from published reports by journalists:

Deputy editor Muzamil Jaleel and reporters Bashaarat Masood and Adil Akhzer, Indian Express, yesterday:

For the past two days, the Indian Express reporters have been holed up in their office from where they walk around to meet residents and then return. In the office building itself, dozens of policemen have moved in, the corridors their temporary shelter … The press isn’t welcome. Most of the TV crew that have flown in are parked in a 1-sq-km area of Zero Bridge [a historical bridge connecting the Rajbagh and Sonwar neighborhoods] in the city. There is some easing of security here, on the road to the airport and the Rajbagh-Jawaharnagar stretch [neighborhoods in southern part of city] — this is the one that visiting TV cameras film. Elsewhere, roads are barricaded with spools of concertina wire and regular checkpoints with police and armed paramilitary personnel on patrol.”

Muzaffar Raina, The Telegraph, today:

The “curfew” in large areas means reporters have little freedom to move. The crushing information blockade, with mobile and landline phones shut down and Internet suspended, means they have no way to send their stories. The authorities have not issued curfew passes to journalists because officially there is no curfew.

In the Jammu region, where section 144, which restricts public meetings, is also imposed, journalists told CPJ there are restrictions on the media, though not as severe as in Kashmir valley.

Anuradha Basin, editor of Kashmir Times, told CPJ via messaging app and email yesterday from Jammu:

Within the Jammu region mobile data, and mobile communication was suspended and movement of journalists was restricted except for in the cities of Jammu, Samba, and Kathua ... Newspaper distributors have been stopped in some areas, particularly north of Jammu city.

Raqib Hameed Naik, reporter for the U.S.-based The Globe Post said in a call today over messaging app:

While journalists in some cities of Jammu are not facing major restriction, the same can't be said of Kishtwar and Doda districts in Chenab Valley. Some journalists here are being stopped and not allowed to perform professional duties by the security forces … Journalists in north and south Kashmir are facing the maximum brunt. They usually email their stories as they live in faraway places. In absence of internet, you can’t expect them to travel to Srinagar every day to file their stories. This is directly impacting the newspapers which are completely now dependent on Delhi-based agencies like IANS and PTI for news stories.

CPJ’s WhatsApp, text messages, and email seeking comment from police in Srinagar, the Home Ministry and the Information and Broadcast Ministry were not immediately returned.

Taipei, August 5, 2019—Hong Kong authorities should investigate reports that police fired tear gas canisters and rubber bullets toward journalists and ensure that the media can cover protests without fear of injury or arrest, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Lai Ka Wai, a freelance video journalist for Visible Record, a non-profit documentary organization, suffered a head injury and was knocked unconscious today when police fired rubber bullets and tear gas canisters at a crowd in the Sham Shui Po district during a protest against the proposed extradition bill according to InMedia and Hong Kong Free Press. Zhou Junfeng, a reporter from the newspaper Ta Kung Pao, was briefly detained after he pushed back against the police to try to give more space to the injured journalist, according to news reports.

In a separate incident at the protest, a video posted to Twitter today by Tom Grundy, editor-in-chief of Hong Kong Free Press, showed riot police using their shields to push him against a wall as he was walking away from police.

“Hong Kong police must take measures to ensure that journalists like Lai Ka Wai can do their work safely,” said CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Steven Butler, in Washington, D.C. “"To be clear: police need to take care not to hit journalists with rubber bullets or tear gas canisters, or use unnecessary force while taking crowd-control measures."

Lai was left unconscious and bleeding from his head, according to a statement that Visible Record published on Facebook. After emergency treatment, he regained consciousness and is in a stable condition, the statement said. Lai could not move his upper body at one point, after he was hit, the independent news website InMedia reported.

Lai is also a journalism student at the Chu Hai College of Higher Education, Hong Kong Journalists Association told CPJ. The student union and Visible Record both condemned the use of force by police.

CPJ has previously expressed concern about the use of force against journalists in Hong Kong, after police used batons and tear gas during protests on June 12.

On the evening of 11th August, the Hong Kong Journalists Association and Hong Kong Press Photographers Association received several reports of journalists being assaulted.

When a crowd was beating a man in black in North Point, a Ming Pao journalist attempted to approach and find out the details, but he was pushed away by the crowd and got punched on his left cheek as he tried to explain his intention.

Journalists of Stand News and RTHK were disturbed by a crowd in North Point during reporting. The journalist of Stand News was threatened with a stick and had his tripod seized abruptly; the journalist of RTHK was assaulted by the crowd. There were police officers present nearby, but they did not make any arrest.

Earlier today at around 17:45, several middle-aged men punched a journalist who was reporting outside Metropole Building. Police officers arrived and separated the journalist from the attacker and the passerby. Although the journalist has repeatedly identified the assaulter to the officers, police did not make any arrest.

We condemn the multiple cases of violence against journalists. The attackers must stop the use of violence. We are also enraged by the police’s failure to stop the assaults or make any arrests despite their presence. We solemnly request the police to explain their handling and conduct a comprehensive investigation, so as to make clear their no tolerance of violence to society. Assault against journalists is a violation of press freedom. We firmly believe that every journalist on the frontline should dutifully execute the duty of the fourth estate without inviolability.

Global Times’ journalist Fu Guohao was attacked during protests at Hong Kong International Airport on August 13. The International Federation Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) have condemned the attack, calling on the Hong Kong people to ensure the media are free to do their job.

According to the Global Times, which is a Chinese state run tabloid, Fu was ‘illegally seized and brutally assualted’ at Hong Kong Airport. According to reports, Fu was tied up and beaten after he failed to produce a press pass when questioned by protesters.

In a statement, HKJA said that they were disappointed by the attack on Fu and urged Hong Kong residents to show respect to journalists. HKJA also called on mainland journalists to show press credentials when covering the protests.

The IFJ said: “We stand in HKJA is reminding the citizens of Hong Kong to respect press freedom and the rights of journalists who are simply doing their jobs. We urge journalists in Hong Kong to carry their identification to ensure any misunderstandings are resolved quickly.”

We also urge the media to respect the wishes of those who do not want to interviewed or photographed.

On August 5, 2019, at about 1:30 p.m., more than 10 unidentified men abducted Eakachai at the Al Soleehin Mosque in Phatthalung province’s Ta-Mhod district as he was about to attend a public hearing on a rock quarry project planned for the province. Eakachai told Human Rights Watch that the assailants – all dressed in civilian clothes – seized him outside the mosque and pushed him back to his car, then ordered him to delete an audio recording of the incident on his mobile phone. They then seized his mobile phone, watch, and car keys, and forced him into their car.

The men took Eakachai to the Palm View Resort Hotel in Phatthalung province’s Pa Bon district about 13 kilometers away and held him there until the public hearing ended, around 4 p.m. Before Eakachai was released, one of the assailants threatened him, saying that he and his family would be in danger if he reported the abduction to the police. That man also told him not to return to the mountain villages in Ta-Mhod district again, saying that his activities had adversely affected the quarry project and the process of obtaining permission from the government. Eakachai reported the incident to the 9th Region Police in Songkhla province on August 13.

Journalists also reported that on the day of the hearing, conducted by Phatthalung province’s Provincial Industry Office, an unidentified man who claimed to represent the company behind the planned project intimidated local journalists and told them not to cover the public hearing at Al Soleehin Mosque. A complaint local journalists filed with the provincial governor said that the man told them the event was arranged only for supporters of the rock quarry project and that outsiders were not allowed to attend.

Eakachai is a prominent community rights activist and the secretary-general of Thailand’s Non-Governmental Organizations Coordinating Committee on Development for the southern region (NGO COD-South), as well as the former deputy leader of the grassroots-based Commoner Party. He has long been known for opposing mining and quarry projects, which he contends destroy local livelihoods and the environment, and for demanding accountability for such impacts.

The incident is yet another example of the Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-ocha’s government’s failure to fulfill Thailand’s obligation to ensure that all human rights defenders and organizations can carry out their work in a safe and enabling environment, Human Rights Watch said. Regardless of the government’s much-advertised “national human rights agenda” and the policy to promote business practices compatible with human rights standards, it has done very little to address physical violence, the use of strategic lawsuits against public participation, and various forms of intimidation used by both government agencies and private companies to silence those reporting human rights violations.

Authorities in Vietnam's northern province of Bac Ninh have arrested local anti-corruption campaigner Nguyen Viet Bang for his denunciations against senior bank officials, Defend the Defenders has learned. On May 13, the Security Investigation Agency of the Bac Ninh province's Police Department arrested him and conducted a house search of his private residence in Bac Ninh city. According to Hanoi-based lawyer Ha Huy Son, who participates in many political cases, said Mr. Bang, 60, is likely charged with "abusing democratic freedom" under Article 331 of the country's 2015 Penal Code. Mr. Bang will be held for investigation in the next four months at least, and he is facing imprisonment of up to seven years, if is convicted, according to the current Vietnamese law. Mr. Bang is a deputy director of Tien Du district's branch of the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies. He has submitted a number of denunciations accusing the Bac Ninh province branch's director named Doan Van Khai and his colleague named Nguyen Ba Binh of financial frauds and mistreatment of staff. The Communist Party of Vietnam which monopolistically rules the country for decades and its government have verbally encouraged people to fight against corruption. However, numerous citizens have been imprisoned or received reprisals after speaking out about state official's corruption. Last year, Bac Ninh convicted anti-corruption activist Do Cong Duong, sentencing him to a total 8 years in prison on charges of "disturbing public orders" and "abusing democratic freedom" in a trumped-up case in a bid to silence him. Banking is one of the most corrupted sectors in Vietnam where corruption is systemic and the country scored 33 points out of 100 on the 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index reported by Transparency International. Corruption Index in Vietnam averaged 28.04 Points from 1997 until 2018, reaching an all-time high of 35 Points in 2017 and a record low of 24 Points in 2002.

Nai (Mr) Tun Tun Win, one of the 14 former Thammakaset migrant workers from Myanmar in Thailand, today received a fresh criminal court summons to appear at Bangkok South Criminal Court on 5th June 2019 (10am). According to the summons, Nai Tun is charged by Thammakaset Co Ltd. under sections 326 and 328 of the Thai Criminal Code (offences defamation and defamation by publication). If found guilty of the charges filed with the Court, Nai Tun would be subject to a maximum imprisonment of s326. 1 year, s328 2 years and/or a maximum fine of s326. 20, 000 Baht and s328. 200,000 Baht.

Bilal Kagzi is a human rights lawyer in Gujarat who represents victims of police atrocities and custodial torture in Surat district. He filed five cases against Kosamba Police Station sub-inspector P.H. Nai and police constable Nilesh Bhojawala. The state human rights commission and the competent police authority took cognizance of these matters, but recently the police took moves to silence him. They registered a false and fabricated case against Kagzi, but he was not present at the place and time of the incident. Kagzi has video evidence to support his alibi and he presented such evidence to the investigating officer, but the police neither considered it nor registered it as part of the evidence.

Following the government-led internet shutdown in Indonesia’s eastern provinces of Papua and West Papua a journalist has been doxxed and harassed online. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Indonesia have condemned the attack on the journalists and called on the local authorities to ensure the media are protected as they work.

Victor Mambo, a journalist with Koran Jubi and jubi.co.id, as well as a member of AJI’s executive committee was harassed and doxxed online on Thursday, August 22, after the internet shutdown continued into a second day. In one tweet from user @antilalat Victor was linked to the Free Papua Movement (OPM) and accused of being an informer for Papuan lawyer, which was followed by a second tweet giving out Victor’s home address.

Doxxing refers to publishing private or identifying information about a person on the internet, typically with malicious intent. This is not the first time that Victor has been targeted online. The same user had threatened Victor in July, 2019.

On Saturday, Victor proceeded with an urgent appeal to UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, David Kaye, regarding the internet shutdowns in the provinces.

In a statement, AJI said that the harassment and doxxing of Victor are an attempt to intimidate him. As a journalist, Victor has done his job to report objectively and complied with the journalism code of ethics in his verification processes.

“AJI would also like to remind to the social media users as well as authorities that journalists on their duty are protected by the Law No.40/1999 on the Press. If anyone thinks there is incorrect journalistic material published in the media, the Press Law has the mechanism through right to reply and correction and filing of complaints to the Press Council,” AJI said.

The IFJ said: “The harassment and doxxing of Victor Mambo is a blatant attempt to silence critical voices, and intimidate him. He is a respected journalist and was simply doing his job, reporting of the current internet shutdown in Indonesia. We urge the Indonesian authorities investigate the ongoing attacks, and take steps to guarantee Victor’s safety.”

