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Hong Kong's High Court on Tuesday sentenced 45 pro-democracy activists to jail terms of up to 10 years in a landmark national security trial that has damaged the city's once feisty democracy movement and drawn international condemnation.

A total of 47 pro-democracy activists were arrested and charged in 2021 with conspiracy to commit subversion under a Beijing-imposed national security law and had faced sentences of up to life in prison.

Sentences imposed ranged from just over four years to 10 years.

Benny Tai, a former legal scholar who was labelled as an "organiser" of the 47 pro-democracy activists, was sentenced to 10 years in jail.

The charges related to the organising of an unofficial "primary election" in 2020 to select the best candidates for an upcoming legislative election. The activists were accused by prosecutors of plotting to paralyse the government by engaging in potentially disruptive acts had they been elected.

The US has criticised the trial as "politically motivated" and said the democrats should be released as they had been "peacefully participating in political activities" that were legal.

US President-elect Donald Trump's nominee as secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has been a staunch critic of the trial and in an earlier open letter criticised the convictions of the 47 democrats as evidence of the national security law's "comprehensive assault on Hong Kong's autonomy, rule of law, and fundamental freedoms".

The Chinese and Hong Kong governments say the national security laws were necessary to restore order after mass pro-democracy protests in 2019, and the democrats have been treated in accordance with local laws.

• Closely watched trial -

Hundreds of people had queued from the early hours outside the court, many holding umbrellas in light rain as they tried to secure a seat within the main courtroom and several spillover courts. Authorities deployed a tight police presence outside the West Kowloon Magistrates Court and for several blocks in the vicinity.

"I feel such an injustice needs witnessing," said Margaret, 59, dressed in a white raincoat and black facemask, who was in the queue since Sunday afternoon. "I've long followed their case. They (the democrats) need to know they still have public support."

After a 118 day trial, 14 of the democrats were found guilty in May, including Australian citizen Gordon Ng and activist Owen Chow, while two were acquitted. The other 31 pleaded guilty, including student activist Joshua Wong and Tai.

A disabled man convicted of incitement for comments he posted on Facebook about Prime Minister Hun Manet was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Tuesday.

Phon Yuth, who has never had use of his legs and uses a wheelchair, was arrested in March after he posted and shared several messages that criticized the existence of undocumented Vietnamese people living in Cambodia.

He also posted comments about a Cambodian businessman who was accused of cheating people out of their money and mentioned Senate President Hun Sen in other posts that were published just months after Hun Sen stepped down as prime minister.

The resignation in August 2023 paved the way for his son, Hun Manet, to be appointed to the position.

“I want a new leader,” Phon Yuth wrote in one message earlier this year.

The 40-year-old was held without trial in southern Takeo province until this week. His wife, Mom Vith, told Radio Free Asia in September that the provincial court repeatedly extended his detention while delaying scheduled court hearings.

“Don’t leave him and abandon him in jail quietly and indefinitely like that,” she said.

After Tuesday’s sentencing, Phon Yuth was returned to Takeo Provincial Prison.

The harsh sentence could further dampen the exercise of freedom of speech in Cambodia, said Kim Piseth, a senior investigator for human rights group Adhoc.

“In this case, the authorities should have set up an investigation into the concerns, rather than blaming the people’s expression,” he said. “It doesn’t have any positive impact for people to express themselves.”

Phun Yuth was previously jailed for five months in 2019 on charges of incitement and publicly insulting officials after he criticized the government’s inaction and demanded Hun Sen’s resignation.

RFA was unable to reach court spokesman Nget Davuth for comment.

Luu Van Vinh‘s wife, Le Thi Thap, told Project88 that during her visit on Nov. 11, Vinh told her that two officials from the Ministry of Public Security had come to see him a few days earlier and warned him that if she kept “causing trouble” on Facebook, Thap might end up in prison herself. This really surprised her because, as she reported to Project88, she only posts about the personal burdens and hardships she has to bear, but never anything about the party or the government.

A young activist from Doda, whose detention under the Public Safety Act (PSA) was quashed in 2016 by J&K high court, has again been booked under the controversial law, with his family and a member of J&K legislative assembly alleging that he was targeted by the authorities for his activism.

The action comes days after five trade union leaders from the adjoining Kishtwar district of Chenab Valley were slapped with the PSA and taken into preventive custody, allegedly for raising concerns over the increasing health risks and environmental degradation caused by the construction of power projects in the region.

The controversial legislation, which has been dubbed as a “lawless law” by Amnesty International, has been widely used to silence political dissidents and government critics in Jammu and Kashmir by the Union government after the reading down of Article 370 in 2019, according to free speech activists.

Though the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir now has an elected government, the police report to the Union ministry of home affairs via the lieutenant governor since the UT government’s limited mandate does not extend to law and order.

‘Sympathiser of militants’

In its latest action on November 9, Rehamatullah, 25, who lives in Dessa Bhatta of Doda, was booked under the PSA on charges of being an alleged “overground worker and sympathiser of militants” who posed a “threat to the security of the state”. The dossier (PSA 02 of 2024) also accused Rehamatullah of being “in continuous touch with ISI/PAK based settled militants”.

However, the five-page dossier, which has been prepared by the Senior Superintendent of Police (Doda) and approved by deputy commissioner Doda Harvinder Singh, does not refer to any formal anti-terror charges under which Rehamatullah has been booked in the past.

The dossier stated that the young activist has been booked in five FIRs (two of them for his speeches, one each for wrongful restraint, abduction and criminal trespass) and he has got bail from the courts in all the cases. It also referred to a Daily Dairy entry (No. 5 of August 2, 2024) against Rehamatullah at Doda police station.

The DD entry accused the young activist of purportedly using VPN for accessing the internet “so that his anti-national activities and his links across the border with PAK/POK based militant cannot be detected”.

“As evident from the above, it can be…concluded that the subject has maintained his links with the PAK/ POK based militants, which may have been used by foreign terrorists in killing defense forces personnel in multiple attacks in the district in the last 6 months. It is clear that the subject…has become a great threat to the security of the State,” the dossier noted.

Rehamatullah is the father of two minor children and the youngest among three siblings.

‘A big scam’

However, Doda MLA and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, Mehraj Malik sought to link the detention of Rehamatullah under the PSA with a video interview on November 6 in which the activist had accused the Doda deputy commissioner of failing to enforce the rules governing the disposal of solid waste in the town.

Against the backdrop of plumes of smoke rising from mounds of garbage, which he claimed had been set on fire by Doda town’s municipal authorities, Rehamatullah can be heard saying that the unscientific disposal of garbage was causing health issues for the residents. A Solid Waste Management Project was approved by the National Building Construction Corporation Limited in 2008 for Doda to collect garbage from 17 wards of the town and convert it into manure.

“The plant was supposed to minimise the negative impacts of solid waste on environment, quality of life and health. Why is the magistrate not taking suo moto cognisance? Why is the pollution control board and municipality silent? It is a big scam. Crore of rupees are being swindled. The government should look into it,” the activist had asked.

In another video on September 16, Rehamatullah can be heard appealing the people to use their democratic right to vote to give a “befitting reply” to the “forces of tyranny” and “those targeting the identity” of Jammu and Kashmir, “I appeal people to throng the polling booths and give a befitting reply to the tyrants by raising the slogan of ‘Inquilab zindabad’,” he said.

The Wire has reached out to the deputy commissioner, Doda, Harvinder Singh for comment. This story will be updated as and when the response is received.

‘Only raising his voice on public issues’

Fayaz Ahmad, Rehmatullah’s elder brother, said that there was a knock on their door at around 5 am on Sunday morning, “When my brother opened the door, the cops told him that he was wanted by one of their officers. Our elderly parents tried to protest but the cops warned them not to raise an outcry and go back inside,” he said.

Ahmad said that a team of nearly three dozen police personnel, including female officials, had cordoned their home before his brother was whisked away to Doda police station. “Just a day earlier, he had raised some uncomfortable questions about the poor quality of construction material used for building a sewer line near our home,” he said, adding that he was away in Jammu at the time of the raid at their home on Sunday.

Ahmad said that his brother’s activism had become a cause of anxiety for their parents also due to which he had handed the charge of his readymade garments store in Doda to his younger brother in order to keep him busy. “He was not doing anything wrong. He was only raising his voice on public issues. If asking the government officials and contractors to follow the rules is a crime, then he is guilty,” he said.

According to Ahmed, Rehamatullah was first booked under the PSA in 2016. He had recently started Urban Insights, a web portal which was registered as a micro enterprise (UDYAM-JK-05-0011305) with the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises under the Union government in the information services sector. Through it, Rehamatullah had aimed to amplify the voices of people on civic issues in Doda.

Quashing his PSA in 2017, the J&K high court had observed that Rehamatullah was deprived of his “fundamental right” to make “effective representation” against his preventive detention.

Charges against five trade union leaders

The detention of Rehamatullah came days after five trade union leaders in the adjoining Kishtwar district were booked under the PSA amid growing concerns over the environmental degradation caused by the power projects in the district.

The detention of the five leaders was condemned by the Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti, among others.

According to reports and several social media posts from journalists and activists in Chenab Valley, which comprises Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts, the five detainees had been flagging the issues of environmental degradation, poor compensation and health hazards triggered by pollution due to the ongoing construction of these power projects.

However, the administration has accused the five men of “anti-national activities” and “disturbing public order”. Doda-based journalist and editor of The Chenab Times, Anzer Ayoub said that the fact that the detainees were trade union leaders “is a gross abuse of power.”

Authorities across China are cracking down on thousands of college students who took part in mass night-cycling events that commentators said could be seen as a new form of protest against the ruling Chinese Communist Party.

The police department in Henan’s Zhengzhou city issued a warning to students on Nov. 9, following a mass “night ride to Kaifeng” by thousands of young people a day earlier, as a social media video about riding to the city in search of dumplings spawned dozens of copycat outings, eventually expanding to a mass cycle ride that some observers said left the authorities rattled, concerned that it could turn into a political protest like the “white paper” movement two years ago, or Halloween in Shanghai.

Video footage of the rides uploaded to social media of the Nov. 8 event showed phalanxes of cyclists riding abreast across several lanes of a highway, flying the Chinese national flag and singing the Chinese national anthem, many of whom were riding bikes from urban sharing schemes.

Police didn’t take action at the time, but they announced a ban on cycles from downtown Zhengzhou on Nov. 9 and Nov. 10, reserving main roads for motorized traffic only, according to Jimu News.

Cycle-hire companies Hello, Qingjue and Meituan responded by banning the riding of their bikes between city jurisdictions, saying anyone who defied the ban would have their hired bike locked remotely.

A retired teacher from Zhengzhou who gave only the surname Jia for fear of reprisals said she saw the road from Zhengzhou to Kaifeng “packed” with cyclists on Nov. 8.

“I would say there were more than 200,000 people,” Jia said. “Zhengzhou to Kaifeng Boulevard was so crowded that ... there were no shared bikes left and a lot of people had to walk instead.”

“[The authorities] are very nervous,” she said.

The cycling bans came after the Nov. 8 ride was joined by more than 600 students who traveled down by train from Beijing to take part, and also by military veterans, a group regarded as highly politically sensitive by the government, who carried flags and shouted slogans calling for “freedom,” according to social media reports.

“Eight years in the Rocket Force, night ride to Kaifeng -- charge!” a person shouts in one video clip. “Five years in the Air Force, retired but still got it, night ride to Kaifeng, let’s go!” shouts someone else.

One Douyin user from Shandong posted a video saying the authorities in Henan were now cracking down on “night rides” by students in universities across the province, as well as in the northern provinces of Shanxi and Shaanxi.

“One video I saw showed students from Shandong and Tianjin also took action, with some waving national flags,” the user said.

According to other social media posts, some students who tried to form a mass ride to Beijing’s Tiananmen Square were stopped and turned away at a police checkpoint, so they rode the 138 kilometers (86 miles) to the northern port city of Tianjin.

In the eastern city of Nanjing, tens of thousands of college students rode to Chaohu Lake 140 kilometers (87 miles) away or Ma’anshan, 59 kilometers (37 miles) away, while students in Sichuan’s provincial capital Chengdu role to Dujiangyan 70 kilometers (43 miles) away and students from Xi’an rode 28 kilometers (17 miles) by night to Xianyang.

According to Jia, authorities in Zhengzhou also locked down college campuses across the city and wouldn’t let students leave.

“All students were told to return to campus, and then not allowed out again for a certain period of time,” she said. “The universities sent out a lot of internal notices to counselors and other staff, which you can seen online.”

Jimu News reported that students at the Henan Institute of Science and Technology in Zhengzhou were required to get a special pass to leave campus, citing campus officials.

Zhengzhou-based teacher Li Na said she was amazed at the students’ actions.

“Let’s not impute a political stance to this, but at the very least it shows that young people in mainland China are very eager to take part in public life,” Li said. “Secondly, they are very organized.”

“I don’t know how they are communicating with each other given how tight the controls are, and yet it’s gotten so big that students all over the country have responded,” she said.

Li cited local media reports as saying that universities in Shanxi and other places had gone as far as to label the bike rides a “political movement,” and warn students not to take part on pain of having a black mark on their record.

University staff were also working “ideologically” with students to persuade them not to take part, she said.

“This isn’t the first time we have seen the capacity of young people to organize,” Li said. “The first time was the white paper movement, and the second was Halloween.”

Li Meiyao, a psychologist from Shanxi, said the initial bike ride in June was described as a way to alleviate mental health problems by the young woman who posted about it first.

“I rode a bike to Kaifeng to eat dumplings, because I haven’t found any other way to release the depression caused by the three-years of pandemic restrictions,” she paraphrased the original post as saying.

University students endured months of lockdown on campus during the three years of zero-COVID restrictions, which ended in December 2022, and were sent home en masse when they gathered to protest, with the authorities blaming instigation by “hostile foreign forces” for the protests.

A Henan-based commentator who gave only the surname Gong for fear of reprisals said the rides likely started out as a way for young people to let off steam.

“At the outset, this was about having fun, with a few young students going to Kaifeng, but why did they get such an instant response?” Gong said. “Because college students have been isolated and shut off from society for such a long time, and rarely had the opportunity to take part in any public events.”

“It was an important opportunity for them to let off steam, express themselves, and affirm their values in a public setting,” he said.

The Committee to Protect Journalists is highly concerned after Indian investigative journalist Rana Ayyub’s personal number was leaked online and, separately, local intelligence personnel followed and repeatedly questioned her throughout a four-day reporting trip in the northeastern state of Manipur in early October, according to three people familiar with the situation who spoke to CPJ on condition of anonymity, citing fear of official retaliation.

“The relentless targeting of Rana Ayyub, one of India’s most prominent journalists, is shameful,” said CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Beh Lih Yi. “Indian authorities must swiftly investigate the doxxing of Ayyub and hold the perpetrators accountable. Using surveillance and intimidation to deter journalists from reporting effectively has no place in a country that prides itself on being the mother of democracy.”

Security personnel stopped and questioned Ayyub, a global opinion writer at the Washington Post, at checkpoints during her trip, according to those sources and CPJ’s review of video and audio recordings.

Officers asked Ayyub about who she was meeting and what she was reporting on. They said they followed her for her “safety,” and the measure was ordered by “higher office.”

Ayyub said on Friday, November 8, that a right-wing account on social media X shared her personal phone number and asked followers to harass the journalist. She told CPJ she received at least 200 phone and video calls and explicit WhatsApp messages throughout the night, including repeated one-time password requests from various online commerce platforms.

Ayyub filed a complaint with the cybercrime police in Mumbai, India’s financial capital, on Friday.

CPJ’s separate emails requesting comment about the surveillance and harassment complaint from the Manipur police and the Mumbai cybercrime police did not immediately receive a response.

Ayyub’s reporting has previously led to online trolling and official intimidation. She previously faced criminal investigations, received rape and death threats, and is currently fighting a money laundering case in court.