Prison authorities in Vietnam are refusing to send letters requesting a sentence appeal for democracy advocate and blogger Phan Kim Khanh, who is serving a six-year jail sentence for "spreading propaganda against the state." Speaking on Monday to RFA's Vietnamese service by telephone, his sister Phan Thi Tran said her brother had attempted to send a letter to the court in the northern city of Thai Nguyen shortly after Tet (Lunar New Year, Feb. 5). The letter was a request for an update on an appeal he had attempted to file earlier. An RFA story in February quoted Phan's mother as saying he had sent an appeal to the court but got no answer. At the time Phan believed his mail was being sent out, but this appears not to be the case, based on the statement by his sister. The 25-year-old student was arrested in March 2017 for "abusing rights to freedom and democracy to do harm to the state's interests and those of organizations and individuals" and was sentenced to six years in jail and four years of probation. Phan has complained about his treatment in prison. "Before Tet, they let him call home once a month but they didn't let him do it last month" said Phan's sister. "When he last called our father went to visit him 2 days later. [My brother] told him that from now on he wouldn't be allowed to call home and wouldn't be able to see the family. He also won't be allowed to get parcels from the family" she said, adding, "I'm very worried that he might face some danger." Ha Huy Son, the lawyer who represented Phan during his Oct. 25 trial, thinks that Phan's mail should be reaching the court. "His family said he asked for an appeal but the prison's authorities didn't pass his letter to the court. I think they need to look into this" said Ha. The lawyer said any effort to take legal action in this case would have to be without him, however. "According to Vietnamese law, after the trial, as a lawyer I can't do anything" he said.

On July 18, 2019, the Philippine National Police filed a complaint alleging incitement to sedition, libel, cyber libel, and obstruction of justice against Vice President Leni Robredo and 35 other people. Robredo was elected independently of President Rodrigo Duterte and leads the Liberal Party, the party of former president Benigno Aquino III. Concerned governments and donors should press the Duterte administration to end its persecution of critics of its murderous "war on drugs" Human Rights Watch said. "The preposterous complaint against the vice president and the others is a transparent attempt to harass and silence critics of President Duterte's bloody "drug war,'" said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "Threatening criminal charges against the vice president, outspoken bishops, and rights lawyers suggests that Duterte's egregious human rights record is catching up with him." Under Article 142 of the Philippines penal code, a conviction for incitement to sedition carries a maximum penalty of six years in prison. The complaint was brought against four Catholic bishops and three priests who have become increasingly critical of the Duterte administration, and a former education secretary and Lasallian brother, Armin Luistro. Others named were Chel Diokno, the president of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), and a human rights lawyer and FLAG official, Theodore Te. FLAG has assisted families of victims of "drug war" killings. Other members and officials of the Liberal Party were named, including Senators Risa Hontiveros and Leila de Lima, and the party's full senatorial slate in the May elections. Police filed the complaint after Peter Joemel Advincula, an admitted drug dealer, alleged that Robredo and others were plotting Duterte's ouster. In a video that Advincula claims to have filmed as part of the plot, a hooded man is shown accusing Duterte, his family, and close associates of links to the illicit drug trade. The Duterte administration had earlier denounced the allegation, calling Advincula's statement unreliable. The complaint accused the 36 people of "spread[ing] lies against the President, his family, and close associates, making them to appear as illegal drug trade protectors and how they earned staggering amounts of money." The Duterte administration has previously targeted political opposition figures and critics of the "drug war" Human Rights Watch said. In February 2017, it accused Senator de Lima of involvement in the drug trade. The accusation was based entirely on the testimony of convicted drug dealers that Human Rights Watch believes are baseless but later served as the grounds for her arrest and continued police detention. The government has likewise filed sedition charges against a former senator and Duterte critic, Antonio Trillanes IV, one of those named in the recent complaint. The government has brought criminal charges against activists critical of the "drug war." It has also carried out a campaign in mainstream media and social media to harass, vilify, and intimidate human rights defenders, clergy, and journalists, most notably the popular news website Rappler and its editor, Maria Ressa. It has accused many of these people of involvement with the communist insurgency. Criticism of the administration centers on the "drug war" killings that began soon after Duterte became president in June 2016. Since then, police and police-backed gunmen have summarily executed thousands of alleged drug dealers and users in mainly poor urban communities across the Philippines. The police have said they have killed more than 6,600 people who "fought back" in the anti-drug campaign, while estimates by domestic rights groups put the number executed at more than 27,000. In response to the situation, the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution on July 11, calling on the UN human rights office to present a comprehensive report on human rights in the Philippines in June 2020. "The sedition complaint looks like little more than a kneejerk reaction to the UN Human Rights Council's resolution on the Philippines" Adams said. "Friends of the Philippines should not stay silent when the administration retaliates against those promoting respect for human rights in the country."

Cambodian authorities Tuesday arrested Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) activist Mai Hongsreang, marking the 14th such arrest of activists associated with the banned political party. According to the Cambodian national police, Hongsreang was charged with insult and incitement for his activities on social media. Police spokesperson Lieutenant General Chhay Kimkhoeun confirmed the arrest, adding that the suspect was being questioned at the Ministry of Interior prior to his scheduled court date. The spokesperson also said the suspect had fled to Thailand but was arrested upon his return. Authorities told local news media that Hongsreang returned to organize "chaotic activities" within Cambodia. The CNRP issued a statement Wednesday demanding Hongsreang's immediate release. "The CNRP condemns the arrest of Mai Hongsreang and urge the authorities to release him and other activists immediately without any conditions" the statement said. "[We] also urge NGOs to monitor human rights abuses and continue to pressure [the] regime to halt persecutions and threats against CNRP activists" the statement continued. In an interview with RFA's Khmer Service, Hongsreang's wife Kea Sisokunthy said her husband was arrested for criticizing the government, but she maintained that he was innocent. "He dared speak the truth. He didn't commit a single crime. They are infringing on his free speech rights" she said. She confirmed that Hongsreang had fled to Thailand after he was tipped off that he would be arrested in May. The tipoff came shortly after he posted a comment on Facebook about infighting between Prime Minister Hun Sen and Interior Minister Sar Kheng. She said he had been in Thailand for several months before returning to Cambodia to visit a relative in Sihanoukville, where he was promptly arrested. Am Sam Ath, deputy director for the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), said authorities have been recently stepping up arrests against activists tied to the CNRP. "This arrest is a threat against the freedom of expression" he said, adding that NGOs are concerned over Cambodia's restrictions on internet freedom. Another CNRP activist, from Battambang province said he was concerned for his security after a local police office called him many times regarding a gathering of activists he organized. The others attending were also activists who had commented on Facebook about the possibility of Cambodia losing its Everything But Arms (EBA) status with the EU. The EU announced in February it would launch a six-month monitoring period to determine whether Cambodian exports should continue to enjoy tax-free entry into the European market under the EBA scheme, prompted by the Cambodia's Supreme Court banning the CNRP. Another CNRP activist from Battambang's Sampov Loun district said that police were spying on him and other activists daily. He said the surveillance was hindering his ability to travel. Officer Tith Samros of the district police force confirmed he had contacted the activists. "I wanted to know how many people were participating [in the gathering] and their intentions" he said. He refused to provide further details. Ying Mengly, Battambang provincial coordinator for the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC) said that people have the right to express their concerns over the prospect of losing EBA status. He said that police actions are a threat against the activists. "Police action has violated [their] basic human rights which are guaranteed by our constitution" he said. Police harass ADHOC in Koh Kong Province Meanwhile, police in Koh Kong province harassed ADHOC officials who were meeting with local villagers engaged in a land dispute in Sre Ambel district. ADHOC spokesman Soeung Sen Karuna said that police disturbed his team while they were in the process of interviewing the villagers. The police asked for the team's identification and monitored the interviews, compromising the freedom of what the interviewees could say. "This action was inappropriate" he said, adding that since ADHOC's establishment in 1992 they had never had any problems with authorities. In response to the claims by the ADHOC team, Sre Ambel Police Chief Ma Ty denied that his officers disturbed them. "If [the ADHOC team and the villagers] are innocent, they should have no reason to be afraid" he said. He added that authorities have a right to know what happens in the community. Chhoeung Reth, a villager who participated in the interviews said it was not the first time that police had disturbed the villagers. He said that in the past the police told them not to disclose information about land issues to rights groups. "We are afraid when uniformed police officers are looking straight at us" he said. Also on Wednesday, ADHOC released a report detailing a decline in human rights in Cambodia, particularly freedom of assembly. The report highlighted how in the past six months there were at least 71 cases where freedom of assembly was violated by authorities. The report also noted that police and local authorities required that organizers obtain permission for the gatherings. "These restrictions are a serious violation against human rights and democracy" the report said.

A jailed Vietnamese blogger currently awaiting trial for "abusing democratic freedoms" was transferred from prison to a mental hospital, his mother said on Thursday. Le Anh Hung, a member of the online Brotherhood of Democracy advocacy group, was arrested in July 2018 for violating article 331 of Vietnam's criminal code. If convicted he could serve up to seven years. While in prison, Le had notably refused to wear prison uniforms or allow himself to be handcuffed on the rationale that prior to sentencing he should not be treated like a prisoner. His mother, Tran Thi Niem, told RFA's Vietnamese Service in a phone interview Thursday that her son was taken to Central Mental Hospital 1 in Hanoi. "This morning, his brother, a friend and I went to see him [at the mental hospital,] but they would not let us" she said. "They told us that they have not they have not [completed initial] checks on him, so they couldn't allow us to see him. I only left some money for him" she said. RFA contacted the hospital for comment, but was not able to confirm Le was interned there. "Please understand, I don't know any Le Anh Hung" said Tran Van Dang, the mental hospital's human resources chief. "I'm not in charge of treatment. Please bring a letter from your organization here to verify if Le Anh Hung has been admitted here or not" he said. Nguyen Van Mieng, the lawyer representing Le, said he hasn't received any notice about his institutionalization. "I've met him twice [in prison]. He told me to meet him after the procuracy made their report on him because police reports about him were unclear" said Nguyen. According to the Vietnamese Political Prisoner Database website, Le Anh Hung had previously been detained in a mental facility in 2013. Nh"n D"n (the official communist party newspaper) reported he was also detained in 2009 on slander charges in Quang Tri province, but was released when authorities concluded there was not enough evidence. Le, a longtime critic of the Vietnamese government, has worked for many media outlets including Voice of America, a U.S.-funded broadcaster. Amnesty international called for his release immediately after his arrest in July, saying "Vietnam's government cannot keep using baseless charges and the threat of prison as a means of gagging its critics." The U.S. has long criticized Vietnam for its human rights record, marked by the suppression of basic freedoms, media censorship, and repression of worker's rights as well as its worsening record of arresting and imprisoning dissidents, bloggers and religious leaders. According to New York-based Human Rights Watch, approximately 150 to 200 activists and bloggers are serving prison time in Vietnam simply for exercising their basic rights UPDATE: On 6 April 2019, the HRD was eventually sent back to prison to await his trial.

Defend the Defenders: Authorities in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap have questioned the family of local prisoner of conscience Huynh Truong Ca about humanitarian supports it has been receiving from Vietnam's unregistered civil organizations and individuals in the country and abroad. On April 2, police in Hong Ngu district issued a summoning letter requesting Ca's daughter Huynh Thi Thai Ngan to be in the district police's headquarters on April 3 to answer police's questions regarding the financial supports his family has received from 50K Foundation, a charity foundation set up by Hanoi-based activist Nguyen Thuy Hanh. During the meeting, police officers threatened Ms. Ngan, saying she must not receive further supports from 50K Foundation and other sources. 50K Foundation was set up by Mrs. Hanh one year ago. Its beneficiaries mostly are prisoners of conscience and their families as well as activists-at-risk. Along with blocking economic activities of families of activists, authorities in their localities are striving to halt all support from other people in the country and abroad. In some case, plainclothes agents reportedly robbed families of activists when they went from banks after receiving supports.

According to sources on 18 April, 2019 at around 9.30 PM three police personnel in plain clothes reportedly from PGI police station and Aashiana police station of Lucknow and members of Special Task Forceforcibly entered into the office premise of Human Rights Monitoring Forum. The members of HRMF protested against the unauthorised entry of police personnel in their officeas the police personnel did not provide them any legal warrant for search and did notexplain their presence. Enraged by the protest,the police personnel started intimidating the members of HRMF and tried to threaten them for their actions and interventions in cases of human rights violation against people where police are involved. HRMFat presenthas been providing legal aid to victims of police abuses and on that particular occasion they were helping a victim of police violencenamed Mr. AvinashShukla who was being repeatedly threatened by the police. Sources say that the police was trying to pick up the victim and threatening to kill him in police encounter. The victim has asked for legal help from HRMF and organisation's legal team had taken up his case. HRMF members tried to explain the police that the organisation works for the protection of human rights legally, within the confines of constitution. They also explained to the police that it is not the intention of the organisation to work against the police, but it works to highlight the cases of violation of human rights of people and provide legal protection to them. When theHRMF members asked the police to show the official order or documents in support of their action against the organisation, the plain clothed police personnel told them they were from the police department and they could take any action for which they did not require any official order or permission. When HRMF members strongly opposed the police action, they left the place and threatened them with dire consequences if they continued to work against the police

The Election Commission (EC) has sued political activist Nuttaa Mahuttana and political critic Sirote Klampaiboon for allegedly libeling the agency. Sirote on Friday posted on Facebook that he had received a summons demanding that he and Nuttaa report to the police on Thursday, April 11. The complaint against the duo was filed by the EC's legal chief Nawat Boonsri, accusing them of co-defaming the agency. Sirote said it is the first time he has been summoned by the police and he wrote that he is perplexed how he had defamed the EC. "I'm confident when I spoke of the EC ... I always insisted that most of the criticisms against the agency were about the inefficiency in the operational level" he said. "It's never about the commissioners and never about accusing them of committing fraud." Nuttaa posted on Facebook that the charge may have stemmed from the special news programme on election day which the duo co-hosted. "This is the fifth summons I've got. And I have another suspect here - Sirote. So, this means that this stemmed from us doing our duty as media on election day" Nuttaa wrote. "I'm confident I have never been libelous. All I did was inform the people about the rules and regulations of the vote." Both said they would report to the police as requested.

Chinese authorities in the northern region of Inner Mongolia have detained two more group chat moderators on the social media platform WeChat after they took part in demonstrations in support of herding communities, a New York-based rights group said on Friday. Ethnic Mongolian herders Bai Xiurong and Altanbagan, were detained by riot police at the scene of a demonstration outside government offices in Urad Middle Banner on April 22, the Southern Mongolian Human Rights and Information Center (SMHRIC) said in a statement on its website. More than 100 herders from the banner, a county-like division, had gathered in front of the local government building to demand a meeting with Bu Xiaolin, chairman of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, who was on a visit to the area, it said. Around a dozen people were detained, while Bai and Altanbagan were "thrown into SWAT vehicles" and each handed a 14-day administrative detention sentence, which is handed down by a police committee without the need for a trial. "Bai Xiurong's sister was summoned yesterday ... She was forced to surrender Bai Xiurong's phone," SMHRIC quoted herder Tsetseg as saying in an audio message. "The [police] accessed her phone and wiped out all the WeChat discussion groups she maintained," he said. Since Bai's arrest, her disabled elderly parents, who need constant care, have been left unattended, and her livestock have gone without food or water, SMHRIC said. Herders also traded information about the detentions on WeChat, in spite of the group chat shutdowns, it said. "Some were released around midnight and the early morning of April 23 while [the rest of us] herders staged a sit-in outside the government building, demanding the immediate release of all arrested herders," an unidentified local herder said via the social media platform. Footage of the protest sent to SMHRIC showed hundreds of police arriving at the scene. One protester says in the video: "We are treated like animals. They rounded up us like fencing up livestock," he said. "Whoever comes to the government to express his or her opinion is arrested like this." Three writers detained The detentions come after authorities in the region detained three ethnic Mongolian writers for speaking out for their ethnic group in the face of action by Chinese government officials and companies. Tsogjil, 40, who hosted a number of discussion groups on the social media platform WeChat, was detained on April 16 in the regional capital Hohhot. He had been preparing to file an official complaint with the regional government on behalf of ethnic Mongolian herders in Heshigten Banner. O. Sechenbaatar, 68, was detained along with a herder named Baldan at a protest near Lake Dalainuur in the region's Heshigten Banner earlier this month. He has been placed under criminal detention on suspicion of "obstructing officials in the course of their duty," it said. Sechenbaatar had also hosted a number of WeChat groups to provide local Mongolian herders with a venue to discuss the pressing issues in their communities, including mining, environmental destruction, pollution, and herder's protests, SMHRIC said. Tsogjil had used one of his WeChat groups to rally herding communities to a protest outside the Heshigten Banner government, calling for Sechenbaatar's release. Both writers are being held at the Heshigten Banner Detention Center. Earlier this month, ethnic Mongolian author Lhamjab A. Borjigin, 75, stood trial on charges of "separatism" and "sabotaging national unity" at the Shiliinhot Municipal People's Court. For his book China's Cultural Revolution, published in 2006, Lhamjab gathered oral testimonies of survivors of violence against ethnic Mongolians during the Cultural Revolution, a task that took him 20 years. The book accuses the ruling Chinese Communist Party of state-sponsored genocide in the region, detailing torture techniques and detentions in a brutal campaign that claimed the lives of at least 27,900 people and imprisoned and tortured 346,000. Ethnic Mongolians, who make up almost 20 percent of Inner Mongolia's population of 23 million, increasingly complain of widespread environmental destruction and unfair development policies in the region. Clashes between the authorities or Chinese state-backed mining or forestry companies and herding communities are common in the region, which borders the independent country of Mongolia. But those who complain about the loss of their grazing lands are frequently targeted for harassment, beatings, and detention by the authorities.

Authorities in northwestern Cambodia's Battambang province summoned 12 members of the Cambodia National Rescue Party to court this week to answer charges they were still active in the opposition group dissolved by court order almost two years ago. Seven of the activists received their summons on May 1, with the others summoned the day before, Thong Saroeun - a member of the banned party in Battambang's Koas Krala district - told RFA's Khmer Service on Wednesday. "I will not be intimidated, and I will be happy to appear before the court to answer their questions" Thong Saroeun said, adding, "I haven't committed any crimes. I am a [Cambodian] citizen, and I have a right to be involved in politics." Also speaking to RFA, CNRP activist Sim Lao said he was surprised to receive the summons to appear in court, as he had committed no crime, and vowed to continue his support for the banned opposition group. In Sept. 2017, Cambodian authorities arrested CNRP President Kem Sokha on charges of "treason" and the Supreme Court dissolved the opposition group two months later, paving the way for Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling Cambodia People's Party (CPP) to win all 125 seats in parliament in the country's July 2018 general election. The CNRP has since reorganized outside the country, with opposition leader Sam Rainsy serving as acting president, and many members remain active at the grassroots level, voicing their political views on social media and in social gatherings. Sam Rainsy, who left Cambodia in November 2015, was appointed acting head of the CNRP in January while Kem Sokha remains in pre-trial detention under house arrest, and has vowed to return to Cambodia this year to lead the party's supporters in ousting Hun Sen. "I regard Sam Rainsy as my father, and I support him" Sim Lao said, speaking to RFA. "If my father returns, I will welcome him and accompany him home." Also speaking to RFA on May 1, Ying Mengly - Battambang provincial coordinator for the Cambodian rights group Adhoc - called the summons of the local CNRP members "politically motivated" adding that Hun Sen and Cambodia's ruling party are concerned that the opposition group may now regroup at home. "Their intention is to destroy the [local] CNRP structures so that the party's members can't reorganize" he said. Death in custody Meanwhile, Am Sam Ath - a senior investigator in the Cambodian rights group Licadho - called on authorities in Kampong Cham province to investigate the death in custody of the son of a CNRP commune chief in the province's Stung Treng district. Tith Ron, 26 and the son of CNRP member Eam Tith, died on April 17 in what police described as a fall in a jail restroom, though his body bore multiple bruises, raising fears he had been killed by jail guards. "Even though the prosecutor claims this was not a case of torture, the public has no faith in him, and there must be an investigation to examine the facts of this case" he said. Kampong Cham provincial governor Kuoch Chamroeun meanwhile denied that Tith Ron had been killed in detention, claiming the young man had died in an accident while drunk. "Our authorities are looking into this, but the other prisoners said that he simply fell down and died" he said. Reported by RFA's Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Richard Finney.

Authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong are repeatedly interrogating detained editor and labor activist Wei Zhili, his wife said following a recent visit by his lawyer to the detention center. Wei was initially detained in the provincial capital Guangzhou in January, while Wei and others were detained on March 20. He is currently being held under criminal detention at the No. 2 Detention Center in Guangdong's Shenzhen city. His wife, the feminist activist Zheng Churan, told RFA on Tuesday that Wei's meeting with his lawyer was monitored by police during the visit. "They met under police surveillance, with the police looking on and listening to everything they said," Zheng said. Editor-in-chief Yang Zhengjun and his colleagues Wei Zhili and Ke Chengbing, all worked for the Xinshengdai (New Generation) website at www.ilabour.net at the time of their detentions. All three had criticized life-threatening working conditions in some Chinese factories, via their website which focused on news affecting China's tens of millions of internal migrant workers. Zheng said Wei's mental state appears to be stable for the time being, though his head has been shaved like a prisoner, and he is forced to sleep on the floor. "He has to work longer hours in the warehouse because he is a new arrival, so he gets less sleep," she said. "He has also had a lot of interrogations." Forced confession fears During the interrogations, the questioning was mostly focused around Wei's efforts to help migrant workers with pneumoconiosis to pursue compensation claims. Interrogating officers had told me he was "stupid" to try to help the workers, Zheng said. "The police taunted him as dumb during his interrogations, saying that he clearly had a low IQ, and that that he wouldn't find it easy to get out again," she said. "Of course his parents are worried sick that he doesn't have enough clothes to wear, or that he is being bullied or beaten up so as to force a confession out of him," Zheng said. Wei's lawyer Fan Biaowen said Wei had undergone five interrogations at the time of their meeting. "They mostly asked him about the pneumoconiosis and his campaign for the workers' rights," Fan said. "I think his actions were very courageous, but they are charging him with hooliganism, which is a separate charge from picking quarrels and stirring up trouble." "Ke Chengbing is being charged with [picking quarrels and stirring up trouble], the same as the other guy [Yang Zhengjun]," he said. The London-based rights group Amnesty International has said Wei could be at risk of torture. Numerous disappeared activists Wei had helped several hundred pneumoconiosis sufferers from Hunan province to launch a compensation claim last November in Shenzhen after running out of money to spend on medical bills, his friend told RFA. The Paris-based press freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) last week called for the immediate release of Wei, Yang and Ke. Labor groups in neighboring Hong Kong also staged a protest outside the ruling Chinese Communist Party's representative office in the city, to call for the release of dozens of labor activists held by the Chinese government in recent months. Activists have also called for the release of more than 40 former workers at the Jasic Technology factory in Guangdong province and members of the Jasic Workers' Solidarity Group (JWSG), who were supporting them. At least 44 labor activists, students, and recent graduates of China's top universities have been "disappeared" or criminally detained since the nationwide crackdown on the Jasic labor movement, which started in July and continued with further waves of arrests and detentions in August, September, November, and January, the JWSG reported on its Github page. Among the "disappeared" are Sun Yat-sen University graduate and Jasic movement spokeswoman Shen Mengyu and Peking University #MeToo campaigner Yue Xin. Shang Kai - a former editor for the Maoist website Red Reference who was supporting the Jasic campaign - was released on "bail" under conditions preventing him from appearing in public. China holds the highest number of journalists in prison, with at least 60 currently behind bars, according to RSF. The country ranked 176 out of 180 in the 2018 RSF World Press Freedom Index.

On 30 April 2019, three facebookers known for posting about human rights issues in Vietnam were kidnapped. It has now been revealed that they are being detained at the police department.