Five union leaders have been detained under the Public Safety Act in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district for allegedly attempting to “obstruct” the construction of hydropower projects in Chenab Valley, the Kashmir Times reported on Monday.

Those detained were identified as Mohammad Abdullah Gujjar, Noor Din, Ghulam Nabi Choppan, Mohammad Jaffer Sheikh and Mohammad Ramzan.

They had flagged issues related to environmental degradation, damage to property, health hazards caused due to the ongoing construction of these projects and inadequate compensation for those affected, reported The Wire citing unidentified sources.

An official spokesperson for the district administration said that the detained persons were “not desisting from their illegal acts” despite prior warnings. Kishtwar District Magistrate Rajesh Kumar Shavan had taken a strong stance against “anti-national activities”, the spokesperson added.

“There were apprehensions of disturbing public order and putting threat to the security of the state by them,” the Kashmir Times quoted the unidentified spokesperson as saying. “As soon as the warrants were received, the police took them into custody and executed the warrants.”

The Public Safety Act is a preventive detention law that allows persons to be taken into custody to prevent them from acting against “the security of the state or the maintenance of the public order” in the Union territory.

Twenty-two other persons were also placed under surveillance for allegedly attempting to obstruct projects of national importance in the region, according to the Kashmir Times.

The district magistrate directed agencies to monitor persons who “try to disturb the public order by false propaganda and keeping an anti-national attitude of slowing pace of mega projects,” the spokesperson added.

Responding to the detention of the union leaders, Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti said that many across Jammu and Kashmir had been booked under draconian laws like the Public Safety Act and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act on “trivial charges” in the past five years.

In a post on social media, the former chief minister said: “This latest case of slapping PSA [Public Safety Act] on 5 people for raising their voice against the exploitation of our water resources by NHPC [National Hydroelectric Power Corporation] to fill in their own coffers is shocking because people have high expectations from the newly elected government.”

She added: “Hope they look into it immediately and see that these draconian laws are not used arbitrarily against our own citizens for raising genuine concerns.”

The Chenab Valley comprises the Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts.

Experts have warned about several potential dangers, including environmental damage and natural disasters, associated with about six hydropower projects that are in various stages of development on the Chenab river.

Activist detained under PSA in Doda Another 25-year-old environmental activist, identified as Rehmatullah Ahmed, was also detained and booked under the Public Safety Act for allegedly challenging the district administration in Doda over civic issues, the Kashmir Times reported on Monday.

On November 9, Ahmed was booked under the Act for allegedly being an “overground worker and sympathiser of militants” who posed a “threat to the security of the state”, The Wire reported, quoting from the documents concerning his arrest.

The documents accused Rehamatullah of being “in continuous touch with ISI [Inter-Services Intelligence]/PAK [Pakistan] based settled militants”.

Activist and conscientious objector Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal has been charged with draft evasion after he refused to participate in the military conscription process.

Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) said that Netiwit reported to the police at Bang Pu Police Station in Samut Prakan last Friday (8 November). He was charged with draft evasion under Section 45 of the 1954 Military Service Act.

Netiwit denied the charge and will submit his testimony in writing later. TLHR said that he is required to report to the public prosecutor on 3 December, and that it is possible he will be indicted then.

On 5 April, Netiwit went to a military conscription centre in Samut Prakan, where he was supposed to take part in the draft. In an act of civil disobedience, he read a statement in front of the centre saying that he will not be reporting for the draft in protest at compulsory military conscription in Thailand, which he said is a violation of human rights and personal moral beliefs. It is outdated, ineffective, and undermines democracy. Not only does it not promote equality, it also enforces a system of oppression, he said.

The 27-year-old is an education reform activist and has also worked with communities surrounding Chulalongkorn University facing eviction and rising rent prices. He has been vocal about his objection to compulsory military conscription, and on his 18th birthday, he published a declaration saying that he is a conscientious objector and will not participate in military conscription, which he said is obsolete, and asking why supporters of peace and nonviolent action cannot reject conscription.

All Thai men over 21 years of age who have not completed reserve officer training are required by law to participate in the draft, and join the military either voluntarily or by participating in a lottery, unless they do not meet the physical and mental health standards. No exception is made for conscientious objectors.

During his 5 April protest, Netiwit said that although he could have found ways to avoid being drafted, it is necessary to directly confront the issue for the improvement of civil rights and freedom. By presenting himself and protesting publicly, he said he is showing that he has never intended to evade the draft or flee. He is aware of the legal consequences of his action and is willing to face them.

On November 7, the Almaty regional court left the verdict against journalist Duman Muhammedkarim unchanged. His lawyer Galym Nurpeyisov informed Azattik about this. In August of this year, the court of the first instance sentenced Duman Muhammedkarim to seven years in prison . In addition, he was banned from engaging in social and political work for three years.

"The seven-year prison sentence remained unchanged. The additional sentence was increased. The prosecutor requested in the court to ban Duman from visiting public places, meetings, participating, giving interviews to the media and other restrictions for three years. The judge complied with this request," lawyer Galym Nurpeyisov said on November 8. To freedom.

We asked the lawyer, "The court of the first instance banned Duman Muhammedkarim from engaging in social and political work for three years. And how does it differ from the ban imposed by the appeals court?" he asked.

Based on the court documents, the lawyer said that the restrictions imposed on Duman in the court of first instance: the types of services were not clearly specified, but this time they were clearly written. Among the places or platforms a journalist cannot participate in are "conferences, debates, television programs, including media, social networks and other telecommunications networks, strikes, peaceful gatherings, political parties, religious organizations, social movements, trade unions."

"This will actually be house arrest," said the lawyer.

According to the lawyer, at the appeal stage, Duman did not allow Muhammedkarim to fully familiarize himself with the case materials. Both the journalist and the lawyer consider the sentence illegal and plan to file a cassation appeal.

"The court did not consider our requests at all. The right was violated. We believe that the court fulfilled a political order," said the lawyer.

The Court of Appeal was closed. Supporters and media could not enter it. In the video published by the YouTube channel of The Qazaq Times, it is seen that activists gathered in front of the court building. They said "Freedom to Duman!" shouted. A special squad guarded the vicinity of the building.

According to the lawyer, the defense side left the journalist in Kapshagai, and then wrote a request to Astana asking to be transferred from there to Zarechny. No answer yet. Before that, the journalist was in Taldykorgan detention center.

There is no information about the court on the website of the Almaty regional court.

46-year-old journalist Duman Muhammedkarim worked in state channels for about 20 years. Worked as a press secretary of the akim of the West Kazakhstan region. From 2021 on YouTube "Ne Deidi?" opened a channel and began to publish various materials about social and political events in the country.

Duman Muhammedkarim became widely recognized in the political environment after the January 2022 incident. He is one of the few journalists who reported from the center of the chaos in Almaty during the massacre in which at least 238 people were killed.

Duman Muhammedkarim was arrested last June on charges of "financing extremism" and "interfering with the work of a banned organization." The reason for the criminal case was the journalist's interview with Mukhtar Ablyazov, an opposition politician who has been living abroad for many years, the leader of the "Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan" movement. In 2018, the court of Kazakhstan recognized the "KDT" movement as an "extremist organization" and banned its activities on the territory of the country. The European Parliament called the organization a "peaceful opposition movement".

Kazakh human rights defenders recognized Duman Muhammedkarim as a "political prisoner". Official Astana says "there are no political prisoners" in the country.

Petronila Guzman and Lenville Salvador, board members of Kaduami (Katinnulong Daguiti Umili ti Amianan), and Myrna Zapanta, a lay worker and member of the secretariat of the Ilocos Regional Ecumenical Council (IREC), received subpoenas from the Department of Justice (DOJ) last month directing them to answer trumped-up charges of allegedly violating the terrorist financing law. They are set to submit their counter-affidavits on November 7, 2024 at the DOJ.

“Targeting grassroots development workers, especially now that the country has been ravaged by drought from El Niño, then by successive destructive typhoons, betrays the anti-people character of this regime,” said Karapatan deputy secretary general Maria Sol Taule. “The Marcos Jr. regime is doing a great disservice to the impoverished and marginalized communities that have been benefiting from the projects implemented by these persecuted development workers.”

“We are in solidarity with Guzman, Salvador, Zapanta and all other development workers who are now under fire for espousing genuine people’s empowerment through community-based disaster preparedness and response as opposed to the Marcos Jr. regime’s trickle-down approach,” concluded Taule.

Koet Saray, president of the Khmer Student Intelligent League Association (KSILA), was convicted of incitement this morning by the Phnom Penh Capital Court and sentenced to four years in prison for comments he made earlier this year about a violent eviction in Preah Vihear province.

Saray, who was forcibly defrocked by Cambodian authorities in 2021, was arrested outside the association’s office in April 2024 after he spoke to the media about a land conflict in Preah Vihear province during which authorities burned down people’s homes. He was charged with incitement to commit a felony under Article 494 and Article 495 of the Criminal Code. He was also charged for “committing a misdemeanour after sentencing for a misdemeanour” under Article 88 of the code, which allows for a doubling of a defendant’s prison sentence if they have been convicted of the same misdemeanour within five years. This article was applied to Saray’s four-year prison sentence, who will also pay an around US$500 fine.

The youth leader was commenting on a land dispute involving an Economic Land Concession (ELC) granted to Seladamex in Preah Vihear. Shortly before his arrest, Saray met with villagers who were involved in the dispute and urged officials to resolve the issue.

Saray was previously arrested in 2020 alongside eight other activists, all of whom were charged for incitement for peacefully protesting the arrest of former union leader Rong Chhun. In that case, Saray received a 14-month prison sentence, a $500 fine and was placed under a two-year probation period with restrictive conditions lasting until November 2023.

A 57-year-old jailed pro-democracy activist faces serious health issues in detention in the Bangkok Remand Prison, raising concerns over the adequacy of medical care for detainees.

Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) reported that Chen Chiwobancha, a 57-year-old detainee who was sentenced to three years and six months in prison for royal defamation, was found to have serious health issues since last Friday (1 November). He informed his lawyer that he felt weak and experienced numbness throughout his entire left side.

On Wednesday (6 November), he showed symptoms, such as a drooping eyelid and mouth on the left side and numbness in his feet. These ongoing symptoms caused trouble in his daily life, making it difficult for him to chew or speak clearly.

Chen had previously requested a health check-up at the Corrections Hospital, but at that time, the Bangkok Remand Prison had not issued a transfer order.

After learning of Chen’s health problem, the lawyer on 6 November urged the prison to expedite his transfer to the hospital. Chen was transferred to the Corrections Hospital the following day. However, after a check-up, he was sent back to the prison, with a follow-up appointment scheduled for 13 November.

According to TLHR, the lawyer also plans to submit a bail request along with a petition to question the Corrections Department’s doctor and Chen’s personal doctor. Chen remains detained at the Bangkok Remand Prison until the court decides on his bail request.

The detainee said he was aware that medical treatment in prison was slow and not as good as that available outside, noting that all detainees face the same situation - when they fall ill, all they can do is wait. He asserted that detainees deserve the right to timely medical care.

Today (8 November), TLHR later reported that Chen was hospitalised and under close observation after it was found that he had suffered an ischemic stroke in the left side of his brain.

Chen, along with two other activists, were found guilty on four charges: royal defamation, contempt of court, defamation by publication, and unauthorised use of a sound amplifier. The charges stemmed from a protest on 28 July 2022 in front of the Bangkok South Criminal Court where participants demanded bail rights for two detained pro-democracy activists, Nutthanit Duangmusit and Netiporn Sanesangkhom, who later died during detention.

Chen has been detained since 18 September and was denied bail since the court deemed the case severe and was concerned that he might flee.

In the past two weeks, three radio stations in Khost province have been banned from broadcasting by local authorities. Their return to to the airwaves is conditional on their compliance with repressive rules: no music or calls from female listeners. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the Taliban Minister of Information and Culture to end the oppression of the right to information in Afghanistan.

The office of the privately-owned radio station Lawang has been sealed since 6 November. Located in Khost province in southeastern Afghanistan, the station was targeted by the tyrannical policies of the provincial authorities for the Promotion of Virtue and the Repression of Vice, which accused the station of violating its new rules. On 26 October, media outlets in Khost province were banned from broadcasting music. The provincial authorities had already banned women's voices from being aired on the radio in February. A news station launched in January 2024, Lawang also played a role in public education, broadcasting learning programmes aimed at young girls, who have been banned from secondary and higher education since March 2022.

A few days before Lawang was shut down, Zhman Radio experienced a similar disruption for violating the ban on broadcasting music. Founded in 2017, the local media outlet mainly broadcasts political, social, cultural, and educational programmes. The station was eventually allowed to resume activity on 11 November — provided it complied with the new restrictions. This also happened to Gharghasht Radio, which was closed on 31 October before resuming operations three days later, on the condition that it stopped broadcasting music.

"Since their return to power in August 2021, the Taliban have been conducting a brutal crackdown on the Afghan media, stifling all independent voices and plunging the country into a silence fostered by fear. Their crackdown on Khost radio stations is a worrying sign that the ideologies inflicted on the media are hardening. We call on the Taliban authorities in Khost to reopen Radio Lawang immediately, to stop forcing radio stations to close, and to respect the right to information. Radios must continue to broadcast freely.

Célia Mercier Head of RSF's South Asia Desk The repression of media outlets on "morality" grounds is particularly intense in Khost. Three radio journalists, Ismail Sadat of Radio Naz, Wahidullah Masoum of Radio Iqra and Ehsanullah Tasa of Radio Walas Ghazh, were arrested and detained for several days last April, accused of broadcasting music and airing telephone calls from women.

On 5 November, Chief Judge of the Capital City Court of Criminal Appeals announced that the entire appeal trial of Unurtsetseg Naran, editor-in-chief of the news website Zarig.mn, scheduled for 7 November, will be held behind closed doors.

The journalist was sentenced to 4 years and 9 months in prison in July after a closed-door trial held at the Criminal Court of First Instance of Sukhbaatar District in the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar. Unurtsetseg was found guilty of five charges: “tax evasion”, “disclosure of personal information”, “illegal acquisition of state secrets”, “money laundering”, and “spreading false information”. While the court stated that its decision to hold the trial behind closed doors was based on the grounds of national security and protecting the sensitive information of a minor, its complete gag on disclosing any information about the proceedings is a worrying sign.

The initial proceedings were widely criticised by civil society groups in Mongolia, who pointed out that, despite the serious nature of the charges brought against this journalist, the court had conducted the trial behind closed doors. A joint statement by Mongolian press freedom NGOs declared that the decision goes against the principle of an open, transparent court, and could potentially result in “unpredictability of the media industry’s process, intimidation, and foster self-censorship among journalists.”

“By sentencing a reporter to nearly five years in prison mainly on national security charges after a closed-door trial — and providing no information on the evidence produced — the Criminal Court of First Instance of Sukhbaatar District created a dangerous and concerning precedent that could deter Mongolian journalists from investigating topics of public interest. We urge the Capital City Court of Criminal Appeals, which will revisit the case, to ensure transparency and open as much of the trial as possible to the public." said Cedric Alviani, RSF’s Asia-Pacific Bureau Director.

Unurtsetseg Naran is well-known for her investigations exposing the corruption and money laundering of high-ranking Mongolian officials, work that previously led to at least 16 defamation charges against her, according to RSF’s information. In this ongoing case, she was first investigated for “spreading false information” following her social media posts criticising the Mongolian judicial system, then later charged with more serious offences. She was arrested in December 2023, detained for over two months, and then placed under house arrest before being sent to jail.

Press freedom has recently deteriorated in Mongolia, despite the government's claims that it is committed to democratic values. In May 2024, journalist Bayarmaa Ayurzana was arrested, detained and subsequently charged in connection with investigations into alleged misconduct by the country’s former deputy prime minister, who is now a member of parliament.

Mongolia, ranked 109th out of 180 territories in RSF’s 2024 World Press Freedom Index, has plummeted down 36 places since 2020. The press freedom situation is considered “difficult” due to frequent abusive legal proceedings against journalists, the concentration of media ownership, and growing political pressure and corruption among political elites that impact the media.