According to sources, onApril 13, 2019, the Democratic Teachers Federation was planning to have an indoor meeting in solidarity with jailed veteran poet and activist Mr. Vara Vara Rao. When the said meeting was taking place, personnel of Telangana police barged into the NGO Bhavan, Hyderabad. As the police barged in, the Telangana NGO Bhavan buildingwas locked and upto two hundred teachers attending the meeting along with the speakers were detained. In a bid to stop teachers and common public from coming to the venue, the police even blocked the road connecting to the meeting hall.Themeeting was disrupted due to this action by the police .While some of those detained have been taken to Narayanguda Police station, another set of people have been taken to the Ramgopalpet Police Stationand yet another to Nampally police station. It is indeed noticeable that this arbitrary detention comes just days after Ms. Hemalatha, partner of Vara Vara Rao, penned an open letter to Mr. K. Chandra Shekhar Rao, Chief Minister of Telangana, calling upon him to express his opinion on the allegedly false cases foisted on Mr. Vara Vara Rao by the Union Govt. and Maharashtra Govt in the "Bhima Koregaon' matter.

The three journalists, Mohani Risal, Somnath Lamichhane and Javan Bhandari, who work for the news agency's English-language service, are under "investigation" in connection with the news item, the authorities confirmed on 14 May. The three RSS journalists were questioned about the dispatch they translated and circulated reporting that the Tibetan spiritual leader had left the New Delhi hospital where he was being treated and had returned to Dharamshala, the city in northern India that is the Tibetan exile community's capital. The investigation was ordered by information and communication minister Gokul Baskota, who said: "Dissemination of this report by the state-run agency, particularly during the president's state visit to China, is against Nepal's commitment to One-China policy." "These RSS journalists just did their job by reporting information of public interest" said Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF's Asia-Pacific desk. "It is not up to the Nepalese government to decide what can or cannot be published, and even less so to China's representatives in Kathmandu. We demand an immediate end to this investigation and we condemn this unacceptable interference, which violates the independence of Nepal's journalists." Speaking on condition of anonymity, an RSS journalist told the Kathmandu Post that a representative of the Chinese state news agency Xinhua visited the head of RSS, who then set up a committee to decide what action should be taken against the three journalists. The three journalists meanwhile insist that they circulated the report with the sole aim of informing, not with any political intent. The new criminal code that Nepal adopted last year contains major threats to press freedom. At the same time, officials have been employing an "anti-media rhetoric" which has been widely reproduced in the government's newspapers, radio stations and TV channels and which is also intimidating journalists. Nepal is ranked 106th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2019 World Press Freedom Index.

A General Diary has been filed at a police station in Dhaka over "threat by a militant group to kill' three eminent citizens. Rights activist Sultana Kamal filed the GD on Saturday, Dhanmondi Police Station OC Abdul Latif told bdnews24.com. The two others, who had received "death threat', are Dhaka University's history Professor Muntasir Mamun and Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee chief Shahriar Kabir. A militant group called "Lone Wolf' in its publication detailed possible ways to kill the three, OC Laatf said, citing the GD. Prof Mamun told bdnews24.com he was out of Dhaka and would also file a GD seeking security after returning home on Sunday. Shhriar Kabir said he had already written to Inspector General of Police Mohammad Javed Patwary seeking security for Kamal and Mamun. The "death threat' published by the militant group was being circulated on social media, Kabir said. "This is an alarming issue. The government really has no control over social media" he added.

Nha Trang City-based independent journalist Vo Van Tao has accused police officers from the Ministry of Public Security of kidnapping him in Hanoi in the evening of May 4, one day before the release of prominent blogger Nguyen Huu Vinh (aka Anh Ba Sam). In the late afternoon of last Saturday, Mr. Tao and his friend visited the family of Mr. Vinh. When they returned to his friend's house, Mr. Tao was abducted by a group of four guys in plain clothes. Two of them took Mr. Tao to a representative office of the Security Investigation Agency under the Ministry of Public Security located in Nguyen Gia Thieu street in the capital city. Two other guys blocked Tao's friend to prevent him from following his detained friend. In police custody, Tao was questioned about his visit to Mr. Vinh's family and his plan for Sunday when Vinh is released and comes back to the capital city. Police officers also robbed his cell phones and took him to his friend's private residence at 10.00 PM. They requested him to come back to collect his phone afternoon of the next day. However, police officers delayed returning and Tao collected his cell phone on the evening of Sunday. The abduction was made in a bid to discourage him from meeting with blogger Vinh whose blog Anh Ba Sam was very popular among dissidents and social activists. Mr. Tao is a well-known dissident in Vietnam's central region. He has participated in peaceful demonstrations to protest Vietnam's human rights abuse and China's violations of the country's sovereignty in the East Sea (South China Sea). He told Defend the Defenders that plainclothes agents were following him right after he landed in Noi Bai International Airport.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice on a petition seeking direction to the Centre to register an FIR against senior advocates Indira Jaising, Anand Grover and the NGO Lawyers Collective for alleged violation of rules related to receipt and use of foreign funds. A bench of Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Deepak Gupta issued the notice on a plea by "Legal Voice', a Delhi-based "voluntary organisation of lawyers", which also sought a court-monitored probe into the matter by a special investigation team. The petition referred to the two government orders dated May 31, 2016 by which the NGO's registration under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) was suspended and November 27, 2016 order by which the registration was cancelled. It said that "conjoint reading" of the facts in the two orders makes it "evident that apart from violating the provision of FCRA 2010, the acts of commission and omission as stated in the-orders also constituted separate and distinct offence". Hence, it submitted, "it was incumbent on the Respondent No. 1 (Union of India) to report and register the same as to set the criminal law machinery in motion to reach to the bottom of the truth." The petition, filed through advocate Surender Kumar Gupta, stated that Legal Voice was constrained to approach the court as the Centre had not investigated the alleged offences. The plea referred to alleged receipt of funds during the period when Jaising was Additional Solicitor General of India and said this added to the gravity of the matter. According to the petition, it is "clear" from the orders that in violation of FCRA respondents no. 2 and 3 (Jaising and Grover) acted to influence the "democratic process of the country by unauthorisedly lobbying with Members of Parliament and (the) media for passing of certain legislation and to influence policy decisions". The petition stated that it is "clear from the (May 2016) order that Respondent, 2 (Jaising), while functioning as Additional Solicitor General for Union of India from July 2009 to May 2014, received an admitted remuneration of Rs 96.60 lakh." The petitioner contended that "it is impermissible in law for a law officer of the country to remain on rolls of (a) private entity being paid out of foreign contribution for undisclosed purpose-" UPDATE: On 26 June 2019, criminal charges were filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) relying on an investigation report of January 2016 of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The MHA report has been challenged by Lawyers Collective in January 2017 and the case is under consideration by the High Court of Bombay. UPDATE: On 11 July 2019, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) carried out searches at homes and offices of Supreme Court lawyer Indira Jaising and her husband Anand Grover in connection with an alleged violation of foreign funding rules for their NGO Lawyers Collective.

Chinese Human Rights Defenders - May 30, 2019) On the eve of the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre, Chinese authorities took into custody a number of activists and netizens in an apparent attempt to silence any expression or thwart any action aimed at commemorating the victims and mark the anniversary. Several artists on a "national conscience exhibit tour" have gone missing, feared to have been detained. Authorities stepped up online policing and summoned users for questioning on their comments about politically "sensitive" topics, like activist Zhou Weilin, who though released has had his phone and computer confiscated. Activist and former participant in the 1989 protests, Wang Debang, was also summoned for questioning and interrogated about his plans for the anniversary The government's pre-emptive strikes against anyone trying to mark the 30thAnniversary had started in early May. So far, we have documented a number of cases involving individuals either detained or forced into disappearance, including forced travel, in connection to the anniversary. CHRD urges the Chinese government to immediately and unconditionally release them. This year's pre-June 4thcrackdown continues a 30-year long campaign by the Chinese government to try to erase the memory and rewrite the history of the bloody military suppression of peaceful unarmed protesters and residents of Beijing and other cities on June 3-4, 1989. The Chinese government has systematically curtailed citizen's exercise of their rights to freedom of expression, information, press, peaceful assembly, and association in discussing or commemorating or obtaining information about the 1989 movement and Tiananmen Massacre. Against tremendous pressure and personal risk, many Chinese have spoken up and kept the Tiananmen memories alive. In April, Chengdu authorities convicted four activists of "picking quarrels" after holding them for three-years in pre-trial detention on "endangering state security" charges for their role in producing and sharing photos online of a wine label referring to June 4th 1989 to mark the 27th anniversary in 2016. In November 2018, a Zhuhai court sentenced activist Li Xiaoling to three years in prison, suspended for five years, after she shared a photo of her holding a sign in Tiananmen Square to mark the anniversary in 2017. Each year, around this time, the government has taken strict measures to silence its critics and prevent any public expression of mourning. These measures include taking activists on "forced travel" putting them under house arrest, or surveillance, and censoring words on the Internet like "Tiananmen" "June 4th" or "massacre." The government has also targeted leaders and participants in the 1989 movement and subjected them to harsh persecution. One example is Liu Xiaobo, the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner, who died in 2017 in police custody while serving an 11-year sentence. Several are currently incarcerated for their post-1989 advocacy for human rights, rule of law, and democratic reforms. We have documented 19 cases involving 1989 leaders and participants currently in detention or imprisoned in China for their post-Tiananmen activism. Since early May, authorities have detained, disappeared or forced to travel several Chinese apparently in connection to the approaching 30thanniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre. Additionally, several others have been taken in for questioning or put under de facto illegal house arrest. Below is a list of the cases we have tracked: 18 individuals who have been detained/disappeared/forced to travel; and 9 individuals known to have been questioned or put under house arrest, for a total of 27 individuals known to be affected, though the true number is likely higher.

15 activists, including Jatupat "Pai Dao Din" Boonpattararaksa, have been summoned to Pathumwan Police Station on sedition charges filed by Col Burin Thongprapai, says Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR). TLHR reported that the activists were charged on the basis of an incident on 24 June 2015, when the activists attempted to bring charges against the police for using unnecessary force to crack down on activist's peaceful commemoration of the coup's first anniversary in front of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. On that day, the activists were also joined by the Dao Din group, students from various institutions, and members of the public, who gathered in their support. Panupong Sritananuwat, a former member of the Dao Din group, said that a summons was delivered to his house on 12 May, ordering him to report to Pathumwan Police Station on 21 May to face accusations of "making an appearance to the public by words, writings, or any other means which is not an act within the purpose of the Constitution or for expressing an honest opinion or criticism in order to raise unrest and disaffection amongst the people in a manner likely to cause disturbance in the country or to cause the people to transgress the laws of the country" and "an assembly of ten persons upwards, which do or threaten to do an act of violence, or do anything to cause a breach of the peace" under Articles 116 and 215 of the Criminal Code. "It's been almost four years and the charges have just arrived. And obviously this is another spasmodic attempt by the NCPO to use the law to silence people" posted Chonticha Jangrew, who also received a summons, on her Facebook page. The list of activists summoned also included Jatupat "Pai Dao Din" Boonpattararaksa, who was released from prison just last week following a royal pardon, and Rangsiman Rome, now a Future Forward party-list MP. The summons recorded that the charges were filed by Col Burin Thongprapai, the NCPO's legal officer, who has also previously filed the same charges against the Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit. The 14 activists were accused over the same incident as Thanathorn. "As I have said many times, these unfair actions do not happen only to me, but they are being used systematically to silence or destroy political dissidents. I would like to call for every citizen to not give in to injustice and to come together to fight for what is right, for the freedom of [the activists] and the people. When Thai society returns to true democracy, the Future Forward Party will try our best to erase the consequences of the military coup and return justice to everyone who fights for democracy" Thanathorn wrote on his Facebook page.

Ekkachai Hongkangwan, a well-known political activist, has been assaulted for the 7th time in front of the court. Ekkachai Hongkangwan, a political activist, posted on Facebook at 9 am that he was assaulted by 4 men wearing motorcycle helmets in front of the Ratchada Criminal Court. His picture shows bruises on his face and injuries to his hand. At 11.20 am, Ekkachai posted that he went to Paolo Hospital where his right arm was put in a splint as shown in another picture. He also said he had to pay 5,000 baht without getting reimbursed. Anurak Jeantawanich, his fellow activist, said Ekkachai arrived at Dr. Panya General Hospital, where he can access his healthcare coverage, at 3 p.m. Nattaa Mahattana, Ekkachai's fellow activist, said they went to the Court together after they had been charged over a campaign calling for elections in Thailand. Nattha said she saw Ekkachai hit right after he stepped down from the bus. She went to report the incident at Phaholyothin Police Station. According to Siam Rath, Pol. Lt. Songkran Sisuk, Deputy Inspector of Phaholyothin Police Station, said he has received the report and started an investigation at the crime scene. Anurak Jeantawanich, Ekkachai's fellow activist, who earlier was also assaulted in his own house, posted on Facebook that a bone in Ekkachai's right hand and his ninth rib were fractured. Several footprints were also found on Ekkachai's white shirt. His supporters campaigned on Facebook for donations in support of Ekkachai. But his political opponents ridiculed the assault by posting in the comments section of Ekkachai's Facebook page a money transfer slip showing a donation of 0.01 baht and asking if the activist arranged the assault himself in order to earn money. Rangsiman Rome, an MP of the Future Forward Party, posted on Facebook calling for the police to take serious action in order to prevent this from becoming a new normal. This is the seventh time Ekkachai has been physically assaulted for opposing people in power, excluding two arson attacks on his car putting it beyond repair. In 2013, he was imprisoned for 2 years and 8 months for violating the l'se majest" law by selling CDs of an ABC documentary about the then Crown Prince and Wikileaks documents.

Reports from northwestern Pakistan indicate that the authorities have arrested a journalist and 22 activists of a civil movement campaigning for rights and security for Pakistan's Pashtun minority. The arrests took place amid calls by domestic and international human rights watchdogs for probes into the recent violence involving the group. On May 28, Pakistan's Independent Urdu news website reported that journalist Gohar Wazir had been arrested along with 22 activists from the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) in the northwestern city of Bannu. The city is the administrative hub of a district by the same name that borders the North Waziristan tribal district, where the PTM says the Pakistani military killed 13 of its supporters on May 26. The Pakistani military, however, blames two PTM lawmakers for leading an attack on their checkpoint in Khar Qamar. The military said at least three people were killed when soldiers opened fire on attackers in the remote region near the border with Afghanistan. Requesting anonymity because of a possible clampdown, several PTM activists confirmed to Radio Mashaal that 20 of their comrades, including several leaders, were arrested in Bannu. A police official also confirmed the arrests. Another PTM leader told the BBC that the movement's supporters are facing a wider government crackdown across Pakistan. Roofan Khan, a local journalist, told Independent Urdu that Wazir and the PTM activists were moved to a prison in Haripur, a town nearly 400 kilometers north of Bannu in the same province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. "I don't know why my brother was arrested, but I feel it was connected to the PTM" Wazir's brother Anwar Kamal told Independent Urdu. On May 27, Wazir had interviewed PTM lawmaker Mohsin Dawar. In YouTube videos posted by Wazir, Dawar offered his account of the May 26 incident. Dawar claimed the military had fired on the group soon after it reached the protest site after crossing two military checkpoints in Khar Qamar. He said 13 PTM protesters were killed while scores more were injured in the shooting. But in a press statement on May 26 the military said troops had responded to "direct firing" at the post, killing three attackers and wounding 10 others after a group led by lawmakers Dawar and Ali Wazir attacked the Khar Qamar checkpoint. The military acknowledged arresting Ali and said Dawar was at large. In another statement on May 27, the military said it was trying to identify five more bodies found with gunshot wounds near the site. But the PTM's supporters rejected the military's version of events. Activists staged protests in several towns and cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the neighboring southwestern province of Balochistan to demand an independent probe into the killings. In Peshawar, senior PTM leader Rahim Shah told the BBC that since May 26 many PTM activists have been arrested across Pakistan. The authorities, however, have said nothing about the arrests or a current crackdown against the movement. Speaking to the BBC from Miran Shah, the administrative headquarters of North Waziristan, Dawar said they have already launched a sit-in protest. "We will decide on our demands after our comrades reach here, but we will definitely demand that the Pakistani Army must leave Waziristan" he said. But Pakistani and international media reports suggest the authorities are not allowing PTM supporters to join the protest in Miran Shah by blocking access to the region through the only road connecting it to Bannu. The region is also under a curfew that prohibits any movement. According to VOA's Deewa Radio, the authorities also imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code in neighboring South Waziristan tribal district. This law is often invoked in Pakistan to prevent protests and political gatherings. Global rights watchdog Amnesty International (AI) and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), a domestic nongovernmental rights group, have called for an independent probe. "HRCP demands the release of MNA Ali Wazir and any other activists taken into custody" the HRCP said on May 27. "It also calls for a parliamentary commission to be set up immediately to inquire into the matter and establish the truth." AI backed the call. "The Pakistan government must immediately order an independent and effective investigation into the killing of activists on Sunday in North Waziristan" said Rabia Mehmood, an AI South Asia researcher. "If the reports are correct that the army killed protesters by unlawfully using live ammunition, this would be a very serious violation of international law." The violence is one of the most serious incidents in a long-running confrontation between Pakistan's powerful military and the PTM. The movement emerged last year to demand Islamabad probe illegal killings, enforced disappearances, and other excesses while taking steps to clear landmines from the country's western Pashtun regions along the border with Afghanistan. With some 35 million people, Pashtuns are the largest minority among Pakistan's 207 million population. PTM leaders maintain that Pashtuns, particularly those living in the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), paid a heavy price for Islamabad's domestic war on terrorism after 9/11. Officials and independent observers agree that Pashtuns were a majority of the more than 70,000 civilians killed in militant attacks and military counterinsurgency campaigns since 2003. The conflict has also displaced more than 6 million Pashtuns in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA. The PTM maintains that it is speaking out on behalf of such victims. But in a veiled reference to neighboring India and Afghanistan, the military accuses the PTM of being funded by foreign spy services. Military leaders have accused the movement of stroking unrest in the Pashtun homeland after the security forces defeated the Pakistani Taliban. The PTM rejects the military's accusations and says it is struggling to gain basic human rights for the Pashtun people after they have suffered years of conflict between the security forces and Islamist militants.

Government propaganda machine Philippine News Agency is misleading the public and falsely reported that PAHRA's operation as NGO is illegal because its Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) registration has been revoked. In its continuing attack on civil society, the Duterte administration, now through the SEC named PAHRA along with other human rights and sectoral organizations as communist supporters. In fact, the Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates re-filed and was duly registered again with the SEC since 2010 and this registration information is publicly available. It has been operating legally without encumbrances save for those which government levies on its critics. PAHRA has served for more than thirty years empowering sectors and grassroots communities to improve their lives through human rights advocacy. It has worked with the international community to strengthen human rights implementation and accountability worldwide; and cooperated with academic, legal, and government agencies including the Commission on Human Rights on numerous projects. SEC's press release finally sheds light to the true objective of the recently issued SEC Memo Circular 15 Series of 2018, purportedly to protect NPOs (Non-Profit Organizations) from terrorists and money laundering financing abuse by assessing the level of risk of NPOs. The risk assessment is supposed to start when all NPOs have submitted their profile by July 31, 2019. It's incredible that PAHRA and other NPOs have already been rendered judgement. The SEC is being used by Duterte to target these organizations as he targets the church, independent media, strong women and political opponents, with a single aim to debilitate any and all voices of criticism. PAHRA is not connected in any way to the CPP nor the NPA. The real agenda why the SEC is acting as an intelligence bureau making this claim is to march to the beat of Duterte's authoritarian cadence- to silence PAHRA, its partners and network, and all those raising the alarm about the dangerous path onto which this administration is taking the country. The government's action is a retaliation to the consistent and comprehensive opposition of PAHRA to government policies at the outset, including the war on drugs, martial law, TRAIN law, contractualization, mining law, charter change and all other "kill bills" that Congress has enacted. Protecting and defending human rights is first and foremost, government's legal obligation. As long as government itself continue to violate this mandate it is the people who will rise time and again to demand a rights-based governance towards the realization of social justice and human rights for all.

Vietnam's security forces have detained four former prisoners of conscience named Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong, Nguyen Thi Truc Anh, Ho Cong Di and Vo Nhu Huynh after they returned from a tour in the neighboring country of Cambodia, Defend the Defenders has learned. According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Vui, the older sister of sisters Phuong and Anh, the security officers held the group of four activists, Huynh's mother and 5-year-old child after they entered Vietnam from Cambodia via the Moc Bai International Bordergate in the southern province of Tay Ninh in the early morning of May 27. During the detention which lasted around 36 hours, security officers questioned the group, asking where they had been and which activities they had done in Cambodia. It seems that the Vietnamese security forces suspect they may have attended a training course which is reconsidered by security forces as harmful for the regime. On the same day, security forces also detained independent journalist Le Thu when she was walking near the border gate, taking her in custody for questioning. Police officers accused her of illegal travel to Cambodia but she denied, requesting the security forces to prove solid evidences for the allegation. Police confiscated all cell phones of the detainees, not allowing them to contact with their families to inform them about their situation. After one night and many hours of interrogation, police released all of them in the late afternoon of May 27 after confiscating an Iphone 6plus cell phone and a laptop of Ms. Thu and two laptops of others. Phuong, Anh, Di and Huynh were arrested on June 10, 2018 while participating in the peaceful demonstration in Bien Hoa city, Dong Nai province to protest two bills on Special Economic Zones and Cyber Security. The first one seems to favor Chinese investors and ignore the country's sovereignty while the secone bill aims to silence online critics. In a trial on July 30, they were convicted of "disturbing public disorders" and the first three were sentenced to ten months while the last was given eight months in prison. They were released in February and April this year. The four, together with 18 others in their case, were listed as prisoners of conscience by NOW! Campaign, a coalition of 15 domestic and international rights groups working for the release of all prisoners of conscience in Vietnam.

Fidelina Margarita Valle, a columnist with Davao Today, was at the Laguindingan Airport in Misamis Oriental province, about to board a flight when he was detained by officers from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG). She was detained for nine hours in Pagadian City, about 200 kilometres away from Laguindingan Airport. Upon her release, the CIDG admitted that the arrest was the result of mistaken identity. This has been denied by many human rights organisations who have called detention a targeted and politically motivated form of harassment. The CIDG officers arrested Valle at 10.30 am using the warrant issued against Elsa Renton, who uses the aliases Tina Maglaya and Fidelina Margarita Valle, a subject of a manhunt for several crimes. The arrest warrant for arson was issued in 2006, whilst the warrant for multiple murder with quadruple frustrated murder and damage to government property was issued in 2011. Valle was on her way back to Davao City after attending a workshop-training in Cagayan de Oro. Valle is well-respected journalist in the Philippines, working as a journalist since the 1980s and actively reporting various issues in Mindanao. She is one of the pioneers of Media Mindanao News Service. She then became an administrative officer for MindaNews in 2001 and a writer for Sunstar Davao until 2018. Besides journalist, Valle is also actively involved in community development work and advocating for human rights in Mindanao. NUJP has considered the arrest of Valle not a lawful operation but a criminal abduction of a journalist. NUJP added that the abduction could have had dire, even fatal, consequences. The organisation has demanded the police and military personnel involved in this inexcusable travesty and their superiors be prosecuted and punished to the fullest extent of the law. "How else do authorities explain why Ms. Valle was held incommunicado for hours even as the police issued a statement saying she was facing multiple crimes from a decade ago, only to admit they had the wrong person? This is the equivalent of shoot now, ask questions later" NUJP said. The IFJ said: "The arrest of Valle has been added to the growing list of violence against journalists in the Philippines. The abuse of critical journalists has become the new normal. It should not. A full investigation into why these officers arrested her should be undertaken. We also call the authorities to respect the rights of journalists and stop all the types of intimidation of journalists." The family of journalist Margarita "Gingging" Valle, who was recently arrested by the police in Misamis Oriental, said today that she was a "clear state target" and that her detention was not a case of mistaken identity as the police claim it to be. In a statement posted on the Facebook account of Margarita's son Rius Valle, the family said that she is now safe but will have to undergo a medical check-up and debriefing as soon as possible.

Sirawith "Ja New' Serithiwat was assaulted on the night of 2 June at Ratchada Soi 7, near The Street department store. He said at least 5 perpetrators assaulted him with kicks and a wooden stick.A charity foundation sent him to the Police Hospital and then transferred him to Mission Hospital where he has medical coverage. Sirawith suffered injuries to his shoulder, head, and face. He will stay one night in the hospital to monitor the seriousness of his head injuries.However, his mother said that the medical fee of 800-1,000 baht cannot be covered for some reason. Staying one night in a private ward means other 2,600 baht has to be covered. Nattha Mahatana said that on that evening, Sirawith was collecting signatures to back up his petition to the unelected 250 senators not to support Prayut Chan-o-cha to be the Prime Minister. This is that first time that Sirawith has been assaulted. However, it is not the first time for other activists. Anurak Jeantawanich has been attacked twice and Ekkachai Hongkangwan 7 times (excluding his car being torched twice). So this incident is already the tenth assault against activists in the last two years. Last week, both Ekkachai and student activist Parit "Penguin" Chiwarak also said that they have been threatened. Ekkachai said that he received a Facebook message saying that someone has ordered him dead, and Parit posted a recording on Facebook of a phone call verbally abusing him and threatening physical harm.