Chinese authorities in Tibet have denied to retry an envirnomental activist who is serving a seven-year sentence for campaigning against government corruption, his lawyer said on social media.

Anya Sengdra, 53, a resident of Kyangchu township in Gade (in Chinese, Gande) county in the Golog (Guoluo) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture has already served six years of his sentence for “disturbing social order” after he complained online about corrupt officials, illegal mining and the hunting of protected wildlife.

He was convicted and sentenced in 2019, and has attempted to appeal the decision twice before, his lawyer Lin Qilei said in a post on X on Tuesday.

“This marks the third appeal for a retrial submitted to the Sixth Circuit Court of the Supreme People’s Court in Xi’an,” Lin said on X.

“As usual, I filled out the necessary forms and waited in line. After some time, a judge came out and informed me that they had decided not to review Sengdra’s case,” Lin said. “He advised me not to return to the court regarding this matter in the future.”

In 2020, a group of UN human rights experts appealed to the Chinese government, urging them to dismiss the charges against him.

Earlier this month, the Chinese authorities detained Tsogon Tsering, a Tibetan environmental activist from Sichuan province after he made a rare public appeal on social media for action against a company he accused of illegally extracting sand and gravel from a river.

Tsering has remained in custody since then and his whereabouts are still unknown.

Journalists reporting a protest were injured in a police attack in Kaski on November 5. Kaski lies in Gandaki Province in Nepal.

According to information provided by FF province representative Rajan Upadhyay, correspondent at Kantipur Television Indra Poudel, Public 4K Television’s cameraperson Rajkumar Majhi and editor at drishyamkhabar.com Binod Lamichhane were attacked while reporting protest of the Rastriya Swatantra Party cadres at Shahidchowk, Pokhara. Police baton charged the journalists while controlling the mob. Journalist Poudel received injury on his hand and his mobile fell into drain. Cameraperson Majhi and editor Lamichane also sustained minor injuries as police kicked with boot.

Representative Upadhyaya also quoted Superintendent of Police at District Police Office Shyam Babu Oliya as saying the attack was not targeted towards journalists.

Moreover, journalists had not worn press jackets and carried visible identity cards which made it difficult to differentiate them while controlling the mob, according to police.

The party cadres have been protesting against the arrest of their leader Rabi Lamichhane.

However, a fellow journalist Apil Tripathi commented that cameraperson Majhi was attacked even though he was carrying an identity card and a camera with the clear logo of media house.

The Quang Nam and Thanh Hoa Provincial Police have arrested two social media users and charged them with “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe on the interests of the state and the legitimate rights of other individuals” under Article 331 of the Penal Code. Both of these internet users were accused of sharing information or hosting live streams on Facebook that contained defamatory details about Communist Party leaders, government officials, and local cadres, which allegedly violated Section 2 of Article 331.

The Nhu Xuan District Police Department in Thanh Hoa Province on Nov. 4 prosecuted Bui Van Tuan, 41, under Article 331 after their investigation found that the internet user had used his Facebook account, “Tuan Dung,” to live stream and purportedly “make false statements to slander and damage the reputation, honor, and dignity of officials in Nhu Xuan District.” According to state media, Tuan also incited the public to protest the construction of several projects in the locality, but it did not state if there was any conflict between residents and the constructors.

Meanwhile, the Department of Cyber​security and High-Tech Crime Prevention of Quang Nam Provincial Police on Nov. 5 coordinated with Dai Loc District Police to prosecute and impose a house arrest order on Le Manh, 73, who lives in Dai Loc, to investigate his alleged “abusing democratic freedom” activities. The police announced that between 2018 and October 2024, this senior resident had used a Facebook account named "T.N.D." to publish more than 300 articles with false information to defame state leaders and distort the history of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. State media reported that the police gathered evidence and is continuing to investigate both cases.

Article 331 of the Penal Code is a vague and broadly defined provision that the government frequently uses to stifle freedom of expression. Individuals prosecuted and imprisoned under this controversial law are diverse, including social activists, land rights petitioners, social media users, and journalists.

A Hong Kong legal body has issued warning letters to lawyers linked to a defunct fund set up to help protesters arrested during the 2019 protests.

In a Chinese statement on Monday, Law Society of Hong Kong President Roden Tong said the group had completed an investigation into 16 lawyers in relation to the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund.

The lawyers investigated included those who had received money from the fund, which provided financial and legal assistance to individuals detained in connection with the protests and unrest in 2019.

According to Tong, those lawyers had engaged in acts that could compromise their integrity and the reputation of the profession, potentially breaching the Solicitors’ Practice Rules.

The society sent out warning letters of varying severity to the lawyers. According to local media outlet Ming Pao, no cases had yet been transferred to the disciplinary committee empowered to revoke their licenses.

“As the regulatory body for Hong Kong lawyers, the Law Society of Hong Kong attaches great importance to the conduct of members. We have established and effective mechanisms for handling complaints,” Tong added.

In January, then-president of the Law Society Chan Chak-ming, said it had concluded investigations into 10 out of the 16 lawyers. He said at the time that those 10 cases included “unsubstantiated” and “substantiated” cases.

Set up during the 2019 unrest, the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund provided legal assistance and funds for psychological counselling, medical treatment and emergency relief to protesters.

The fund ceased operations at the end of October 2022, making it among the dozens of civil society groups to disband in the wake of the Beijing-imposed national security law. Ahead of its disbanding, five prominent activists who served as trustees of the fund were arrested, including Cardinal Joseph Zen, barrister Margaret Ng and singer Denise Ho.

They were apprehended by national security police on suspicion of conspiring to collude with foreign powers, but were later charged with failing to register the fund under the Societies Ordinance.

The activists pleaded not guilty but were convicted in November 2022 and fined up to HK$4,000 each. They have sought to challenge their conviction, with the High Court set to hear the appeal next January.

Separately, the Hong Kong Bar Association said in January that it had completed its investigations of 38 barristers linked to the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund. None were found to have engaged in professional misconduct.

Protests erupted in June 2019 over a since-axed extradition bill. They escalated into sometimes violent displays of dissent against police behaviour, amid calls for democracy and anger over Beijing’s encroachment. Demonstrators demanded an independent probe into police conduct, amnesty for those arrested and a halt to the characterisation of protests as “riots.”

Prominent Tibetan language rights advocate Tashi Wangchuk was detained for 15 days on charges of ‘disrupting social order’ and allegedly spreading false information on social media and is now under strict surveillance, RFA Tibetan has learned.

Wangchuk’s detention comes as China intensifies its policies to suppress — or even eradicate — Tibetan and other ethnic languages and cultures and replace them with Mandarin and Han Chinese customs.

According to a release notice issued by the Yulshul (in Chinese, Yushu) City Detention Center obtained by RFA, Wangchuk, 39, was arrested by the Internet Police Unit in China’s Qinghai province on Oct. 20. After an investigation, he was detained for 15 days in the Yulshul Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture until his release on Nov. 4.

The document, dated Nov. 4, said Wangchuk -- a former political prisoner -- was accused of posting “false information” on social media platforms since June, for “repeatedly insulting and ridiculing government departments” and “negatively impacting the online environment and public order in society” by allegedly distorting and rejecting government policies.

Despite his release, Wangchuk remains under strict surveillance and is being subjected to ongoing interrogation, said a source familiar with his situation, who spoke to RFA on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

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A shopkeeper from the Yulshul township of Jyekundo, also called Gyegu, said Wangchuk was released from prison in January 2021 after he completed a five-year term for discussing language restrictions with Western media, but rights groups had continued to express concerns about his health and safety amid ongoing controls on his freedom.

‘Forced assimilation’

Maya Wang, associate China director at New York-based Human Rights Watch, said Wangchuk’s case reflects the Chinese government’s broader efforts toward assimilation.

“Tibetans who have pushed back for Tibetan language rights – notably Tashi Wangchuk – and for their rights to express themselves, practice religion and culture in the way they prefer, have been imprisoned and harassed for doing so,” Wang told RFA.

“This is all part of the Chinese government‘s efforts to forcibly assimilate what they consider to be ’ethnic minorities' and subsume them into what [Chinese President] Xi [Jinping] considers to be a rising Han Chinese nation,” she said.

Wang noted that the Chinese government has systematically replaced the Tibetan language with Mandarin as the medium of instruction in primary, middle and secondary schools, except for classes studying Tibetan as a language - treating it akin to a foreign language.

While China claims to uphold the rights of all minorities to access a “bilingual education,” Tibetan-language schools have been forced to shut down and kindergarten-aged children regularly only receive instruction in Mandarin Chinese.

Observers say such policies are aimed at eliminating the next generation of Tibetan speakers and part of a broader effort by the government to destroy Tibetans’ cultural identity. Similar policies are deployed against Mongolians in Inner Mongolia and Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

Earlier prison term

Since 2015, Wangchuk has been advocating against China‘s policies undermining the Tibetan language, calling for language protection as guaranteed in laws governing the country’s autonomous regions.

Wangchuk rose to prominence that same year through an interview with The New York Times about his efforts to sue local authorities in eastern Tibet after Tibetan language classes were canceled.

After the release of The New York Times documentary featuring his interview, Wangchuk was arrested in 2016 and tortured by Chinese authorities.

Since his release in from prison in 2021 Wangchuk has traveled throughout Tibet raising awareness of Chinese authorities’ suppression of the Tibetan language in schools, as well as petitioning government officials to defend and preserve Tibetan language and culture.

Activists and his lawyer say that Wangchuk has been under continued surveillance since his release.

In July 2023, human rights lawyer Lin Qilei said in a post to the social media platform X that he had met Wangchuk in Yushu, but their meeting and time together was cut short due to restrictions on their communication and local police pressure.

“Tashi Wangchuk’s case makes the harassment and scrutiny that former political prisoners face even more evident,” said Tenzin Khunkhen, researcher at the Central Tibetan Administration’s Human Rights desk.

Khunkhen also raised concerns about Wangchuk’s well-being, stating that his arrest and detention reflects the Chinese government’s ongoing crackdown on political prisoners in Tibet.

Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported that the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department had reportedly detained and interrogated around 20 individuals, including several former political dissidents and relatives of political dissidents after they gathered to attend a party hosted by a Vietnamese-Australian friend. According to some individuals who attended the meeting and requested anonymity, the incident occurred around 10 p.m. on Nov. 1, when they returned home after having a party at a restaurant in District 12.

The traffic police pulled them over on their way home, saying they needed to check the drug and alcohol concentration in their blood, and then divided them into smaller groups and took them to different police stations for questioning. An anonymous source told RFA that after the police forced them to go to the police station, they did not conduct the testing. Instead, the police interrogators reportedly questioned the attendees about the purpose of the meeting and their social connections.

According to RFA, among those taken to the police station were two former prisoners of conscience, Do The Hoa and Ho Dinh Cuong, who finished their sentences in 2023. Nguyen Thi Chau, wife of political prisoner Nguyen Ngoc Anh, was also detained and questioned. Many of these detainees were freed between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. the following day, and some were forced to write a commitment “not to share information critical of the party and the state” on their social media accounts. Two other individuals, including a Vietnamese-Australian citizen, were held for at least 24 hours before being released.

Chinese rights lawyer Wang Yu has been hospitalized after her health deteriorated following a nine-day hunger strike, which she began in protest during her detention following an Oct. 23 altercation with police outside a court building in the northern province of Hebei.

Wang was released from Weicheng County Detention Center on Nov. 1 after a brief administrative detention for “disrupting public order” following the fracas, and was taken straight to hospital by her husband and fellow rights attorney Bao Longjun, Bao told RFA Mandarin in a recent interview.

When she got out, Wang was “completely hunched over and unable to walk” on her release from the detention center, and he carried her on his back, shocked at how little she weighed.

“It felt like carrying a sack of cotton wool; she was so light,” he said, adding Wang likely weighed around 70 catties, or 40 kilograms.

Scans at the Wei County People’s Hospital revealed a “shadow” on Wang’s liver, so Bao had her transferred to the highly regarded Handan Central Hospital where she was placed on a drip and gradually started to eat solid food again, he said.

Targeting rights lawyers

Bao and Wang, who were among the first to be targeted in the July 2015 arrests, detention and harassment of more than 300 rights lawyers, public interest law firm staff and rights activists across China, are now staying in a hotel while they plan further medical treatment, he told RFA Mandarin on Nov. 1.

Police detained Wang along with fellow rights attorney Jiang Tianyong after they showed up to defend their client Liu Meixiang against corruption charges at the Wei County People’s Court.

A scuffle ensued after police snatched away the camera of a family member who tried to take photos of them, according to a lawyer at the scene who declined to be named for fear of reprisals.

Bao submitted a legal opinion through legal channels out of concern for his wife’s health on day 7 of her hunger strike, but nobody would accept the document, he said.

“I asked them to send Wang Yu to the hospital, and I went to the detention center and rang on the doorbell, saying that I wanted to meet with Wang Yu to get her to eat and drink,” Bao said.

“They lied to me, saying there was no need for that, and that she had eaten something the night before, but she hadn’t eaten anything at all, actually,” he said.

Wang‘s hunger strike was in protest at the authorities’ refusal to allow her to meet with her lawyer or family members, as well as their refusal to provide adequate medical treatment and to let her take a shower, among other things.

Bao said he plans to take Wang to seek further medical opinions in Beijing and Tianjin.

He also plans to appeal her administrative sentence as a form of public protest at her treatment.

“There’s no rule of law in this country, so all we can do now is to use it to speak out on our own behalf,” Bao said.

‘Heartbreaking’

U.S.-based rights lawyer Yu Pinjian said he had seen a photo of Bao Longjun carrying Wang Yu to hospital, which he described as “heartbreaking.”

“Human rights lawyers should be allowed to fight their cases using evidence and the law to defend their clients in court, but now they’re forced to go on hunger strike to defend their own human rights,” Yu told RFA Mandarin. “This shows that the legal system that human rights lawyers depend on for their survival has collapsed.”

Wang’s hunger strike came as authorities in the southwestern region of Guangxi released rights attorney Qin Yongpei at the end of a five-year prison sentence for “incitement to subvert state power,” people familiar with the case told RFA Mandarin.

Qin returned to his home in Nanning city following his release on Oct. 31, but his wife declined to comment when contacted by RFA Mandarin, saying it was “inconvenient,” a phrase often used to indicate pressure from the authorities.

Qin Yongpei was detained in November 2021 by the Nanning municipal police department during a raid on his Baijuying legal consultancy company.

His wife has previously said that Qin had spoken out many times about misconduct and injustices perpetrated by police and local judicial officials, and had likely angered many within the local law enforcement community.

U.S.-based rights lawyer Wu Shaoping said Qin hadn’t broken any laws with his consultancy activities, despite having been stripped of his lawyer’s license.

“He was accused of inciting subversion of state power only because he posted a lot of his personal opinions on the internet,” Wu said. “Everything he did was in compliance with the law and human justice in any normal country.”

“So he was wrongly convicted,” Wu said, calling on the authorities to restore his legal career and allow him to make a living.

“The most worrying thing is his physical condition,” he said, adding that the authorities typically continue to “stalk and harass” people on their surveillance blacklist even after their release from prison.

Vietnamese activist and blogger Duong Van Thai was tried in a closed trial on Oct. 30, 2024, where he was sentenced to 12 years in prison, followed by three years of probation.

Thai, who fled to Thailand in early 2019 after publishing content critical of the Vietnamese government, was abducted by Vietnamese intelligence agents in Bangkok earlier in April. Despite holding UN-recognized refugee status, he was forcibly returned to Vietnam, sparking international criticism regarding Hanoi’s cross-border targeting of dissidents.

This severe sentence reflects Vietnam’s stance on political dissent, a pattern also seen in other high-profile cases in which Vietnamese activists have been detained or tried following similar forced repatriations.

Human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, have condemned the trial, noting that the closed nature of the proceedings contradicted international standards for transparency and due process. Concerns remain high about Vietnam’s treatment of political prisoners, as Thai joins a growing list of activists facing lengthy sentences for peacefully expressing dissent.