Noted academic and civil rights activist Ram Punyani has received threat calls and abuses from unidentified callers at night on his residential phone line on the night of Thursday (June 6) following which he has filed an FIR with the Mumbai police. Ram Punyani, a former professor at IIT-Bombay, is a well-known rationalist who has been conducting workshops and lectures all across the country to propagate communal harmony. This was the second time that Punyani received threats. In March, policemen in plain clothes had visited his residence on the pretext of making inquiries regarding his passport he had never applied for. Such inquiries are usually conducted by policemen in uniform. He has submitted CCTV footage of these plainclothes men. On last Thursday, he got a call on his landline at about 8.30 pm which was received by his brother-in-law. The caller was abusive and aggressive and kept alleging that Punyani was anti-Hindu. The caller threatened that Punyani must stop his activities or face consequences. The caller said Punyani must leave Mumbai in 15 days. Five minutes later, there was another call which Punyani received. Once again, using a very menacing tone, the caller demanded to know if he was speaking to Punyani. When Punyani declined, the caller hung up. But this time the caller's number could be identified. "This is extremely concerning and disturbing. My family is worried about my safety. I hope the authorities take this seriously. This is not the first time that I have faced such intimidation" Punyani said. The threat becomes all the more grave in view of the murders of other rationalists like Govind Pansare, Narendra Dabholkar, Gauri Lankesh and M.M. Kalburgi by right wing assassins.

As over a million people took to the streets of Hong Kong to protest the government's controversial extradition bill on June 9, a number of journalists were blocked and barred from covering the protests. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) have condemned the actions of police in obstructing the media in covering the protests. According to HKJA in the early hours of June 10, police started moving protesters who remained outside the Legislative Council building. Several journalists were also in the area covering the protests, local police referred to the media as "rubbish', pointing their flashlights at the cameras so they couldn't film and pushed the journalists on the metal barriers. Several journalists were injured in the incident, and a photographer was hit by debris thrown by protesters at the police. A few hours after the initially incidents, the police expelled the media from the area shouting at them "reporters have no privlege'. Police officers continued to harass and assault journalists covering the protests, despite them producing press cards. HKJA strongly condemned the actions of the police. In a statement HKJA said: "The police's actions ignored the personal safety of journalists, seriously trampled on the right to interview, and [we] urged the police to investigate the incident and provide a reasonable explanation." The protests in Hong Kong were against the government's proposed Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, which allows the transfer of "fugitives" from Hong Kong to Mainland China. The proposed legislation has been widely criticised, including by the IFJ and HKJA. The proposed amendment, will put journalists and whistleblowers under threat when reporting on issues related to China, dealing a further blow to the already limited freedom of express that Hong Kong still enjoys. The IFJ said: "We stand in solidarity with HKJA and our colleagues in Hong Kong in condemning the actions of the police to obstruct, harass and attack the media for simply doing their job. Journalists and media workers must, in all circumstances, be able to report without fear or intimidation, yet the actions of the Hong Kong police do not support this. Even more concerning is reports that the police told the media that they do not have any privilege. We demand an immediate investigation."

An activist supporting Cambodia's banned opposition party has been detained on charges of violating forest protection laws, though his wife says the arrest was politically motivated. Nem Nath was taken in by police in Pursat province on Thursday, his wife Srey Saoroth told RFA's Khmer Service on Friday. She said the authorities unfairly targeted her husband because he supports the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP), the main opposition of Prime Minister Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) until the Supreme Court dissolved the CNRP in 2017. "He's a CNRP supporter. He is known publicly for supporting them" she said. "[He] didn't incite any villagers to commit any crimes. I want the court to release my husband because he is the bread winner. We can't live without him" she said. RFA was unsuccessful in an attempt to reach a spokesman of the provincial court in Pursat for comment. Kem Kimsrun, the Pursat provincial coordinator for the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), confirmed the arrest, saying the case was definitely politically motivated because Nem Nath was not involved in any illegal encroachment on public land. "The activist is with the CNRP and he refused to defect to the CPP. The arrest has put the family under undue hardship" he said. The coordinator said that in the past Prime Minister Hun Sen had ordered local police in Veal Veng district to monitor CNRP activities in the district after he accused them of engaging in politics despite the party's ban. "It is [no more] than political intimidation for the sake of the ruling party. But doing this won't help the government" said Kem Kimsrun. RFA reported on May 29 that two other CNRP activists in Pursat had been arrested on similar charges the day before. CNRP activist eludes authorities in Sihanoukville Another CNRP activist, Mao Bunsreang, escaped from his home in Cambodia's southwestern Sihanoukville province after a police officer tipped him off that they were planning to arrest him. The activist's wife, Kea Sisokunthea said police wanted to arrest him because he criticized the government on Facebook. "The comments he wrote were constructive, and we never thought anything like this would happen because of them. He never committed any crimes" she said. "He only offered constructive criticism." Sihanoukville Police Chief Chuon Narin denied that police had any plans to arrest the activist. He said Mao Bunsreang is only known as a former member of the CNRP, and if he hadn't commit any crimes, he would be fine. "I didn't receive any information. He must have claimed all that information by himself" he said. Cheap Sotheary, the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association's (ADHOC) provincial coordinator for Sihanoukville said, "People in general are critical. It falls within freedom of expression."

A top Chinese human rights lawyer has been attacked and threatened immediately after meeting with his client, the dissident Wang Mo, at a detention center in the eastern province of Jiangsu, RFA has learned. Shanghai-based rights lawyer Peng Yonghe was beaten and threatened by a group of unidentified people at the gate of the Huai'an Detention Center in Jiangsu on Monday, after he went there to visit his client. "I met with my client Wang Mo at the Huai'an District Detention Center in Huai'an city today," Peng told RFA. "But the [detention center staff] forced me to terminate the meeting when it was only halfway through." Shortly afterwards, at around 11.00 a.m., Peng was surrounded by a group of men at the detention center gate. "They threatened me, to make me withdraw from Wang's case," Peng said. "They asked to see my mobile phone. I told them I had shot video on my phone, and they stole it from me, and also beat me in the process." Peng later uploaded a video of his injuries to his Twitter account, and had reported the attack to the local police station, he said. Wang Mo was among four mainland Chinese activists jailed for their public support of the 2014 Occupy Central movement for fully democratic elections in Hong Kong in April 2016. Wang and co-defendant Xie Wenfei were handed four-and-a-half-year prison sentences by the Intermediate People's Court in Guangdong's provincial capital, Guangzhou, after being found guilty of "incitement to subvert state power." He was redetained last month after serving the jail term, in a move seen as linked to the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre on June 4. Wang and his co-defendants had expressed public support for the Occupy Central movement, and were detained amid a nationwide roundup of at least 100 mainland Chinese supporters of the Hong Kong protests. Ever-greater professional risks for lawyers Fellow rights activist Li Xiongbing said attacks like the one on Peng shouldn't happen. "The local authorities should take it seriously and thoroughly investigate this matter," Li said. "Those responsible should be dealt with strictly according to the law." Li said Chinese lawyers are running ever-greater professional risks, if they defend political sensitive clients. "Although our government often talks about the need to ... rule the country according to law, and so on, this is just a slogan that sounds good," he said. "It is rarely carried out in practice." At the end of 2017, Peng was called in for questioning by police after he announced his withdrawal from the ruling Chinese Communist Party-controlled Shanghai Lawyers Association. His attempts to find work and rent accommodation have been repeatedly blocked by the authorities, while his wife was fired from her job with no reason given. The Occupy Central, or Umbrella Movement campaigned for Beijing to withdraw an Aug, 31, 2014 electoral reform plan, which it rejected as "fake universal suffrage," and to allow publicly nominated candidates to run for chief executive in 2017. The plan, which offered a one-person, one-vote in 2017 elections for chief executive, but required candidates to be vetted by Beijing, was voted down on June 18, 2015 by 28 votes to eight in Hong Kong's Legislative Council, leaving the city with its existing voting arrangements still in place. Reported by Wong Siu-san and Sing Man for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Ai Shi for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.

Yesterday, at around 2:45 a.m., four men wearing masks forced their way into the offices of Citizens' Radio and smashed its door, windows, and broadcasting equipment, according to news reports and Tsang Kin Shing, the station's founder, who spoke to CPJ via phone. The men broke broadcasting equipment that Tsang planned to use to cover yesterday's protests, he told CPJ. Citizens' Radio was still able to cover the protests, as seen in video it posted to Facebook. Hong Kong has been roiled by protests since May, chiefly against a proposed amendment to its extradition law that would allow Hong Kong to send fugitive suspects to places where it lacked extradition agreements, including mainland China, according to news reports. In May, CPJ called on Hong Kong authorities to revise or drop the bill. "Hong Kong authorities must take swift action to apprehend those responsible for vandalizing Citizens' Radio," said Steven Butler, CPJ's Asia program coordinator, in Washington, D.C. "Authorities need to demonstrate that the use of violence to halt news coverage has no place in Hong Kong." Tsang told CPJ that he witnessed the men enter the station brandishing hammers and a baseball bat, vandalize the office, and leave, and said that the entire incident lasted about two minutes. He estimated the damage at between $20,000 to $30,000 Hong Kong dollars (US$2,560 to US$3,845), and told CPJ that he filed a report with the local police. Citizens' Radio is a nonprofit broadcaster affiliated with the League of Social Democrats, a pro-democracy political party in Hong Kong, which broadcasts without a permit since its license application has been pending since 2005, according to news reports. Tsang and other employees of the broadcaster have been prosecuted and fined for broadcasting illegally, and the station has been shut down by authorities multiple times since 2005, according to media reports. The Hong Kong Police Force did not answer CPJ's phone call requesting comment.

Defend the Defenders:Athorities in the northern port city of Hai Phong are giving a warn to local former prisoner of conscience Nguyen Xuan Nghia, requesting him not to go to participate in a cultural event scheduled on July 8. According to the writer, his friend artist Pham Xuan Truong will present his two paintings to the US Embassy in Vietnam on Monday and the event will be held in the city's Office of the Cultural Association. On Saturday, some police officers came to Mr. Nghia's residence and told him to stay at home on Monday, otherwise he will meet problems with police, Nghia told Defend the Defenders. Mr. Truong will present two paintings, one is a summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi several months ago, and the second is a portrait of late Senator John McCain, who was a war prisoner held for years in Hoa Lo prison in the capital city of Hanoi during the Vietnam War. Mr. Nghia is a member of pro-democracy group named Block 8406. He was arrested in 2009 and charged with "conducting anti-state propaganda" under Article 88 of the country's Penal Code. Later, he was sentenced to six years in prison and three years under house arrest. Until now, he is still under close surveillance of the local police

Plainclothes agents in Ha Nam province brutally beat local activist Truong Minh Huong at noon of Sunday (June 16), causing severe injuries on his body, the victim told Defend the Defenders. In the morning, Mr. Truong joined other activists from Bau Bi Solidarity to accompany families of prisoners of conscience to pay regular visits to Ba Sao Prison camp. After the lunch, Mr. Huong left for his private residence in Ba Sao commune, Kim Bang district. On his way, he was attacked by a group of five or six plainclothes agents who stopped his motorbike and started to punch and kick him. They also used his helmet to beat him. As other activists came to the scence, the attackers left and ran away. He suffered from a number of injuries on his body. Huong, 70, is a land petitioner whose land was confiscated by authorities in Kim Bang district without being paid adequately. Later, he became an activist fighting for multi-party democracy and human rights and helping other victims of justice miscarriage. He has been under constant harassment of the local police who often place him under de facto house arrest or attack his house with stones and bricks. He was assaulted many times, including the attacks in 2014 and 2016. Ba Sao Prison camp is holding many prisoners of conscience, including Le Dinh Luong, Le Thanh Tung, Pham Van Troi, Phan Kim Khanh, and Nguyen Viet Dung.

The National Investigation Agency has been questioning the editor and owner of the Greater Kashmir, the largest circulated English newspaper in Kashmir for over a week, sources have said. Newspaper sources said the questioning of its editor Fayaz Ahmad Kaloo began on Monday at NIA's head office in Delhi. The agency also quizzed the paper's senior functionary Rashid Makhdoomi. While he has since returned home, Kaloo's questioning was still under way, the sources said on Saturday. NIA spokesperson Alok Mittal did not respond to the call of The Telegraph but official sources said Kaloo was summoned for questioning on June 28. "He (Kaloo) did not turn up initially but had to go on Monday after he received a call from the agency" a source said. Kaloo was the president of the Kashmir Editors Guild but he resigned from its basic membership last month after discovering "that the members of the guild don't support and cooperate in furthering the basic purpose of this body". No newspaper in Kashmir, including Kaloo's own newspaper, has reported the development related to his questioning and different journalist bodies there have also maintained a stoic silence. The questioning came days after police arrested Ghulam Geelani Qadri, editor of the Urdu daily Afaaq, in a three-decade-old case, which led to allegations from the journalist community in Valley that it was an attempt to muzzle the media there. He is out on bail. In February, governor Satya Pal Malik's administration stopped sending government advertisements for publication in Greater Kashmir and Kashmir Reader for allegedly giving coverage to pro-independence groups as well as allegations of rights abuses by security forces. The NIA and several central agencies are part of a multi-agency crackdown on people and organisations in Valley who, according to the government, are involved in "terror funding". The agency has mostly targeted separatists but people from other sections, including journalists, are also under its radar. The crackdown was launched after a long phase of unrest, which that followed the death of Hizb leader Burhan Wani in 2016, crippled life in Valley. It has intensified after the February Pulwama attack killed 40 CRPF men. The Centre claims the pro-Azaadi protests are being funded by Pakistan but the crackdown has only had limitedsuccess. While the protests have somewhat lost momentum, which could also be because of fatigue, militants continue to get new recruits. The sources in the Greater Kashmir said their boss was being questioned for the articles that appeared in the newspaper during and after the agitation and his overseas trips, among other matters. The NIA had earlier arrested a freelance photo journalist, Kamran Yousuf, for alleged terror funding and stone throwing but had to be released on bail after a six-month detention. Amnesty International then said the charges against Kamran are "fabricated and politically motivated, and part of an attempt to stifle journalism in Kashmir".

During the clearance of Nathan Road, Mong Kok from the late evening of 7 July 2019 to the early morning of 8 July 2019, the police pushed frontline journalists and their cameras away with shields multiple times, yelled at, and even assaulted journalists to obstruct reporting, which was a serious violation of press freedom. Most journalists onsite wore their reflective vests with the word "PRESS" (in traditional Chinese or English), displayed their press cards, retreated to cooperate with police actions. The police officers continued to push journalists away even after they have clearly identified themselves as members of the press. We strongly condemned such behaviours. A HK01 photojournalist who was doing a live report on Nathan Road on an argument involving tourists was elbowed in his stomach by a plainclothes female police officer in a black police vest. When the affected journalist went up and questioned that officer, she denied immediately and retreated to the back of the police defense line formed by other officers, thus preventing the acquisition of her police identification number. The Media Liaison Team of the police contacted and apologise to the affected journalist, before suggesting him to complain via official channels. A female journalist of Apple Daily was pushed away by a male officer and accused loudly of charging the police during her reporting. The affected journalist clarified right away and that male police officer was taken away immediately. The name and police identification number on his warrant card were concealed. A Metro Broadcast reporter was being obstructed by police officers during reporting and was told, "Journalists have no privilege. Back off because I am telling you to." The three journalists aforementioned wore their reflective vests with the word "PRESS" (in traditional Chinese or English) to identify themselves as members of the press, but they were still pushed away or even assaulted intentionally by police officers. When the police pushed its defense line forward " even when the press was the only one present " the police persisted by pushing and crashing with their shields. A protester was instantly taken away by police officers when that protester was asked whether he was assaulted by the police. Other officers demanded the journalists on the spot to leave. Recent demonstrations have shown that members of the press were pushed away, insulted or even assaulted by the police. We calls on the police to address the abuse of police power, respect the reporting rights, safeguard the freedom of the press and the public's right to know.

Status of Human Rights Defenders: Mr. Rupesh Kumar Singh was a prominent student leader associated with the All India Student Association (AISA). He is well-known in social media for his progressive writing. He is a social activist, an independent journalist and is also associated with a labour organization in Bakaro. Mr. Mithilesh Singh is a social activist and a lawyer at Ramgarh Civil Court As per the sources, on June 4, 2019, at about 8 AM, Mr. Rupesh Kumar Singh along with Mr. Mithilesh Kumar Singh, a social activist and a lawyer at Ramgarh Civil Court were travelling to Aurangabad, the ancestral village of Mr. Mithilesh in a car. When they did not reach Aurangabad on the desired time and their cell phone went unreachable, the family members of Mr. Mithilesh went to file a missing complaint with the Ramgarh police station which they managed to register the next day. Both the family members were astonished to know from the daily newspapers that on June 7, 2019, Mr. Rupesh, Mr. Mithilesh and the driver were arrested from Dobhi More at NH-2, near Sherghati, around 30 km from Gaya on June 6, 2019 and were charged under Sections 414 and 120B of the India Penal Code, along with other sections under the Explosive Substances Act. The following day, a unit of the Bihar Police illegally searched Mr. Rupesh's house in Ramgarh and Bokaro, and seized his mobile phone, laptop and few books on Lenin, Marx etc. It is alleged that the Bihar police had arrested three of them illegally on June 4, 2019, at about 9.30 AM from near village Padma near Hazaribagh. It will be pertinent to mention here that all of them were forcefully handcuffed and face covered with cloth at the spot and brought to the Paramilitary (Cobra battalion) base camp at Barachetti, where all of them were badly tortured especially Mr. Rupesh Kumar who was threatened for his progressive writing and political work. It is clear that the police had Mr. Rupesh and Mr. Mithilesh in illegal custody till June 6, 2019 as per news reports. The Commission is appraised that Mr. Rupesh Kumar and Mr. Mithilesh are being targeted by Bihar police for their progressive writings and activism and are beingvictimised by being entangled in false and fabricated cases. Further by not following proper arrest procedures and having used handcuffs and covering of faces by the Bihar police amounts to blatant violation of D.K. Basu guidelines on arrests which has now being incorporated under the Indian Criminal Procedure Code. It is once again brought to the notice of the Commission that the present case is yet again an example of how harassment, intimidation and illegal detention has become a routine practice by the State against human rights defenders and activists who dare to stand up for what is right.

About the Human Rights Defender TV journalist Amit Sharma works as a reporter with Hindi national TV channel known as News24.He has extensively reported on corruption especially its prevalencein the GRP forces. He has exposed the organised illegal nexus of the unauthorised vendors and GRPoperating in railway sector in Uttar Pradesh which involves huge illegal monetary transaction in favour of the railway police. Details of the Incident: According to sources on June 11, 2019, TV reporter Amit Sharma had gone on a reporting assignment to Dhimanpura gate of Shamli city in Uttar Pradesh. He was covering the train accident that took place near Dhimanpura in which two wagons of a goods train derailed around 8.50 pm on that day. A unit of the GRP including GRP Shamli's station house officer (SHO) Mr. Rakesh Kumar Upadhyay and a contingent of local journalists were present at the site. Some of the police personnel were dressed in civil clothes. SHO Rakesh Upadhyay and constable Sanjay Panwar objected to Amit's presence at the derailment site. The policemen entered into an argument with Sharma when he was covering the derailment of a goods train.The policemen started thrashing Amit Sharma when he tried to film the incident for news coverage. They were repeatedly slapping and punching the journalist. According to local journalists, also witnesses to the incident, Sharma was not only beaten but dragged all the way from where the accident occurred to the local GRP station, which is located almost 200 metres away from the spot. They also abused him and locked him up. In the graphic video of the incident that went viral on social media on June 11 night, the accused GRP personnel, dressed in plain clothes, can be seen repeatedly slapping and punching television journalist Sharma as he pleads with them to stop. Police officers werepresent, however, they made no effort to try and shield or protect Sharma from those assaulting him. Sharma was locked up in a police station in Shamli for the night and according to the report, GRP personnel took his camera and snatched his mobile phone which contained all of coverage on the railways.Sharma also claimed that he was stripped by the cops and GRP Shamli's SHO Rakesh Kumar Upadhyay urinated in his mouth. Sharma was bailed out by two fellow journalists on June 12, 2019. After a protest by the local journalists, the police registered a case against the four personnel, including the SHO Rakesh Kumar Upadhyay on June 12, 2019 under provisions of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to causing hurt (Section 323), insult (Section 504), abduction (Section 364), robbery (Section 392) and wrongful confinement (Section 342). Of the four GRP officers, Rakesh Kumar Upadhyay and Constable Sanjay Pawar were suspended on June 12, 2019. This case is yet again an example of how a human rights defender is hounded and victimised for his past work. This repressive action of the police is a result of exposing corruption by journalist Amit Sharma so that he is deterred in the future to carry out such reports. Globally, Journalists who are human rights defenders as well face major risks as a result of their work. Governments and other powerful actors, seeking to escape scrutiny and stifle dissent, often respond to critical reporting or activism with attempts to silence them. Threats, surveillance, attacks, arbitrary arrest and detention, and, in the most grave cases, enforced disappearance or killings, are too often the cost of reporting the truth. The protection of journalists and human rights defenders, and ending impunity for attacks against them, is a global priority for safeguarding freedom of expression. States are under an obligation to prevent, protect against, and prosecute attacks against journalists and human rights defenders. Creating a safe and enabling environment for their work necessitates legal reform, the creation of special protection mechanisms, and protocols to guide effective investigations and prosecutions where attacks occur. A free press and active civil society are essential to ensure the public's right to know, so that governments and institutions can be held accountable

Activist Sirawith "Ja New" Serithiwat was assaulted earlier this morning (28 June), said Nuttaa Mahattana.Nuttaa said that he was attacked around 11.30 near the entrance to the street where he lives " a crowded area with a lot of witnesses who subsequently contacted his mother and called an ambulance. One of the witnesses also told his mother that he was losing consciousness. Matichon Online reported that Sirawith was attacked by a group of four men in helmets armed with baseball bats, and Nuttaa said that Sirawith told his mother last night that he is being followed. This is the second time Sirawith has been assaulted, and the latest in a string of attacks against activists in recent months. On the night of 2 June, Sirawith was attacked at Ratchada Soi 7, near The Street department store by a group of 5 people, who assaulted him with kicks and a wooden stick. He sustained minor injuries to his shoulder, head, and face. Sirawith was at first sent to Navamin Hospital. His mother said that he sustained major injuries to his head, and that he is conscious, but unresponsive and unable to speak. At 14.00, Sirawith's mother said that, in addition to his head injuries, he has a broken nose and eye socket. He was having difficulty breathing and was on oxygen, but MRI scans found no brain haemorrhage. Subsequent doctor's examination also found that Sirawith is unable to see with his right eye. Sirawith has now been transferred to the Mission Hospital, where he has medical coverage. He will require further facial surgeries. Update 29 June 2019: At today's concert at the 14 October 1973 Memorial on Ratchadamnoen Road, in which Sirawith previously planned to take part, the presenter told the crowd that Sirawith's condition has improved. While he is still in intensive care, he is now fully conscious and responsive. He is able to speak and does not suffer any memory loss. At 20.00, it was reported that he is to be transferred to Ramathibodi Hospital, where he will be able to see an expert ophthalmologist for his eye injury. Previous doctor's examination found that he was not hit directly in the eye, but suffered fractures to his eye socket. After the doctor drained the congested blood from that area, he is starting to be able to see with his injured eye.

Kampong Thom provincial police are investigating a complaint by a former CNRP official about a murder attempt by four unknown men who beat him up and stole his phone in Baray district on Friday. Major General Ouk Kosal, provincial police chief, yesterday said that police received the complaint from Sun Thun, a Cambodian Independent Teachers Association member and former provincial councillor with the CNRP. He said police went to check the scene of the alleged murder attempt in Baray commune's Thnal Cheat village, but have not found any of the four men. "In this case, the plaintiff has sued unknown persons so we have to collect information and other evidence, Maj Gen Kosal said. "We are still investigating what happened." Mr Thun yesterday said that on the day of the attack, the men pretended to be looking to buy land next to a school where he runs a rice stall. He said they persuaded him to go with them to talk to the landowner. "They drove a white car, but I don't remember the license plate. They asked me to take them to the landowner" he said. "When we reached the house of the landowner, they kept driving from one village to another and only stopped the car when they reached a quiet spot." "They then beat me up until my face was swollen before grabbing my phone and driving off" Mr Thun added. He said he has never had a conflict with any villager and believes it was a murder attempt because he is a former senior CNRP official. Mr Thun claimed that he has previously been threatened by authorities in the province. "I consider it as premeditated murder as I am a former CNRP official" he said. "I was previously threatened by the authorities after I spoke on some foreign radio programmes about concerns from the public." Ouk Chhayavy, CITA president, yesterday said the murder attempt on Mr Thun may be related to politics because he had previously faced discrimination and his activities were monitored by strangers. She urged the authorities, especially the government, to investigate the case and arrest the perpetrators to be punished according to the law.