Phil Robertson, director of Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates (AHRLA), said this about Thai's trial: “Duong Van Thai is a victim of Hanoi's policy mindset that 'might makes right' and they can do whatever they want to Vietnamese people, wherever they are in the world and no matter what their status or citizenship... There are no words to adequately describe the Vietnamese government's despicable and illegal act to abduct Duong Van Thai, and now Hanoi is further compounding that violation by sentencing him to a long prison sentence."

A Burmese-Indian activist who went missing after slamming a Myanmar film as racist toward Hindus is in the custody of authorities, who are investigating him for “instigation,” the junta announced Wednesday.

Hindus have faced decades of discrimination in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar, where they endure restrictions on religious practice and travel, according to the U.S. State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report.

Shine Htet Aung, 33, disappeared on Oct. 26, days after posting a review of the Myanmar rom-com “Jar Kit Sar Pu Thee” (Have You Ever Ridden a Jeep) on Facebook, in which he described the film as racist toward Hindu culture. The review went viral on social media, garnering thousands of likes and shares.

His family and friends had expressed concern for his safety in interviews with the Mizzima media outlet after he was reportedly abducted by individuals in plainclothes while volunteering at a school for the blind in Yangon region’s Mayangone township.

On Wednesday evening, the junta announced that Shine Htet Aung, the owner of the Facebook account “Her Sal Yon (Ko King),” was detained at the police station in his home township of Hlaing in Yangon region.

The announcement said police are investigating Shine Htet Aung, also known as Vuy Htet Kumar, for “inciting propaganda through social media to undermine national stability.” It provided no details of the reason for his arrest.

In his Oct. 24 Facebook post, Shine Htet Aung had expressed concerns about the title and promotional attire in a poster for Jar Kit Sar Pu Thee, which is due to be released next month.

He said the poster portrayed Hindu culture in a stereotypical and offensive manner and noted that Jar Kit Sar Pu Thee is a mock Hindi word used to greet Hindus in an offensive manner.

After the post went viral, pro-junta channels on the social media platform Telegram called for his arrest for “instigating racial and religious” hatred.

His Facebook account has since been deactivated.

Prior to the announcement of his arrest, a source close to Shine Htet Aung’s family called his likely detention as “unfair.”

“Almost everyone in this country dislikes the dictators, except for the lobbyists and their supporters,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.

According to Myanmar’s 2014 census, Hindus make up only 0.5 percent of the country’s population, whereas 88 percent of the people identify as Buddhist and 4.3 percent as Muslim.

The Supreme Court has denied bail for an activist charged with royal defamation for wearing a shirt with the message “I have lost faith in the monarchy,” and sentenced him to six years in prison.

Tiwagorn Withiton, a 48-year-old pro-democracy activist, was charged with royal defamation, sedition, and violation of the Computer Crimes Act for posting messages in February 2020. The posts called on the monarchy to stop using the royal defamation law and demanded the release of political detainees, and he also posted a picture of himself wearing a white t-shirt with the message “I have lost faith in the monarchy.”

According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), after posting the picture, Tiwagorn revealed that he was visited by a dozen plainclothes officers from the Internal Security Operation Command. He said they asked him not to wear the shirt, repeatedly asserting that it would cause chaos within the country.

On the following month, he was arrested and forcibly admitted to Khon Kaen Rajanagarindra Psychiatric Hospital, He was discharged on 22 July 2020 after a public campaign calling for his release. He was arrested again on 4 March 2021 and taken to Tha Phra Police Station in Khon Kaen and charged for the Facebook posts he made.

In September 2022, the Khon Kaen Provincial Court dismissed charges against Tiwagorn because the evidence did not prove that the defendant intended to defame or express hostility to the monarchy.

However, the Appeal Court overturned the acquittal, ruling that he intended to defame the King by posting a picture of himself wearing the shirt and inviting people to buy the shirt, and because people were leaving comments on his posts which were defamatory against the King.

The Appeal Court found Tiwagorn guilty of royal defamation and violation of the Computer Crimes Act and sentenced him to nine years in prison (three years for each offence). The sentence was reduced to six years due to his useful testimony. However, it found him not guilty of sedition because there was no evidence that he was trying to incite people to violate the law.

On 24 September, TLHR reported that Tiwagorn’s lawyer had filed a bail request with the Supreme Court with 500,000 baht as security, arguing that the Region 3 Appeal Court had granted two activists in the previous case bail and Tiwagorn has elderly parents to take care of.

The Supreme Court upheld the Appeal Court’s verdict, saying there was no reason to change the initial ruling. Tiwagorn has been detained at the Khon Kaen Special Correctional Institution for 43 days since the Appeal Court sentenced him to prison.

Activist Sopon Surariddhidhamrong has been sentenced to 2 years in prison on a royal defamation charge for a protest speech criticizing the government’s Covid-19 vaccine programme and the royal family’s use of taxpayer’s money, bringing his total prison sentence to 8 years and 6 months.

Sopon was charged with royal defamation and using a sound amplifier without permission after he gave a speech during the 1 May 2022 Labour Day protest at Government House, during which he spoke about the lack of access to Covid-19 vaccines and how certain privileged groups are getting access to vaccines ahead of everyone else.

The public prosecutor indicted Sopon because he said that Princess Sirivannavari, King Vajiralongkorn’s youngest daughter, and her friends were getting the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine before everyone else, and that members of the royal family are getting the AstraZeneca vaccine while the people are denied access to it because the King is a shareholder in Siam Bioscience, the only company licensed to produce the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine in Thailand.

The public prosecutor said that Sopon’s speech violated the royal defamation law because he insulted Princess Sirivannavari, who the prosecutor sees as the heir to the throne, caused a misunderstanding about members of the royal family’s access to Covid-19 vaccine, and defamed the monarchy by claiming that donations to hospitals were from taxpayers’ money.

Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) reported that the Criminal Court yesterday (29 October) found Sopon guilty of royal defamation and sentenced him to 3 years in prison, later reduced to 2 years because he gave useful testimony. The charge under the Sound Amplifier Act was dismissed.

Sopon is currently facing a total prison sentence of 8 years and 6 months for three counts of royal defamation. He has been detained pending appeal since 24 August 2023.

TLHR reported that, before the judge read out the verdict, Sopon asked to make a declaration to the court. He took off his shirt, showing cuts in his chest in the shape of the number 112. He told the Court that it might seem unusual for him to cut himself or take his shirt off, but what is more abnormal is that people are being prosecuted for royal defamation and denied bail when neither the Bureau of the Royal Household nor the King is involved in filing charges. He hopes that the court’s ruling would be a lesson for himself and other observers in the courtroom.

A note from Sopon was later published on his Facebook page, stating that, although he hurt himself cutting the numbers into his chest, he wanted to do something to show those in power that something is wrong with the justice system when it comes to the royal defamation law.

On 29 October 2024, the Suzhou Intermediate Court in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, convicted human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng and woman human rights defender Xu Yan for “inciting subversion of State power”. Yu Wensheng was sentenced to three years in prison while Xu Yan was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison. They have both been arbitrarily detained since April 2023 when they were arrested by public security agents while en route to an event in Beijing organised by the European Union Delegation to China.

Between 28-30 August 2024, Yu Wensheng and Xu Yan were put on trial separately at the Suzhou Intermediate Court. Diplomats from concerned countries went to Suzhou to observe the trials but were not allowed to enter the courtroom on the pretext of there being no available seats. Other human rights defenders who went to the court or attempted to travel to the court were either barred from entering or intercepted on the way by public security agents.

KARAPATAN condemns the arbitrary arrest of two Southern Tagalog trade union organizers on October 27, 2024.

Arrested in Makati City were Gavino Panganiban, Director for Campaigns of the Kilusang Mayo Uno-affiliated Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Timog Katagalugan (PAMANTIK), and Maritess David, a labor organizer of the Organized Labor Association in Line Industries and Agriculture-Kilusang Mayo Uno (Olalia-KMU). David faces trumped-up charges of murder while Panganiban faces charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives.

David’s case stems from the Bloody Sunday raids on the former office of the Alyansa ng mga Manggagawa sa Engklabo in 2021 where the arresting team planted several firearms and explosives before serving their search warrant.

Since yesterday afternoon, KARAPATAN paralegals and David’s family have also been illegally blocked by elements of the Philippine National Police from entering the rented house in Makati, where the two were arrested, to safekeep the personal belongings of both David and Panganiban. No warrants have been issued to search the said house.

Dozens of people braved the rain and defied an official ban to turn out in Halloween costumes ranging from Buddha to Batman in Shanghai at the weekend, as the authorities cracked down on those who used the fall festival to take subtle aim at the ruling Chinese Communist Party, complain about the state of the world, or just have some fun.

Despite heavy police patrols in the downtown area, video footage showed a large crowd of mostly young people under umbrellas, some in costume, and some cheering them on and filming their performances on their phones. In separate clips, revelers were shown being taken away, some in full costume.

Video and photos uploaded to the Instagram account @drinkdownccp captioned “Halloween in Shanghai” showed people dressed in a huge variety of cosplay outfits including a Chinese emperor and his concubine, Jesus in an LED halo, the scissor-toting eponymous character from the 2007 Japanese horror movie “Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman,” No Face from the Hayao Miyazaki anime hit “Spirited Away” and Huawei smartphones.

Police, urban management officials and business owners in downtown Huangpu district last week warned of “strict controls” on cosplay activities, saying anyone breaking the rules would be subject to “coercion” if they didn’t lose their make-up or costume when told to remove it by the authorities.

People were banned from wearing costumes and elaborate make-up in public, while buildings in the district are also banned from displaying any form of Halloween decoration, including bats, pumpkins, ghosts, coffins and skeletons, while “horror or violence-related elements” will not be allowed, according to a directive from local authorities.

Yet many defied the ban, often to make a point to the authorities, according to social media footage and photos posted from the streets of Shanghai, which saw mass protests against the government as recently as November 2022.

In one photo, someone wears a mask emblazoned with the words “save the leeks!” in a reference to online slang that refers to ordinary Chinese people as resources to be used or harvested by those in power to suit their own purposes. Two people turn up dressed as Lenin and Stalin, waving to the crowd.

In another sign of public dissent linked to the flagging economy, a young woman dresses as “the Ghost of Poverty,” wearing a sign that reads “whatever you try, there’s still no money.”

Another reveler dresses in a traditional robe referencing the 1919 May 4th youth movement, carrying a copy of the New Youth magazine used by young people to express political dissent, another as the Statue of Liberty, while another holds a sign that reads “Police warning: homosexuals!” in a likely reference to recent crackdowns on the LGBTQ+ community.

In another clip on the same account, someone in a Trump mask wearing the red neckerchief of the Chinese Communist Party youth organization Young Pioneers dances to the Village People’s 1978 hit “Y.M.C.A.”

Reuters video footage from Shanghai at the weekend showed police on patrol, and a line of police mini buses parked along a street in the downtown area.

“Unless they’re from Happy Valley or Disney, costumes and make-up are not allowed,” a young woman says in a social media video clip circulating at the weekend, in a reference to China’s chain of homegrown amusement parks. “Especially when it comes to certain neighborhoods in the downtown area.”

“There’s no way they’re letting anyone do that.”

In a separate social media clip, another person cosplaying as former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is taken away from a store by security guards, as a commentator announces: “Breaking news: Trump gets chased by security guards!”

A Shanghai resident who gave only the surname Wang for fear of reprisals said he saw several people taken away by police.

“Some of the women were wearing Qing Dynasty costumes, while some men were dressed as emperors,” Wang said. “They were all taken to the police station.”

“The main reason is that they’re afraid that too many people will gather,” he said. “They get particularly worried about large gatherings, particularly spontaneous ones.”

A Taiwanese national who runs bars in Shanghai’s Jing’an district and Julu Road, where much of the cosplaying took place, said they had been contacted by police last week and warned not to encourage any Halloween-themed activities.

“The local police told us ... there were to be no Halloween activities, no displays, and nobody in weird costumes, on pain of them shutting the bars down,” the person said. “It was so sad.”

Some cosplayers gathered in Hangzhou, a one-hour high-speed railway trip away, after social media posts suggested it as an alternate venue to Shanghai, propelling “Halloween in Hangzhou” to the top of social media search results. Yet some cosplayers there were also asked to remove their costumes and taken away by police for questioning, according to social media footage.

Similar scenes were reported in Dongshankou, the artists' district of Guangzhou.

A resident of the southern province of Guangdong who gave only the surname Chen for fear of reprisals said many young people see costumes as a way to express dissatisfaction with the government.

“Dongshankou is a downtown area, and part of the old city,” Chen said. “The costumes they wear express dissatisfaction, and such dissatisfaction can easily evolve into a demonstration.”

“The government fears this more than anything,” he said. “So many images are sensitive under the current regime, which has so many sore points and sensitive topics.”

One sensitive topic appeared to be the fact that Sunday marked the anniversary of former premier Li Keqiang’s death, which prompted a wave of spontaneous national mourning that many saw as an indirect criticism of Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping’s handling of the economy.

According to social media posts from local residents, police were patrolling the streets around Li’s former residence in downtown Hefei, capital of the eastern province of Anhui, where local people left thousands of floral tributes a year ago.

Authorities in Anhui and Henan provinces meanwhile canceled two major marathon events originally scheduled for Oct. 27, citing unexplained “reasons,” postponing them to early November instead.

Nine villagers and a monk were questioned by police and allowed to return home after signing a contract related to the dissemination of Paris Peace Agreements’ information in Kampot province. A civil society group noted that the space for freedom of expression and to assemble has tightened.

Approximately 10 villagers, including a monk, gathered at a public park to mark the 33rd Paris Peace Agreements on Wednesday, in Kampot city.

At 8 a.m, they were summoned for gathering without permission and allowed to return about 10 p.m that day.

Meas Den, 44, said he arrived home about 10 p.m after signing a contract agreeing to stop conducting activities without the Kampot city police’s permission with regards to the celebration.

He said he participated in the event to share his knowledge, and uphold the spirit of the agreement which talks about safeguarding territorial sovereignty and human rights issues.

“We just shared about the law [Paris Agreement Agreements] but we weren’t allowed, so we don’t know how to talk with them [the participants],” he said.

“Yes, I think it restricts the right to freedom of citizens. We just shared about the law, there is nothing wrong [about that],” Den said.

Another participant, Pech Sokny, said police questioned her regarding the celebration and creating a movement relating to the Facebook page of Srun Srorn, an activist of the Paris Peace Agreements.

“In my opinion, this is a serious violation of human rights. As we know our current society is [led by a] democratic leadership and adheres to constitutional law,” she said.

“People did nothing wrong, we just talked about the law and shared knowledge with each other but they [authorities] repressed our rights and freedom,” Sokny said.

She opined that educating the public does not necessarily require permission from the authorities.

Kampot city administration chief Svay Nith confirmed that the people were questioned because they carried out activities without the authorities’ permission.

“It’s wrong because they wanted to disseminate [information] without permission,” he said. “To assemble, disseminate something requires permission.”

Kampot city deputy police chief Kong Bunthoeun said police officials called them to ask for information regarding the celebration of the Paris Peace Agreements.

“We have just educated them that when they want to disseminate something in public places, they need to inform our local authority in order for us to ensure public order and security for them,” he said.

“We have not restricted their rights, but on behalf of local authorities, [who are] like their parents, they have to inform the authorities,” Bunthoeun said.

Paris Peace Agreements activist Srun Srorn, along with three others were charged with criminal incitement in July after a live broadcast on Srorn’s Facebook about the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area agreement.

The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), in its 2023 annual publication, noted that restrictions and violations of fundamental rights in Cambodia have risen.

According to the report, 633 incidents related to fundamental freedoms were recorded in 2023. Out of this, 255 incidents had at least one restriction, and 377 involved abuse.

Ninety-eight incidents of systematic expression were recorded, with 64% of these violations involving freedom of expression on social media. Facebook had the most number of restrictions or abuses.