Gulalai Ismail is an award-winning woman human rights defender and co-founder of Aware Girls who has been forced into hiding following at least two First Information Reports (FIRs) being filed against her on 22 May and 23 May by police in Islamabad. On 4 July, the family home was raided three times, by a large number of armed men in both plainclothes and police uniform. On the first two occasions, only Gulalai's parents were at home. However, at around 4 pm, the police raided the house for the third time and questioned Gulalai's brother and family driver who had arrived home a few minutes earlier. Gulalai's brother, a US citizen, had returned to Pakistan a few days prior to the raid in order to support his parents and family, who have been under tremendous pressure and fear for their safety. The police and intelligence officers questioned Gulalai's brother and arbitrarily detained the family driver who was held at an unknown location for around 8 hours before being released. The family believes that the driver was targeted and tortured due to his association with Gualali.

The wife of an Australian man detained in China since January has been slapped with a travel ban, stopping her from leaving the country. Yang Hengjun, a 53-year-old Chinese-born writer, was detained in the southern city of Guangzhou earlier in the year after flying in from New York. His wife Yuan Xiaoliang, who is a permanent resident of Australia, was questioned by Chinese authorities at the weekend after unsuccessfully trying to leave the country. It is understood she is subject to an exit ban but was not detained. The foreign minister, Marise Payne, said Australia had been regularly raising Dr Yang's case with China at senior levels. "We have requested his case be treated fairly, transparently, and expeditiously" Senator Payne said on Monday. The minister said the Australian continued to have consular access, and asked that Dr Yang be granted immediate access to his lawyers. "Australia has asked for clarification regarding the reasons for his detention" Senator Payne said. "And we have said that if he is being detained purely for his political views then he should be released." Ms Yuan is not an Australian citizen, so has no right to consular access, but it is understood Australia has asked Chinese authorities she be allowed to travel to Australia. Dr Yang has been an Australian citizen since 2002. He had been living in New York as a visiting scholar at Columbia University, before leaving for Guangzhou on January 18.

Two journalists in Pakistan, Shaikh Rizwan and Bashir Malik, were physically attacked in two separate incidents. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joined its affiliate the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) in condemning the assault and calls on authorities to prosecute those responsible for the crimes against journalists. Shaikh Rizwan is a local journalist working for Sargodha Khabrain in Sargodha city, 185 km from Islamabad, in Punjab province. He was beaten up by the local land grabbing mafia in Sargodha. In a different incident, Bashir Malik, a local journalist with 24 News in Khushab, also in Punjab, 218 km from Islamabad was beaten and received death threats from local miscreants. PFUJ demanded strict action and the prompt arrest of those involved in incidents it described as "blatant terrorism and brutality". PFUJ has also requested journalists be given protection in performing their duty. PFUJ said: "It is the responsibility of the authorities to take strict legal action against the criminals in society. We demand the authorities to give justice to the journalists and if this is not done we will have protests across the country. The IFJ said: "Safety in Pakistan remains a serious concern as journalists and media workers continue to face deliberate attacks. We urge Pakistan's authorities to ensure that all those crimes against journalists do not go unpunished."

Propaganda posters found in Northern Mindanao on July 7, accused members of IFJ affiliate, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) as being members of communists parties in the country. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and NUJP condemn the so-called "red-tagging" of journalists as a dangerous threat to journalist safety in the country. The posters were found on Sunday, July 7, on the wall of of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) church in Cagayan de Oro City, Northern Mindanao, listing NUJP along with the Union of People's Lawyers in Mindanao and Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) church as being fronts of the Communist Party of the Philippines, the New People's Army and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines. The posters were signed by the Movement Against Terrorism-Northern Mindanao Region. This is not the first time NUJP has been targeted by rogue parties. Earlier this year, a black banner referring to NUJP and other activist groups as allies of the "terrorist NPA' was found in Cagayan de Oro on May 27. And in February, Filipino journalist Cong Corrales, a former director of NUJP, and his family's names were included on an anonymous list allegedly naming members of the Philippines Communist Party. NUJP said intimidation to silence journalists using "red-tagging" against individual journalists, organisations of journalists, and human rights activists has increased dramatically since Rodrigo Duterte's rise to power. It condemned the act and reiterated that such action continues to put journalist's lives at risk in the country. A free press is guaranteed under the Philippines Constitution and journalists should not be painted as enemies of the state, NUJP said in a statement. The IFJ and NUJP call for greater efforts to stop the spread of lies and vilification of media workers. NUJP said: "As an organization, the NUJP has stood and continues to stand firmly for the safety and welfare of Filipino journalists and media worker as well as for practice of good, solid journalism." The IFJ said: "These continued attacks and false labelling of journalists puts journalist lives at risk. We demand authorities increase efforts to guarantee the safety of journalists in the Philippines."

The elderly mother of ailing human rights activist and website founder Huang Qi is incommunicado, while her son has yet to receive an official sentence following his trial, RFA has learned. Pu Wenqing, 86, is currently under house arrest at her home in Mianyang city, in the southwestern province of Sichuan, and is being watched over by state security police, sources told RFA. Repeated calls to her cell phone this week resulted in a "no such number" message or no answer. Pu, who is a retired doctor, has been under close surveillance since she tried to visit the Mianyang Intermediate People's Court on hearing that an inspection team from the ruling Chinese Communist Party in Beijing was visiting. "It seems that the central government is inspecting [Mianyang], which is what this is all about," a source close to the case told RFA. "She told me [on Tuesday] that there were people standing guard both upstairs and at ground level, and that their number had grown." Pu has been a vocal campaigner for Huang's release on urgent medical grounds, and says the charges against him are politically motivated, with no evidence to back them up. She has also said she possesses documents proving that the charges against Huang were fabricated by the authorities, and the source said the local government is keen to stop her from traveling to Beijing with her petition. Sources said Pu is in extremely poor health and may have cancer, but can only receive medical treatment during home visits by doctors. "Her health is very poor; she has said there seems to be a mass of some sort in her heart and lungs," another source said. "She asked me to buy [Chinese herbs] but I don't think they did much good." "The police guards took her to the hospital, which should be their duty in terms of humanitarian and human rights concern, even if she isn't their grandmother," the source said. 'I can't get through' Chongqing-based rights activist Hu Guiqin told RFA that he has been unable to call Pu since the evening of June 4, the 30th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen massacre. "I can't get through. I have been unable to call her since the night of June 3," Hu said. Last December, Pu was forcibly detained and pushed to the ground by authorities in Beijing after traveling there to press her son's case, and was incommunicado for several weeks afterwards. But she returned to Sichuan, where she hired Jiangxi-based lawyer Zhang Zanning to represent Huang, and made another attempt to visit her son at the Mianyang Detention Center. Pu also met with diplomats from Germany, Italy, the the U.K., U.S. and Switzerland at that time. Leaking state secrets Huang, 56, stood trial in January at the Mianyang Intermediate People's Court on charges of "leaking state secrets" and "leaking state secrets overseas," amid concerns that he could soon die in detention. He was recently identified by Paris-based press freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) as one of 10 citizen journalists in danger of dying in detention. Huang, who founded the Tianwang rights website, has repeatedly denied the charges and has refused to "confess." Huang's Tianwang website had a strong track record of highlighting petitions and complaints against official wrongdoing and injustices meted out to the most vulnerable in society, including forced evictees, parents of children who died in the devastating 2008 Sichuan earthquake, and other peaceful critics of the ruling Chinese Communist Party. The overseas-based Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) network, which collates reports from rights groups inside China, says Huang is among a number of gravely ill detainees or prisoners who "continue to suffer from torture by being deprived of proper medical treatment in Chinese detention centers and prisons." "We are gravely concerned about their fate as the next victims of China's deliberate method of persecution to death through torture by medical deprivation," the group said in a statement on Thursday. Reported by Tseng Yat-yiu for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Han Qing for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.

A pro-democracy activist's car was set on fire early Monday by an unknown arsonist after the activist led a protest calling for the impeachment of the Election Commission for its perceived mishandling of the elections. Ekachai Hongkangwan said on a Facebook call on Monday morning that he was awakened by the noise of a car's honk at 1.19am, only to find his Nissan Sunny car had been set on fire. One arsonist was captured on video but neighbors told Ekachai that four men were involved. "It's a waste of money and I am upset" said Ekachai on a Facebook call. Ekachai refused to use a normal mobile phone line as he fears eavesdropping in the wake of half a dozen attacks against him in recent months. The car, bought by his mother for him back in 1997 for 499,000 baht, had been the target of an earlier attack though Ekachai managed to put out the fire. This time, he was too late. The attacker caught on video was wearing a motorcycle helmet, leaving Ekachai with no way to identify them. A police complaint has been lodged and the burnt car was towed away by Lat Phrao police. "My neighbors now fear they will come back and set fire to the shop houses next time" said Ekachai. Ekachai believes the attack is related to his criticism of the commission, and suspects the junta might be behind the attack as it has been defending the commission. No one has come out to claim responsibility as of press time, however. Ekachai joined others at Ratchaprasong Intersection on Sunday afternoon to campaign for signatures for a petition calling for the commission's impeachment.

July 23, 2019 2 TFDP staff received death threats via SMS. It noted: 'Your task force was sighted in the area stop what you are doing if not I will fill your heads with 45 and you call yourself task force.' When the texter was asked about his identity 'Don't bother to know,just know there's a place for all of you.' July 30, 2019 Another threat was sent to a TFDP staff. It noted: Ramel you are a small group, you can easily be decimated. Will start with a 45. They've all come from one number. TFDP office is based in Cebu, and they have pulled out all people from Negros.

On June 29, authorities in Vietnam's central province of Thanh Hoa arrested local resident Pham Van Diep, accusing him of "Making, storing, spreading information, materials, items for the purpose of opposing the State of Socialist Republic of Vietnam" under Article 117 of the country's Penal Code. The state media has reported that police carried out searching his private residence in Quang Tien ward, Sam Son city and confiscated a computer and a lot of documents related to his activities. According to the province's police investigation agency, he will be held in the next four months for investigation. During the investigation period, he will not be permitted to meet with his relatives and lawyers. He is alleged of using Facebook to conduct anti-state propaganda and will face imprisonment of between five and 12 years if is convicted. Mr. Diep studied his bachelor degree in Russia. He stayed for years there and obtained Russian nationality. Due to his online posts criticizing the Vietnamese government in various issues such as environmental pollution, weak response to China's violations in the East Sea (South China Sea) and human right abuse, he was reportedly barred from coming back to his home country. Once he was denied to enter in Vietnam when he arrived in Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi several years ago. He went to Laos and was arrested by the Lao security forces after distributing leaflets protesting the denial of the Vietnamese authorities. He was sentenced to 21 months to prison for "using the Lao territory to oppose its neighbor country." After being released, he came back to Thanh Hoa and lives with his parents. The state media also reported that since March 2019, he has posted a number of articles and conducted many livestreams on Facebook to call for public demonstrations against Sam Son city's plan to build a sea square. Activists said he participated in the peaceful demonstration to protest two bills on Special Economic Zones and Cyber Security in Hanoi on June 10, 2018, and was detained by security forces for several hours. He has been under constant harassment of police in Thanh Hoa province, who summoned him for interrogation many times in the past few years. The arrest of Diep is part of the ongoing crackdown of the Vietnamese communist regime on local dissent. In the first half of this year, Vietnam has arrested at least 20 human rights defenders, social activists, and bloggers, mostly on allegations in the national security provisions of the Penal Code, and convicted nine activists with a total 50 years in prison and 17 years of probation. Last week, Vietnam convicted four activists, sentencing them to between one and 12 years in prison. Vietnam is holding at least 220 prisoners of conscience, according to the Defend the Defender's statistics while Amnesty International said the number is 128.