Yun Phally, provincial coordinator of rights group Adhoc, expressed concern that the right to freedom of speech has shrunk, noting that citizens had the right to exercise freedom of speech in public as stipulated in the constitution.

“We saw that the authorities seemed to restrict people who share knowledge, laws and the constitution with other people,” he said.

“Citizens have the right to express opinions and share information,” Phally said.

The company that produced the animation “2475 Dawn of Revolution” has filed a defamation lawsuit against Prachatai, its editor-in-chief, and three other people, claiming that a news article from March 2024 contained false information about the company’s relationship with the Army.

Launched on 9 March 2024 and later released online, the animation was produced by Nakra Studio. The copyright is owned by Nakraphiwat Company Limited. After its release, the animation was criticized by pro-democracy netizens for misinterpreting the events of 1932 and for painting those behind the revolution in a bad light.

There were also reports that several army units were screening the animation to conscripts and officers, including the 2nd Signal Regiment, which wrote on its Facebook page that the animation was screened to soldiers in the Regiment and their families to raise the “right awareness” about the revolution and build a “love of the nation, religion, and King.”

On 15 March 2024, Prachatai reported that, according to the analysis of the Anti-Corruption Organization of Thailand, the Army had previously commissioned 11 media production projects from the Nakraphiwat Company. The report noted that the animation was not named on the list and that its producers also said that they did not receive government funding to make the animation.

On 23 October, Prachatai received a court summons stating that the Nakhrapiwat Company has filed a lawsuit against the Foundation for Community Educational Media (FCEM), the foundation which runs Prachatai, its former editor-in-chief Senator Tewarit Maneechai, former FCEM President Dr Kasem Sirisampan, and three other people who shared the 15 March news article, for defamation by publication and bringing into a computer system and sharing false information.

The company said that the lawsuit was filed because the 15 March article falsely claimed that it received funding from the Army to produce the animation.

Authorities in the northern province of Hebei have detained prominent rights lawyers Wang Yu and Jiang Tianyong after they showed up at a local court in a bid to represent a client.

Wang, Jiang and several other lawyers arrived at the Wei County People’s Court near Hebei’s Handan city on the morning of Oct. 23 to defend their client Liu Meixiang against charges of corruption.

A scuffle ensued after police snatched away the camera of a family member who tried to take photos of them, according to a lawyer at the scene who declined to be named for fear of reprisals.

Jiang, 53, stepped in to protect the client’s relative, but was later accused of attacking Xiao Junfei, whose identity was unclear, a police document showed.

“Jiang Tianyong was involved in a scuffle while trying to stop them, but he didn’t fight back,” the lawyer said.

Police also shoved and hit Wang Yu, after she told them they were breaking the law by taking the person’s camera, the lawyer said.

“They took her into their room where they hit her and shoved her with some force,” they said. “Wang Yu called them hooligans, so they said she had a bad attitude and detained her for nine days.”

“She went on hunger strike in detention,” the lawyer said.

‘Forcibly restrained’

Jiang Tianyong, 53, is being held under an eight-day administrative detention order after being detained by police outside the Wei County People’s Court on Oct. 23, according to a copy of the detention notice shared with RFA Mandarin, which accused him of “beating” another person outside the court.

“Jiang Tianyong will be detained for eight days under the Public Security Administrative Punishment Law, and fined 300 yuan (US$42),” the notice issued by the county police department said, adding that Jiang would be held in the Wei County Detention Center near Handan city.

Liu Meixiang’s husband Qiu Bin was also put in administrative detention, while a fourth person was detained briefly and released on the same day.

Lawyers Peng Peng, Duan Hanjie and Shi Yu tried to meet with the three detained lawyers on Oct. 25 at the Wei County Detention Center, but were denied permission by the authorities and later filed a complaint with the local police department about it.

Wang Yu’s husband Bao Longjun told RFA Mandarin that the three were eventually permitted to meet with their lawyers on Oct. 26.

“We met with Wang Yu, who was on hunger strike,” Bao told Radio Free Asia on Tuesday. “The authorities are accusing Wang Yu of disrupting the work of the Weicheng police station, but she did no such thing.”

In fact, Wang was assaulted and humiliated by the police, he said.

“More than a dozen police officers came and forcibly restrained Wang Yu, pushing and shoving her into an iron-barred cell and stripping her top off,” Bao said.

According to Wang’s account cited by Bao, police officer Cao Ran twisted her arm and treated her “improperly” as she was being taken away.

Repeated calls to the Weicheng police station rang unanswered during office hours on Tuesday.

Wang told Bao she was finding it hard to get hold of drinking water in the detention center.

The five Acehnese students who participated in the demonstration rejected the Pilkada Bill which was arrested by the police in the Aceh People's Representative Council (DPRA) building area, were confirmed to have been released after several hours of being questioned at the Banda Aceh Police Headquarters.

"Alhamdulillah, the five people who were arrested during the action have all been released," said the Director of the Aceh NGO HAM Coalition who accompanied students, Khairil Arista, in Banda Aceh, as reported by ANTARA, Saturday, August 24.

Previously, thousands of students from various campuses together with civil elements on behalf of the Aceh Indonesian Guard Alliance for Democracy (API-Democracy) came to the Aceh DPR office to call for the rejection of the Pilkada Bill because it was considered to annull the decision of the Constitutional Court (MK).

The action that lasted until that night ended in chaos, so the Banda Aceh Police arrested five demonstrators from the students who carried out the action.

Those arrested during the demonstration were two UIN Ar-Raniry students on behalf of M Defri Siregar and M Haikal, one UBBG student Habib Rizki, one USK Banda Aceh student Azhar Maulana.

Then, another participant in the action who was arrested was a member of the Banda Aceh Legal Aid Institute (LBH), Rahmad Maulidin.

Khairil said, after being taken information by the police, the demonstrators were released at around 01.20 WIB. Welcomed by members of students and other Acehnese civilian elements.

Khairil ensured that all the students arrested were in good condition. While at the Police Headquarters, they were only asked for information.

"Only information was taken what happened in the field, and Alhamdulillah, everything was free and still in good health," he concluded.

Tsongon Tsering has been arrested and detained in Khyungchu County for voicing a complaint against rock and sand mining in Tsaruma Village, Khyungchu County, Ngaba.

According to information received today from a reliable source, a native of Tsaruma Village, Khyungchu County, in Ngaba, Tsognon Tsering, recently published a video which appealed for attention and action towards the issue of ongoing rock and sand mining activities in the village on social media platforms. Although, along with him, several other people from the village were summoned for interrogation, the source informed us today that the other people returned home later, but Tsongon Tsering was held in detention in Khyungchu County.

The same source said, “ Tsongon Tsering has been arrested and detained. He remains in detention at Khyungchu County. Yet, his family and village people are hoping for him to be released as soon as possible. Maybe they will release him tomorrow or the day after.”

According to information received by the Tibet Times, on 22nd October, the Khyungchu County Police summoned and interrogated Tsongon Tsering and some people from the village at Khyungchu County. Even though the other people from the village were released, Tsering’s condition remains unclear. On top of that, the appeal video and voice messages published on his Kuaishou social media account have been restricted and deleted. His Kuaishou account (搓俄) does not appear when one searches for it.

Tsering published an almost five-minute video complaint on his Kuaishou account. In the video, he discussed in detail that from May 2023 onwards, the Anhui Xianhe Construction Engineering Company, while working on the construction of the new highway in Tsuruma village, began to engage in illegal rock and sand mining and transportation on the banks of Dhangchu River near the road. He further stressed that the large-scale mining and transportation have caused serious damage to the local ecology. Heavy sand mining has caused damage to the river and poses great danger to the local residential area.

The local Tibetans of Tsaruma village submitted photos and videos documenting and highlighting the damage caused to their residences in a legal complaint that they filed to the Tsaruma local government, the Khyunchu County Disciplinary Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Water Resources Department and other related government bodies of both Khyungchu county and Ngaba prefecture. Yet, none of the government bodies responded to the complaint.

In September 2023, the local people of Tsaruma filed the first legal complaint against Anhui Xianhe Construction Engineering Company. Even though, at that time, the Khyungchu Environmental Protection Agency investigated the damaged area, the results of the investigation and the subsequent findings were not publicised. From October to December 2023, the local people appealed to the Ngaba prefecture Water Resources Department to request clarification on the results of the investigation and the findings. They did not receive any response from the Department.

Recently, a source informed tibettimes that the issue of sand mining in Tsaruma village stems from the government-level construction projects in Ngaba prefecture. As such, even as it is a fact that the Anhui Xianhe Construction Engineering Company has illegally engaged in sand mining in Tsaruma, the prospect of the complaint filed by the local people of Tsaruma bearing any result remains very bleak. The source also voiced suspicions about the Company illegally mining for other minerals in the same area.

Tsering is currently 29 and the only son of Phurkho and Wangdon. His father, Phurko, is around 60 and Wangdon, his mother is around 50. Tsongon Tsering is someone who has always actively taking the responsibility of local and public issues.

Agitated protestors manhandled reporters while reporting in Pokhara on October 20. Pokhara lies in Gandaki Province of Nepal.

Freedom Forum's representative for the province Rajan Upadhyaya shared that reporters Niraj Tamang and Anita Ghimire were manhandled while reporting live of a protest at Shahidchowk, Pokhara.

According to representative Upadhyay, reporter Ghimire said that they were reporting live of the political cadres' protesting against the arrest of Former Home Minister and President of Rastriya Swatantra Party Rabi Lamichhane. Lamichhane was arrested by a team of Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) from the party's central office in Kathmandu on October 18. Then, he was presented before the Kaski District Court in Pokhara on October 20. Lamichhane has been accused of embezzlement of funds from a local cooperative office based in Pokhara.

"During live broadcast protestors shouted- this is the television channel which broadcasts news critical to our party and leader. They also tried to damage our camera", she informed.

Nguyen Thi Tam, serving a six-year sentence for “propaganda against the state” at a prison in Vietnam, said her cellmate threatened to kill her, Tam’s daughter told Radio Free Asia.

Since April, she has been sharing a cell with a woman jailed for drug offenses at the prison in Thanh Hoa province.

Tam told her daughter the woman, who Radio Free Asia is not identifying given the sensitivity of the situation, swore at her, kicked her legs when she was trying to sleep at night and threatened to “beat her to death.”

She complained to prison guards and asked them to move the woman to another cell but said officers only tried to reassure her, saying they had already “disciplined and educated” her cellmate. However, Tam said the problems didn’t stop.

“My mother sleeps a lot during the day and doesn’t dare sleep at night because she’s afraid that when everyone else is asleep, she might be in danger,” her daughter, Nguyen Thanh Mai, told RFA on Monday following a phone call with Tam.

Mai said her mother’s mental and physical health were under a lot of strain because of her cellmate’s behavior. She is already suffering from uterine fibroids and stiff joints.

RFA Vietnamese called Prison No. 5, where Tam is being held, but no one answered the telephone.

Tam said she thought prison authorities were punishing her for speaking out against officers’ behavior, such as unreasonably confiscating personal belongings, and poor conditions, such as overcrowded cells.

On Oct. 20, two officers took Tam to the communal hall to watch a Vietnam Womens’ Day performance, during which a female officer sat next to her. Whenever a fellow inmate started talking to Tam, the officer moved them away.

Former political prisoner Dang Thi Hue, who was held at Prison No. 5 from May 2021 to January 2023, said she had also shared a cell with the woman who threatened Tam.

She told RFA the abusive prisoner is protected by guards who use her to try to destroy the will of other inmates, particularly political prisoners.

Sri Lankan police must cease harassing journalists Selvakumar Nilanthan and Tharindu Jayawardhana, following their reporting on alleged government misconduct, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday.

“With a new president, Sri Lanka has an opportunity to improve press freedom,” said CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Beh Lih Yi. “Police should drop their complaints against journalists Selvakumar Nilanthan and Tharindu Jayawardhana and allow them to work freely.”

On October 20, police in eastern Batticaloa district arrested Nilanthan after he did not attend a court hearing related to a 2019 investigation on multiple allegations, including obstruction of a public officer and defamation over his reporting on alleged government corruption.

Nilanthan told CPJ that neither he nor his lawyer received notice of the September hearing before he was detained in an overcrowded cell in Eravur town with an open defecation area.

Nilathan was detained together with journalist Kuharasu Subajan, his surety in the case responsible for guaranteeing that the defendant appears for court hearings.

The two were released the next day, when Nilanthan was granted bail after a court denied the police’s request for a 14-day remand. His next hearing is on January 20.

Separately, on October 9, Induka Silva — head of the police Criminal Investigation Department’s homicide unit — sought an order from the capital’s Colombo Fort Magistrate Court against Jayawardhana, editor-in-chief of the news website MediaLK, over a video in which he commented on allegations of misconduct against Silva and the appointment of Ravi Seneviratne to the Ministry of Public Security.

At the time the video was published, Silva was investigating Seneviratne over the government’s failure to prevent the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 269 people. Seneviratne was the senior deputy inspector-general of the CID at the time.

On October 12, Silva was transferred to the police headquarters, according to Jayawardhana and a copy of the order reviewed by CPJ.

Silva’s report, reviewed by CPJ, accused Jayawardhana — who has reported extensively on the attacks — of publishing false informationand obstructing the investigation into Seneviratne. The next hearing is scheduled for January 15, Jayawardhana told CPJ, adding that he feared he would be arrested.

Seneviratne told CPJ that Silva’s report against Jayawardhana violated the journalist’s freedom of expression.

CID Director Mangala Dehideniya and Eravur police officer-in-charge N. Harsha de Silva told CPJ that they were unable to immediately comment and did not respond to CPJ’s subsequent text messages.

Free Tibet’s research partner, Tibet Watch, has learned that Tibetan language advocate Tashi Wangchuk was detained last month on 20 October. The Yushu City Police Detention Centre released him last Monday after 15 days.

The organisation responsible for his detention was the ‘Cybersecurity Brigade’ (网安大队).

Tibet Watch obtained the official arrest warrant dated 20 October 2024 by the Yushu City Public Security Bureau, which states that Tashi Wangchuk was given 15-day administrative detention penalty for having supposedly fabricated and spread, since June this year, “unconfirmed, false, and untrue videos and speeches” that slander and defame the government organs on social media platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou.

The notification further stated that his posts distorted and denied the decisions and policies implemented by the government and seriously disrupted the cyberspace environment and social public order.

Tashi Wangchuk’s social media accounts show that since June, he had reposted Gonmo Kyi’s documents which demanded for fair retrial of her brother and political prisoner Dorje Tashi, video of police personnel taking off Tibetan prayer flag from the rooftop of his home, as well as a photo of a renowned Tibetan school which was forcibly shut in mid July.

Tashi Wangchuk is a herder-turned-shopkeeper who came to international prominence in late 2015 after appearing in the New York Times article and documentary about his solo advocacy to file a lawsuit against local authorities after local Tibetan classes were shut down. Even after serving a five-year sentence, he continues advocating for the Tibetan language at government offices and monitoring schools that are replacing Tibetan textbooks in favour of Chinese.

A year ago, he was detained and beaten by Chinese police personnel after he posted a video of government staff refusing his request for business license registration. The same year, he was attacked by a group of unidentified, masked men after he posted a video of himself near a Tibetan school.

A famous blogger who had been a political refugee in Germany for 12 years went missing for several days while returning to Vietnam to visit his seriously ill mother and has just reappeared in Hanoi.

Mr. Bui Thanh Hieu, born in 1972, (also known as blogger Nguoi Buon Gio) specializes in writing about Vietnam's internal politics, flew from Germany to Bangkok then flew back to Noi Bai airport around October 20.

His friends then alerted social media that he was missing, suspected of being detained by Hanoi police.

On November 3, Facebook Oanh Kim Bui (Mr. Hieu's sister) posted a photo on her personal Facebook, showing Mr. Hieu sitting next to his elderly mother.

On November 4, Ms. Oanh confirmed to a reporter from Radio Free Asia that Mr. Hieu was at his family's home but did not say anything more.

On the same day, she posted photos and videos showing Mr. Hieu visiting relatives, friends and old neighbors.

In a video he confirmed to his friend that:

"My wife and children came back first. They only let me in after my wife and children left Vietnam. I was only in for three days."

He added, "They said that if you come back once and then come back (Duc-PV), if you know what's good for you, they will consider it ," referring to the Security Investigation Agency, Ministry of Public Security.

The reporter called the on-duty officer of the Security Investigation Agency, Ministry of Public Security to ask for information about Mr. Hieu's case but could not connect.

Mr. Le Trung Khoa, editor of Thoibao.de in Germany, told RFA that he knew Mr. Hieu when he was sent from Hanoi to the German city of Weimar under a "writers in exile" scholarship from PEN Germany.

Mr. Khoa, a famous journalist after the kidnapping of Trinh Xuan Thanh in Berlin, added that a few days ago he had written a report about the disappearance of Mr. Bui Thanh Hieu (a German citizen) in Vietnam to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the German police agency because Mr. Hieu had a contract to write articles for his newspaper.

However, according to Mr. Khoa, the German government only confirmed that it had received the document and did not provide any further information.

KARAPATAN denounced the recent arrests and harassment of peasants in Hacienda Almeda in Occidental Mindoro and in Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac City.

At least 31 Iraya Mangyan residents, including 16 elderly individuals and 15 minors, were reported to have been illegally arrested and detained by seven private goons and four members of the Police Regional Mobile Group in Hacienda Almeda, Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro on October 18, 2024. As of this writing, reports reached the human rights group that the 31 are facing charges of trespassing and malicious mischief.

According to the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, Hacienda Alameda covers 1,546 hectares of land in Mamburao and Abra de Ilog, which were placed under agrarian reform coverage in 1988 under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). In 1992, the Department of Agrarian Reform ordered the inclusion of the Almeda family’s landholdings under CARP, and Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOAs) were issued to 58 farmer-beneficiaries including the Iraya Mangyan tribe. At least 31 hectares of the said land are considered ancestral domains of the tribe.

The indigenous peasants have persistently asserted their claims to the land which they have tilled for decades, despite numerous attacks against them. In 2017, around 100 policemen and private guards demolished 20 makeshift homes of indigenous peoples in the area.

At around 9 p.m. of October 19, 2024, four armed men in plain clothes believed to be from the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army entered the compound of Francisco Dizon, chair of Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Asyenda Luisita (AMBALA), in Barangay Mapalacsiao, Tarlac City, and tried to force him to go with them. Dizon’s staunch refusal to go with the men, whose faces were masked, as well as the intervention of other AMBALA officers and barangay officials averted what would have been Dizon’s abduction or illegal arrest.

Meanwhile, elements of Philippine National Police-Tarlac and the 31st Mechanized Infantry Company of the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Battalion blocked one of several vans carrying peasants from Hacienda Luisita who were on the way to a rally commemorating National Peasant Month. Soldiers have also been going house to house and surveilling other leaders of AMBALA to intimidate them from joining the scheduled protest actions.

AMBALA is recognized by the Supreme Court as the only legitimate organization representing the interests and welfare of the agricultural workers and peasants of Hacienda Luisita.

The hacienda, a 6,453-hectare sugar plantation spanning 11 barangays in three towns of Tarlac, is owned by the Cojuangco family., The Cojuangcos have, for decades, resorted to various legal maneuvers such as the bogus stock distribution option scheme to prevent the distribution of the hacienda land to the tenants and workers.

On November 16, 2004, the sugar estate was the site of the Hacienda Luisita Massacre where seven persons were killed, 121 people, including children, were injured and 133 arrested and detained after soldiers and paramilitaries violently dispersed some 1,000 striking workers of Central Azucarera de Tarlac Labor Union and the United Luisita Workers Union.

The specialized interdistrict court of Astana sentenced journalist Daniyar Adilbekov to 4.5 years of imprisonment. The judge found Adilbekov guilty under the articles "Apparently false statement" (Part 3 of Article 419) and "Apparently disseminating false information" (Part 2 of Article 274). He will serve his sentence in a medium-security institution.

The court found the second accused Yerlan Saudegerov guilty under the articles "Criminal organization" (Article 28, Part 3) and "Pretending to make a false statement" (Article 419, Part 3) and sentenced him to three years' probation. He will be on probation.

The defendants do not agree to the charges against them.

Daniyar Adilbekov was arrested on March 27. The term of detention was later extended. The trial began in August.

It is said that the criminal case was prompted by the journalist's post on the Telegram channel. In it, it is stated that the Vitol company, which is engaged in the wholesale sale of oil, is using the administrative mechanisms of the Vice Minister of Energy Yerlan Akkenzhenov. The official himself denies this.

Adilbekov was accused of "spreading false information" for publishing information about Astana Airport Board Chairman Yusuf Aljavder and El Media editor-in-chief Gulzhan Yergalieva on the Telegram channel.

The defense argued that there were procedural violations during the investigation and trial, and noted that there was no evidence to prove the guilt of the accused.

JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) strongly condemns the recent brutal police crackdown on the peaceful demonstration by teachers from various private colleges across the country in Dhaka on October 17, 2024. It is deeply concerning that 33 teachers, including 11 women assaulted while exercising their democratic right to protest peacefully. The use of batons, sound grenades, and water cannons by the police against unarmed educators, who were merely exercising their fundamental right to peaceful assembly, is a grave violation of both Bangladeshi and international laws protecting human rights.

Robert Simon, a prominent French human rights activist, and Chief Adviser of JMBF, emphasized that "the violent suppression of peaceful protests, particularly those involving educators who have committed decades of service to society, is a serious affront to democratic values and human rights. The teachers of Bangladesh deserve respect and the right to have their voices heard, not to be met with brutality and abuse."

This incident, which left 33 teachers injured, directly contradicts the fundamental principles enshrined in Article 37 of the Constitution of Bangladesh, which guarantees the right to peaceful assembly. Additionally, Article 33(5) prohibits all forms of torture. The violent actions taken by the police also contravene the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), particularly Article 20, which guarantees the right to peaceful assembly.

The indiscriminate use of force against peaceful demonstrators is a clear violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Bangladesh is a party, specifically Article 21, which upholds the right to peaceful assembly, as well as the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT).

Advocate Shahanur Islam, a Bangladeshi human rights lawyer living in France and the Founder President of JMBF, stated: “It is shameful that the teachers, who have been serving the education sector without a regular salary and are only seeking Monthly Payment Order (MPO) membership to secure their basic rights, were subjected to such torture and inhumane treatment. The police's use of sound grenades, batons, and water cannons is not only excessive but also unlawful. This violence against peaceful educators must be investigated, and those responsible must be held accountable.”

JMBF calls on the government of Bangladesh to take immediate action by forming a judicial inquiry headed by a High Court division justice to hold the responsible officers accountable for their misconduct. We demand a transparent investigation into the events of October 17, ensuring justice and compensation for the injured teachers.

Furthermore, JMBF urges the Bangladeshi government, led by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, to adhere to its constitutional obligations and international commitments to protect the rights of its citizens, including the right to peaceful protest.

The violent suppression of these educators, who sought only the assurance of fair treatment and recognition for their decades of contribution, is a stark reminder of the urgent need for reforms in law enforcement practices in Bangladesh.

We call on the authorities to ensure accountability for those responsible and to uphold the rights of citizens to express their concerns without fear of repression. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the need for respectful dialogue and understanding, especially in matters that impact the future of our society.

JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France remains steadfast in its support for the teachers' demands and their right to peaceful protest, and we will continue to work towards the protection of human rights in Bangladesh and beyond.

Supreme Court’s senior lawyer ZI Khan Panna has been accused in an attempt to murder case with capital’s Khilgaon police station.

The case was filed on 17 October. A total of 180 people including Awami League’s general secretary Obaidul Quader, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan have been made accused in the case.

ZI Khan Panna is accused no. 94 in the case.

The case was filed over attempted murder on a person named Ahadul Islam by shooting and beating up on 19 July. Ahadul Islam’s father Md Baker filed the case.

According to the case statement, Md Baker joined student movement at Shukkur Ali Garments intersection at the west of Meradia Bazar in Khilgaon on 19 July. The demonstrators were attacked by police, BGB and RAB members as well as leaders of Awami League, its associate organisations and 14-party alliance men. In order to disperse the peaceful demonstration, the law enforcers and the then ruling party men shot bullets towards the protesters. Ahad was shot on his left leg. The attackers also beat up the bullet-hit Ahad. He was taken to a local clinic, then to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and finally to Mehendiganj upazila health complex.

Asked about the case, ZI Khan Panna said the case was filed three months after the incident. I am sure that the case was filed at the behest of any influential person. But I was active in favour of the quota reform protesters.

Panna said he cannot even remember if he had ever gone to Meradia, the place of the incident.

Khilgaon police station’s officer in charge Md Daud Hossain told Prothom Alo that the case was filed as per the allegation of the plaintiff. Investigation will be carried out and anyone found innocent would be relieved.

ASK’s statement ZI Khan Panna is the chairperson of rights organisation Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK). He was vocal against Digital Security Act, human rights abuses and infringement on freedom of speech during the reign of Awami League.

He took a bold stance against human rights violation during the student-people demonstration during July and April. He also stood for students in the court.

Lawyer ZI Khan Panna, however, criticised some of the decisions of the interim government in recent times. He also strongly criticised the interim government's stance on rewriting the constitution.

ZI Khan Panna told the media that the preamble of the constitution, which was written by the blood of 3 million people, cannot be changed. If it does, then there will be a great war, not a war.

Rights organisation said the case against ZI Khan Panna is unwarranted and reprehensible. A statement issued by this organisation today, Sunday, said there is a suspicion that the case may have been filed due to dissatisfaction of any party with regard to ZI Khan Panna's stance, opinions and statements related to human rights and the current context. Also, the case appears to be harassing.

ASK's statement further said that human rights activist ZI Khan Panna spoke and continues to speak for human rights throughout his life. He is making relentless efforts to establish the rights of common people. Sometimes some got into displeasure of one particular group for speaking out against crossfire, disappearances, torture; again he was in trouble by another group for speaking in favour of freedom of opinion and rights of religious and ethnic minorities.

KARAPATAN calls for the urgent dismissal of charges of illegal assembly against two MAKABAYAN senatoriables–transport leader Modesto “Mody” Floranda and urban poor leader Eufemia “Mimi” Doringo for alleged violations of Batasang Pambansa 880 (BP 880) or the Public Assembly Act.

The complaint also included Ruben “Bong” Baylon, secretary general of PISTON, as well as Manibela transport group leaders Mario Valbuena and Regie Manlapid, filed by elements of the Philippine National Police (PNP), citing the August 14 protest rally in Welcome Rotonda, Manila, against the PUV modernization program.

“The baseless charges against Floranda and Doringo and other progressive leaders are clearly meant to harass them. Such charges violate their right to peaceably assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances,” said Atty. Sol Taule, Karapatan Deputy Secretary General.

BP 880, which was signed into law by the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in 1985, has been used and abused over again by administrations to restrict the right of the people to peaceful assembly by requiring application for permits before conducting protests.

Instead of addressing the pressing issues of jeepney drivers that will result to their loss of livelihood, the PNP usually downplays the reasons why protests and rallies are conducted, saying it is causing heavy traffic, annoyance and irritation to drivers and commuters.

“Laws such as the BP 880 are systematically used by the state to violate people’s civil and political rights. There is no reason for such kind of Marcosian law to exist in this day and age, it must be repealed now,” added Taule.

KARAPATAN calls on the Filipino people to denounce these harassment charges, and continue to join the jeepney drivers in protest of the the anti-driver, anti-people PUV modernization program.

The Bishkek City Court on October 17 rejected an appeal by Kyrgyz government critic Askat Zhetigen and upheld his three-year prison sentence. Zhetigen was convicted in July of calling for an attempt to seize power, a case he and rights organizations have strongly contested. He was, however, acquitted of a separate charge related to inciting mass unrest. Zhetigen, a poet, composer, and activist, gained attention in 2021 for speaking out on social media on cultural and political issues, including government reforms and the treatment of critics under President Sadyr Japarov. The charges stemmed from a video in which he criticized Japarov's administration. Zhetigen has claimed that he was tortured while in custody, allegations that the New York-based Human Rights Foundation has called for an independent investigation into. It has also condemned the charges as fabricated and demanded Zhetigen's immediate release.

In a 5-minute video posted on WeChat on Oct. 15, Tsongon Tsering from Tsaruma village in Kyungchu county said Anhui Xianhe Construction Engineering Co.’s digging has caused severe soil erosion and a drop in water levels in the Tsaruma River.

Such public appeals are rare due to fear of reprisals from the government for speaking out against authorities or state-approved projects.

Authorities have since shut down his account and blocked search terms related to his name on WeChat, a popular Chinese social media platform, said two sources from inside Tibet, who like others in this report, declined to be identified out of fear of retribution.

Tsering’s case illustrates how authorities silence Tibetans who accuse Chinese companies of violating environmental regulations or harming the environment.

In the video, Tsering says Tibetan residents had made repeated appeals before local authorities for action against the company for causing environmental harm, but to no avail.

“The Anhui Xianhe Construction Engineering’s business office has been illegally extracting sand and stones from the river in Tsaru Ma Village during their road construction work,” he says in the video while holding up his ID card.

“The large-scale and indiscriminate extraction of sand from the river has led to serious soil erosion in the surrounding area and is posing a threat to the foundations of residents’ homes,” he continues.

Tsering’s video, which gained significant attention online, was also widely shared by other users on the platform but even those were taken down and all related content censored by Thursday, Oct. 17, the two sources said.

Sources from the region said they fear Tsering, who hails from Ngaba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, will face punishment for his public criticism of authorities.

On 10 October 2024, the Leninskiy District Court in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, ruled to sentence woman human rights defender and journalist Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy and human rights defender and akyn Azamat Ishembekov to six and five years of prison time respectively. The Court found the human rights defenders guilty of “calls for mass civil unrest,” criminal offences under Part 2 of Article 41 and Part 3 of Article 278 of Kyrgyzstan’s Criminal Code. Two other human rights defenders and journalists, Aktilek Kaparov and Ayke Beyshekeeva, received three years of probation for the same charges. The human rights defenders will appeal this decision.

Temirov Live is a YouTube-based investigative media outlet founded in 2020 by Bolot Temirov, a Kyrgyz human rights defender and journalist focused on corruption investigations. Ayt Ayt Dese is a YouTube project that popularizes human rights issues by performing and publishing folk songs on related topics, including some based on Temirov Live's investigations.

On 10 October 2024, Leninskiy District Court handed down the prison time sentences for Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy and Azamat Ishembekov on charges related to “calls for mass civil unrest.” Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy, the head of Temirov Live and Ayt Ayt Dese, received a six-year prison sentence, while Azamat Ishembekov, a human rights defender and akyn collaborating with Ayt Ayt Dese, was sentenced to five years in prison. Additionally, the Court ruled that the legal custodian and place of residence of a 12-years old son of Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy and human rights defender and of journalist Bolot Temirov must be determined by the Kyrgyzstani state social services.

The Court also sentenced human rights defenders and journalists Aktilek Kaparov and Ayke Beyshekeeva to three years of probation. Probation does not entail prison time, but restricts the ability of the human rights defenders to leave the country and imposes state control over their life and work. In case the rules of probation are violated, the Court can revisit the verdict and sentence both to prison time, too. Such conditions will limit the ability of the defenders to carry out their human rights work. Seven other human rights defenders and journalists were acquitted due to a lack of evidence. The Court hearing was closed to the public, similarly to the previous hearings, and only few journalists received a permission to hear the verdict.

Sichuan human rights lawyer Lu Siwei was arrested while on bail, prior to the end of his trial. According to human rights lawyer Wang Yu, three uniformed police officers knocked on the door of Lu Siwei at around 3:00 p.m. Beijing time on October 10th without making clear of their intention. Mr. Lu asked them to show their ID, but he never got a response.

Zhang Lei, a human rights lawyer, confirmed on his social media platform WeChat that Mr. Lu Siwei had been arrested.

The Arrest Sichuan human rights lawyer Lu Siwei was planning to travel to the U.S. in July 2023 to reunite with his family when he was arrested on his way to Laos (Laos), where he was detained for two months and then deported back to China. The news is unsettling and demonstrates the Chinese government’s determination to pursue dissidents outside its borders, which it has been able to do in a country as vulnerable to Beijing’s pressure as Laos.

Lu Siwei, who is suspected of “sneaking across the border,” was released on bail after a month in the Chengdu detention center, where he has been living in a residence designated by the authorities. Downstairs in Lu’s residence, eight or nine people work shifts every day to monitor him around the clock, and he is followed when he goes out. If he wants to leave Chengdu, he must apply to the government security and police officers and get approval before he can book a ticket.

He lost his job and was impeded from finding a new one.

His wife, Zhang Chunxiao, and young daughter fled to the U.S. first. Zhang Chunxiao had disclosed that Lu’s bail pending trial would end on October 27 of this year; however, on July 19 of this year, Lu was summoned to the Baohe police station to make a statement, and was subsequently told that his case would be transferred from the Chenghua District Public Security Bureau to the Procuratorate of Chenghua District for review and prosecution.

General background In December 2019, Lu Siwei was summoned and banned from leaving the country after he was accused of involvement in the “Xiamen Gathering Case” when he attended a private gathering of human rights lawyers and dissidents. Two years later, in January 2021, he gained notoriety when he defended 12 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists who attempted to flee Taiwan by boat. In retaliation, the provincial judiciary subsequently revoked Lu’s license to practice law.

Prior to this high-profile case, Lu was a well-known human rights lawyer in China who had handled a number of sensitive cases involving political dissidents, including the “June 4 Wine Case,” the “709 Case,” and the “Incitement Case” against lawyer Yu Wensheng. Few people are willing to take on these cases.

CCP’s Long arm of Transnational Repression The fact that Lu Siwei was arrested after being released on bail and then prosecuted shows that Chinese human rights lawyers are at great risk. Even if they flee abroad, they still risk deportation. Governments in Southeast Asia are often pressured by Beijing to return highly vulnerable people to China.

These individuals face the risk of arbitrary detention, unfair trial, torture, forced disappearance, and other abuses in China. In 2015, bookseller Gui Minhai was enforcedly disappeared in Thailand and reappeared in China without a passport. In August 2022, pro-democracy activist Dong Guangping disappeared from Vietnam only to be imprisoned in China. In August 2023, activist Yang Zewei was reportedly arrested in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, and subsequently held in a Chinese detention center.

Under Xi Jinping, China’s most iron-fisted leader in decades, Chinese authorities have aggressively expanded their sphere of influence beyond its borders, the so-called “long arm of transnational repression”. Through his powers, the CCP has set up police stations in foreign countries, offered bounties for critics fleeing overseas, pressured overseas Chinese to induce them to become informers, and ensured that former Chinese in the diaspora return to China to be detained or deported. The United States has stepped up regulation and legal penalties for Chinese government agents in the United States.

Police clashed with supporters of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), a banned indigenous human rights group in the northwestern town of Jamrud.

The police used tear gas and batons to disperse the crowd. At least four PTM activists were killed in the clashes.

This comes a few days after the PTM was banned by the federal government for "engaging in certain activities which are prejudicial to the peace and security of the country".

Despite the ban on the PTM, the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has permitted the group to hold the assembly. On October 11, the provincial authorities said they will urge the central government to revoke the ban.

He said the army and government have consistently reneged on promises it made to the PTM, including the removal of military checkpoints in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the clearance of landmines, and the release of civilians forcibly disappeared by the state.

A 29-year-old pro-democracy activist and artist has been given a 3-year suspended sentence in prison after being charged with royal defamation for posting a drawing of King Vajiralongkorn on social media.

Torpad, an artist who drew pictures of the pro-democracy protests, was arrested on 30 June 2022 by 11 police officers after being charged under royal defamation law and Computer Crimes Act. Thai Lawyers for Human Rights reports that Torpad never received a summons, although police claim to have issued an arrest warrant on 26 April 2022. The arresting officers seized her drawings, computer, and mobile phone.

A complaint was reportedly filed against her with the Technology Crime Suppression Division on 16 September 2021. According to the complaint, the defendant posted a distorted drawing of the King which appeared to be defamatory on Instagram. Torpad denied the allegation. At the time, she was granted provisional bail with 90,000 baht as security, on the condition that she not repeat the crime she was charged with.

Sentencing was scheduled for 29 August 2024 but Torpad failed to appear in court.

On Thursday (3 October), the court found her guilty as charged, sentencing her to 3 years in prison for royal defamation. Because she pleaded guilty, the sentence was reduced to 1 year and 6 months.

As she had never been imprisoned before and did not cause severe damage, she was given a 3-year suspension and a 2-year probation period, with the condition that she perform 24 hours of social service. She was also prohibited from committing any act offensive to the monarchy. All other charges were dismissed.

Paing Phyo Min and Shein Wai Aung, two pro-demoncracy human rights defenders, were arrested on 9 October and sent to an interrogation centre. Paing Phyo Min’s family has not been able to reach him, while Shein Wai Aung and his father, mother and sister have also been uncontactable.

As many as six additional people are also believed to have been arrested in raids.

Paing Phyo Min is known for his involvement with a group of young people performing Thangyat, a popular Myanmar traditional art form which fuses poetry, comedy and music to comment on social issues.

In 2019, Paing Phyo Min and other members of an activist group called the Peacock Generation were arrested after performing Thangyat dressed as soldiers. For this, he was sentenced to six years in prison.

In 2020, Amnesty International called for Paing Phyo Min’s release as part of its annual Write 4 Rights campaign, with many people writing letters to him to bolster his spirits. He was released in 2021 as part of a mass prisoner amnesty.

After the military coup, he and others took part in peaceful protests in Yangon, despite enormous risks following violent crackdowns.

Shein Wai Aung, a former student at Dagon University in Yangon, has been active in peaceful protests and in supporting political prisoners in Myanmar.

The Appeal Court has sentenced an activist to prison for royal defamation over a protest speech in Chiang Mai province in 2021.

Thanathon “Hongte” Withayabenchang faced charges under the royal defamation law and Emergency Act after he read a statement and delivered a protest speech related to the monarchy during a car mob rally in Chiang Mai province on 15 August 2021, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR).

He was charged with two counts of royal defamation for a statement he read in front of the Provincial Police Region 5 Headquarters and a speech at the Three Kings Monument.

Thanathorn decided to plead guilty to the royal defamation charge related to the speech at the Three Kings Monument. However, he pleaded not guilty for the other charge, arguing that the content of the statement was a demand aimed at the police and a critique of the ruling elite as a whole, without targeting any specific person. He also argued that the royal defamation law does not protect “the monarchy” in general. Instead, it protects only the four individuals identified in the law.

On 21 August 2023, the court of first instance concluded that “the monarchy” as used in the statement did not refer to any specific member of the royal family, making it unclear whether the defendant intended to mention the King. The court ruled to dismiss the royal defamation charge for that speech.

For the other royal defamation charge, the court sentenced him to three years, but due to his guilty plea, the sentence was reduced to one year and six months. For violating the Emergency Act, Thanathorn was sentenced to one month in prison. On the same day, he was allowed bail pending appeal with 150,000 baht as security

TLHR reported on Wednesday (9 October) that the Appeal Court upheld the verdict, saying the sentence imposed was the minimum penalty. The Appeal Court found no reason to suspend the sentence.

Majilis deputy Rinat Zaitov sent a request to the Prosecutor General and the Chairman of the National Security Committee to ban the Kazakh feminist organization Feminita and label it as an extremist organization.

Feminita organization defends the rights of women and LGBT people in Kazakhstan. Rinat Zaitov believes that Feminita tramples on the honor of Kazakhs, and it is this “disgusting organization that has led our youth to debauchery.” He is alarmed that young people actively participate in the organization's open discussions and rallies.

The petition signed by 11 deputies, according to Zaitov, did not produce the expected effect.

Sri Lankan police must cease harassing journalists Selvakumar Nilanthan and Tharindu Jayawardhana, following their reporting on alleged government misconduct, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday.

“With a new president, Sri Lanka has an opportunity to improve press freedom,” said CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Beh Lih Yi. “Police should drop their complaints against journalists Selvakumar Nilanthan and Tharindu Jayawardhana and allow them to work freely.”

On October 20, police in eastern Batticaloa district arrested Nilanthan after he did not attend a court hearing related to a 2019 investigation on multiple allegations, including obstruction of a public officer and defamation over his reporting on alleged government corruption.

Nilanthan told CPJ that neither he nor his lawyer received notice of the September hearing before he was detained in an overcrowded cell in Eravur town with an open defecation area.

Nilathan was detained together with journalist Kuharasu Subajan, his surety in the case responsible for guaranteeing that the defendant appears for court hearings.

The two were released the next day, when Nilanthan was granted bail after a court denied the police’s request for a 14-day remand. His next hearing is on January 20.

Separately, on October 9, Induka Silva — head of the police Criminal Investigation Department’s homicide unit — sought an order from the capital’s Colombo Fort Magistrate Court against Jayawardhana, editor-in-chief of the news website MediaLK, over a video in which he commented on allegations of misconduct against Silva and the appointment of Ravi Seneviratne to the Ministry of Public Security.

At the time the video was published, Silva was investigating Seneviratne over the government’s failure to prevent the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 269 people. Seneviratne was the senior deputy inspector-general of the CID at the time.

On October 12, Silva was transferred to the police headquarters, according to Jayawardhana and a copy of the order reviewed by CPJ.

Silva’s report, reviewed by CPJ, accused Jayawardhana — who has reported extensively on the attacks — of publishing false informationand obstructing the investigation into Seneviratne. The next hearing is scheduled for January 15, Jayawardhana told CPJ, adding that he feared he would be arrested.

Seneviratne told CPJ that Silva’s report against Jayawardhana violated the journalist’s freedom of expression.

CID Director Mangala Dehideniya and Eravur police officer-in-charge N. Harsha de Silva told CPJ that they were unable to immediately comment and did not respond to CPJ’s subsequent text messages.

Mahrang Baloch, a leading rights activist for the ethnic Baluch minority, was prevented from leaving Pakistan to attend a ceremony in the United States, she reported on October 8.

"I was unjustly stopped at Karachi International Airport with no legal or valid given reason, which is a clear violation of my fundamental right to freedom of movement," she wrote on X.

She said the action was intended to "silence Baluch voices from being heard internationally, control the flow of information about the situation in Balochistan, and conceal the decades-long human rights abuses occurring in Balochistan.”

She was set to attend an event in New York after being named in the TIME100 Next 2024 list recognizing her human rights work.

Earlier this year, Baloch helped organize a women's march against alleged unlawful enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killing by the authorities in Balochistan Province.

Since 7 October 2024, Kazakh feminist and LGBTI initiative “Feminita” have been hosting a Lesbian Kurultai (council), to mark the 10th anniversary of the initiative’s work in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The Lesbian Kurultai brought together a community of queer women and allies from Central Asian countries and beyond to discuss intersectional agendas, including environmental rights issues and their impact of various groups of women.

On the night of 7 October, directly before the start of the event, the venue that Feminita had booked and paid for to host the Kurultai, refused to host the human rights group after allegedly receiving letters from the Akimat (local government) of the city of Almaty urging the venue to refuse service to Feminita. When Feminita was able to identify a friendly location to host the Kurultai in, this venue experienced whole day power outages.

Human rights alliance KARAPATAN condemns the arrest of Jose Puancing, a farmworker leader in Negros, based on trumped-up charges which stemmed from the search warrants issued by Quezon City Judge Cecilyn Burgos-Villavert, and resulted in the arrests of activists in Negros island and Metro Manila in October to November 2019.

Puancing, 63, was arrested outside his home in Brgy. Jonob-Jonob, Escalante City, on October 7, on false charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives. He is chairperson of Paghili-usa sang mga Obrero sa Brgy. Jonobjonob (POBJ), an organization of farmworkers in Escalante City.

Elements of the Philippine National Police (PNP), who were part of the raids on October 31 and November 1, 2019, claimed and testified in court that guns, ammunition and explosives were found in Puancing’s home. However, he was not at home at the time of the said raids.

At least 57 activists were arrested during the 2019 raids in the offices of organizations BAYAN, GABRIELA, National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW) in Bacolod and NFSW in Escalante City, and houses of activists, including Puancing’s, through a joint operation by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the 79th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army (IBPA), implementing the search warrants issued by Villavert’s court, dubbed as a “search warrant factory.” Most of the activists arrested then were released due to lack of evidence and inconsistencies in the State forces’ accounts.

KARAPATAN demands that Puancing should be immediately released, as all trumped-up charges against him are baseless and fabricated.

KARAPATAN reiterates its call to the Judicial Bar Council (JBC) to disqualify Judge Villavert in her applications to the posts of Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals and Associate Justice of the Sandiganbayan.

Until now, her abuse of power of authority continues to deny freedom and violate the rights of people like Puancing. She is unfit to hold any higher position in the judiciary, being complicit to rights violations against numerous persons, as a lower court judge. Villavert should be held accountable for these rights violations, to render justice for all victims.

Pakistani authorities ordered a raid of the home and a 30-day detention of journalist Ihsan Naseem on Sunday, October 6, in Battagram district in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, on accusations of endangering public safety and encouraging members of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) to protest.

Naseem, editor-in-chief of local independent newspaper Daily Abbaseen Battagram and a reporter for the independent national TV station Neo News Battagram, was transferred to the central prison in Haripur, according to the Committee to Protect Journalist's (CPJ) review of a copy of the raid order signed by Battagram Deputy Commissioner Asif Ali.

The PTM is a mass political movement that aims to boost the rights of the Pashtun people clustered in Pakistan’s western provinces.

The day he was arrested, Nassem reported on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government’s ban of the PTM and subsequent police raid on the political movement’s supporters. The day before, Naseem interviewed the sisters of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan hours before police arrested them in the capital, Islamabad.

CPJ’s WhatsApp messages to Ali requesting comment on his order to raid and detain Nassem did not receive a reply.

Pakistan has banned the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), or Pashtun Protection Movement, a prominent rights group, listing it as a “proscribed organisation”.

A notification issued by the federal government on Sunday said the PTM was “engaged in certain activities which are prejudicial to the peace and security of the country”.

Pashtuns are a distinct ethnic group with their own Pashto language, living mostly in Pakistan and Afghanistan but divided by the colonial-drawn Durand Line that splits the two countries.

The movement, founded in 2014, advocates for the rights of ethnic Pashtuns affected by Pakistan’s war against the Taliban and its local affiliate, Pakistan Taliban, known by the acronym TTP.

PTM is known for its strident criticism of Pakistan’s powerful military for its role in alleged enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings of rights activists and ethnic leaders.

PTM, which is not a political party, has at its peak pulled tens of thousands of people to largely peaceful rallies demanding better protection from the state. It said more than 200 activists have been arrested in recent days in advance of a jirga, or a council of elders, planned for later this week.

Pakistani authorities have in recent months attempted to curtail dissent – clamping down on the street power of jailed opposition leader and former Prime Minister Imran Khan after he led a wave of criticism against the powerful military and intelligence services.

At the weekend, the capital was on lockdown with entry and exit points blocked and mobile phone services cut as Khan supporters attempted to protest. The demonstrations came weeks after the government introduced a new protest law that limits gatherings.

Mahdi Ansary, a reporter for the Afghan News Agency, disappeared on the evening of 5 October while returning home from his office in Kabul, according to a journalist familiar with the situation, who also spoke on condition of anonymity. Local Taliban intelligence agents initially confirmed Ansary’s detention, but his current whereabouts remain unknown.

The reason behind Ansary’s detention remains unclear. However, the journalist has frequently reported on the killings and atrocities against the Hazara ethnic minority during the Taliban’s rule.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told CPJ via messaging app that the journalist was working with “banned [media] networks” and had engaged in “illegal activities.”

A mob vandalised the home of human rights activist Babloo Loitongbam in Imphal on Thursday evening. No one was injured during the attack but there was some damage to property.

Police sources said the incident occurred around 6.30 pm at Loitongbam’s residence in Kwakeithel Thiyam Leikai, Imphal West district. Loitongbam himself has been out of Imphal since the first week of September.

Earlier on Thursday, members of Meitei Leepun issued a “boycott call” against Loitongbam and former police officer Thounaojam Brinda – both from the Meitei community – directing them to not appear on public platforms till the ongoing conflict was resolved. Loitongbam could not be reached for comment following the vandalisation of his house.

Around the month of May – the same time violence had first broken out in the state – Loitongbam in an interview with NewsClick pointed out the emergence of “some new groups called Meitei Leepun and Arambai Tenggol”. While discussing the causes of the violence in Manipur, he said these groups had “injected militancy” into the Meitei community. He has also been consistently critical of the role of Chief Minister Biren Singh and has called for his resignation.

16 students from the University of Malakand, who were canavassing and preparing to join the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) assembly, were arrested on 4 October under charges of obstructing a public official on duty, criminal conspiracy, breach of peace and ‘public mischief’ under the Pakistan Penal Code.

PTM leader Ali Wazir remains under detention since 3 August 2024. Last week, he was released on bail but re-arrested from outside the jail despite the Lahore High Court declaring illegal his detention under the MPO.

“The Pakistan government must immediately course correct and put an end to the criminalization of peaceful protests and assemblies. It must stop its witch-hunt of dissenting groups on the basis of their ethnicity and reverse their decision designating PTM under the Anti-Terrorism Act,” said Babu Ram Pant. “Amnesty International urges the Pakistani authorities to respect the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and refrain from obstructing the Pashtun Qaumi Jirga. All PTM activists and supporters who have been arbitrarily detained and arrested must be immediately released.”

More than a hundred protestors from Ladakh, including climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, were detained by police at the Delhi-Haryana during a march from Leh to Delhi to demand constitutional safeguards for the region. The march started in 1 September and was to culminate at Rajghat on 2 October, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Cherring Dorjay Lakruk, co-convenor of the Leh Apex Body (LAB), an influential civil society organisation, told The Hindu that he was “shocked” by the treatment meted out to peaceful protestors, including 80-year old men and women, who have been walking since September 1, traversing rocky and hilly terrain.

“Our people are not used to walking in such heat, they have blisters on their feet. As they approached Delhi on Monday, they were detained and taken to a police station and made to sleep on the floor,” said Mr. Lakruk, a former member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He said that the Ladakhis would intensify their protests and demanded that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) resume dialogue with the high-powered committee that was set up in 2023 to address their grievances.

On 1 and 2 October, the police used teargas and firearms to dismantle a peaceful protest camp of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), an indigenous human rights group, in Jamrud, Khyber District.

This comes days before the PTM was banned by the Pakistan Federal Government for "engaging in certain activities which are prejudicial to the peace and security of the country".

The ban was enforced on 6 October 2024, days before the PTM was supposed to have an assembly on 11 October-13 October.

Human rights groups condemned the state's use of violence and leveraging the Anti-Terrorism Law to curtail the people's right to peaceful protest.

Chinese authorities are confiscating the cell phones of Tibetan Buddhist monks in Sichuan province, accusing them of having shared news about the recent closure of schools linked to monasteries, two sources with knowledge of the situation said.

Under Chinese government rules, ethnic Tibetans are banned from contacting or sharing news with people outside the region.

Traditionally, many Tibetan children are sent to schools at monasteries to be educated in the Tibetan language in regular subjects as well as in Buddhism.

But Chinese authorities have closed schools at the Lhamo Kirti Monastery in Sichuan’s Dzoge county and the Kirti Monastery in Ngaba county, claiming that the young monks were too young to receive monastic education.

The closure of the Lhamo Kirti Monastery school former affected nearly 600 students.

Instead, parents were required to enroll their children in state-administered residential schools, where the instruction is in Mandarin.

Suspicious that monks were sharing news about the closures with the wider world, authorities have been checking their phones since Oct. 1, said the sources who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. Those found to have done so had their phones confiscated.

Authorities also have held frequent meetings with monastery management to emphasize the need for monks to study regulatory rules for Buddhist monasteries, citing religious affairs regulations and the prohibition of “separatist activities” by monks, they said.

“Despite the closure of the monastic schools, strict controls have been imposed, and restrictions have intensified with authorities claiming the spread of information about the monastic school’s closure to the outside world is a serious issue,” the first source said.

“Officials are also conducting regular meetings with monastery staff, prohibiting ‘separatist activities’ and enforcing strict adherence to state regulations,” he said.

According to Beijing’s regulations on religious affairs, students at monastic schools must be 18 or older, display patriotism and be compliant with national laws.

Tibetan advocates see these regulations as part of broader government efforts to suppress Tibetan culture and enforce “patriotic education.”

Founded in 1986, the Lhamo Kirti Monastery school initially offered three classes held in the monastery’s hall and monks’ residences.

In 1993, a separate school called Taktsang Lhamo Tibetan Culture School was established, but it faced interference from the Chinese government when officials ramped up restrictions on the study of the Tibetan language and Buddhist philosophy, ultimately leading to its closure.

The monastery’s primary school later reopened and served novice monks under the age of 18 and children from nearby nomadic areas.

In July 2024, authorities issued new orders requiring the closure of the school. Families were compelled to sign agreements ensuring that their children would be enrolled in government-run schools, where they would undergo state-approved “patriotic education.”

Award-winning Cambodian freelance journalist Mech Dara, who reported regularly on trafficking and cyberscam compounds, was arrested in the southwestern part of the country on the afternoon of 30 September 2024, a rights groups and local journalists’ association said, though his whereabouts remain unknown.

Six police cars intercepted Dara’s car at the Srae Ambel toll booth in Koh Kong province while he was driving to Phnom Penh, a relative who was with him told human rights group Licadho.

Last year, Dara won the U.S. State Department’s human trafficking Hero Award for his coverage of Cambodia’s scam-compounds, where an estimated 100,000 have been forced to work – under threat of violence – as the perpetrators of online scams targeting people across the world.

Dara’s reporting included stories for Voice of Democracy linking Cambodian businessman Ly Yong Phat to scam compounds. Known as the “king of Koh Kong,” Ly Yong Phat and his LYP Group conglomerate were sanctioned earlier this month by the U.S. Treasury Department for alleged abuses related to the treatment of trafficked workers in online scam centers.

"Arresting one of Cambodia's bravest journalists will have a devastating effect on access to information for all Cambodians," said Naly Pilorge, outreach co-director at Licadho.

Dara sent a text message to Licadho informing them of his arrest, but as of 10:30pm they had not been able to determine where he was being held, said Pilorge.

RFA Khmer attempted to contact government officials but were unable to get any confirmation of the arrest.

The Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association, or CamboJA, said it had confirmed the arrest with Eng Hy, a military police spokesman, who did not reveal the reason or where the journalist had been sent.

Nuon Toeun, who was deported from Malaysia for making comments about Cambodian leader Hun Sen, is now detained in Correction Center 2, also known as Prey Sar prison, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

“She is being charged with inciting to commit acts that cause serious disturbance to social security and incite discrimination," Nuth Savna said.

Nuon Toeun often used social media to criticize Cambodia’s leadership including Prime Minister Hun Manet and his father Hun Sen, who held the post from 1985 until last year before passing the role to his son and taking a new role as president of the senate.

She also criticized how the Cambodian government handled social issues.

A few days before her arrest, Nuon Toeun had posted a video to her Facebook page, in response to a comment telling her to “be mindful of being the subject of sin,” in reference to her talking negatively about Hun Sen.

“If I have sinned because I [have cursed] this despicable guy, I am happy to accept the sin because he has mistreated my people so badly,” she said in the video. “I am not a politician, but I am a political observer and expressing rage on behalf of the people living inside Cambodia.”

Nuon Toeun had been a supporter of the Cambodian National Rescue Party, or CNRP, which had been the main opposition party in the country prior to its supreme court declaring the party illegal and dissolving it in 2017.

Ahmad Jamal condemned the Malaysian authorities for deporting Nuon Toeun, saying, “It is a human rights abuse that should not be allowed in democracies. Joining hands with a dictatorship is against international law.”

Nuon Toeun was working legally in Malaysia and did not deserve to be arrested or deported, Sadat Samathi, the president of the Global Cambodian Youth Network in Malaysia, told RFA.

Five Kazakh activists opposed to the construction of a nuclear power plant have been placed in pretrial detention for at least two months, their lawyers said on October 2. The activists, charged with plotting mass unrest, were detained on September 29, just a week before a national referendum on the nuclear project. The government has pushed for the plant's construction despite widespread opposition. Critics argue that dissent is being silenced ahead of the October 6 poll. Given Kazakhstan's tightly controlled political landscape, many expect the referendum to pass, despite concerns over environmental and political issues.

From late September, Red News Agency reporter Tar Lin Maung and freelancer Naung Yo have been detained by prominent armed opposition group, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in the Hpakant Township of the northern Kachin State. Their whereabouts or status remain unknown.

On October 23, Maung posted on Facebook stating “I am fine and healthy”. However, family members of both journalists confirmed that they have been unable to communicate with them since their arrests.

The reasons for their detention are unclear, but however media reports have claimed that Maung was arrested following critical social media posts in late September. The Democratic Voice of Burma reports that Maung could not be contacted after meeting with a member of the People’s Defence Force (PDF), an ally of the KIA in Myanmar’s ongoing civil war, at a restaurant on September 29. Naung Yo was reportedly arrested while investigating Maung’s disappearance the following day.

Colonel Naw Bu, a KIA spokesperson, claimed that he was not aware of the journalists’ arrest and will investigate the matter before making any comments. The Independent Press Council Myanmar attempted to contact KIA through the National Unity Government in early October, but the journalists remain uncontactable.

The KIA is a prominent EAO in northern Myanmar that seeks greater autonomy for the Kachin ethnic minority, and has been engaged in conflict with the Myanmar military since the country’s independence. Maung and Yo are the first Myanmar journalists to be detained by an opposition group since the 2021 military coup.

MJN said: “MJN denounces any killing or arrest of journalists and requests every armed group to respect press freedom. It should not set a precedent for any armed group to suppress the freedom of the press.”

The IFJ said: “The IFJ condemns the unlawful arrests and arbitrary detention of journalists Tar Lin Maung and Naung Yo. This act undermines press freedom and poses a serious threat to the fundamental rights to freedom of expression. We urge the Kachin Independence Army to immediately release both media professionals and uphold the principles of a free and open media.”

The Independent Myanmar Journalists Association (IMJA) has called on the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) to immediately release two journalists detained by the group. IMJA officials stated that they will formally request the KIA to free the journalists as soon as possible.

IMJA is working with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) to secure the release of the two detained journalists. A letter will be sent to the KIA today (23 October, 2024), according to IMJA Vice Chairman Ko Naing.

“We will send a direct letter to the KIA today, requesting the release of the two journalists. We are also cooperating with CPJ. Regarding support, assisting journalists detained by the military junta involves a different approach, so we are discussing the best course of action,” Ko Naing told MPA.

IMJA Chairman Ko Kyaw Min also urged the KIA, as a democratic organization, to respect the value of journalists.

“KIA is a democratic organization, which means it should uphold press freedom. In a democracy, press freedom is essential, so we will call for the immediate release of the journalists,” he said.

Journalist Ko Thurain stated that since journalists serve as the eyes and ears of the public, it is inappropriate for the KIA to detain them.

“If the journalists were detained without committing any crimes, it is equivalent to silencing the eyes and ears of the people. While I do not know the details of the case, that is my stance,” he said.

Currently, one of the detained journalists, Ko Tar Lin Maung, posted on Facebook on October 23, saying, “I am fine and healthy.” However, he has not been able to communicate with his family or news agency.

The two journalists detained by the KIA are Ko Tar Lin Maung, a reporter for the Red News Agency, and freelance journalist Ko Naung Yoe. They were arrested on 29 September, 2024, but their whereabouts remain unknown to their families.

On 26 September, during a clash in Sein Taung village, Ko Tar Lin Maung reported on the rescue of staff trapped in the Jade Garden restaurant by the KIA, which was carried out on orders from senior officials. He was arrested the following day.

KIA spokesperson Major Naw Bu told The 74 Media that the journalists were detained for questioning by frontline commanders.

Ko Tar Lin Maung previously worked as a reporter for the government’s Department of Public Relations and Communications before joining the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) and later becoming a freelance journalist at Red News Agency after the 2021 military coup.

Ko Naung Yoe was also previously detained by the military junta on 9 March , 2021, under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code and was released in October 2022. He is currently working as a freelance journalist based in Hpakant.

Since the military coup on 1 February, 2021, more than 15 media outlets have been shut down, and seven journalists have been killed. By July 2024, 172 journalists had been arrested, with 52 still imprisoned, according to Detained Journalists Information Myanmar.

Malaysia has deported a Cambodian worker after she called the country’s long-time former leader Hun Sen “a despicable guy,” an activist in Malaysia and a friend who knew her told Radio Free Asia.

Nuon Toeun, a domestic worker over the past six years, was arrested at her employer’s home Saturday in the state of Selangor, which surrounds Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur, and deported Monday, according to Ahmad Jamal, the chairman of the banned opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party’s Refugee Coordinating Committee in Malaysia.

According to Ahmad Jamal, the Malaysian police told Nuon Toeun that they arrested her for criticizing the Phnom Penh government on social media.

Malaysian police didn’t not respond to requests for comment, but a friend of Nuon Toeun confirmed to RFA that she had told her this was the reason she was arrested.

Ahmad Jamal also said Nuon Toeun was escorted to Cambodia by an embassy official, and she was handed over to Cambodian authorities at 7 p.m. by Malaysian immigration officers.

On September 28, Hindustan reporter Pramod Dalakoti was reportedly assaulted and robbed while covering a clash between rival student union leaders associated with the Parivartan Kami Chhatra Sangathan (Pachas) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)at the entrance of the Motiram Baburam Govt. Post Graduate (MBPG) College in Halwandi, Uttarakhand. Pachas and ABVP are opponents in the upcoming student union elections at the institution.

Dalakoti was reportedly beaten and had his glasses and other belongings stolen while attempting to record a video of the clash. The following day, he filed a complaint at a police station in Haldwani, leading to a case being registered against four students. Two suspects, Kartik Bora and Pankaj Khatri, have been apprehended, while authorities are still searching for the other two individuals involved. Nitin Lohani, Haldwani Police Circle Officer stated that a thorough investigation is underway, and further action will be taken based on its findings.

The following day, on September 29, students from ABVP protested outside the Kotwali police station against the registered case of assault and robbery involving the journalist. They blocked the highway, demanding the withdrawal of the case.

The Unit Secretary of Pachas organised the event to honour freedom fighter Bhagat Singh by offering flowers at his statue near the main gate of the college. Around noon, an officer from the rival student union and another student leader approached the group and began harassing them. Members of Pachas were reportedly beaten and chased off the campus.

KARAPATAN called on the Marcos Jr. administration and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to immediately surface peasant organizer Fhobie Matias and deplored attacks against farmers and their organizations.

According to reports by peasant organization Katipunan ng mga Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog Katagalugan (KASAMA-TK), suspected State security forces abducted Matias on September 28, 2024 in Calamba, Laguna. Matias was in the province to consult with farmers on issues regarding farmers’ eviction from their land, loss of income, and reports of harassment against peasants by State security forces and agents.

KARAPATAN demands that Matias’ rights be respected and she be surfaced unharmed. Those who took her into their custody should be made accountable for holding Matias incommunicado for more than two weeks now, and for the possible torture, whether physical or psychological, that is inflicted upon her.

Such violations are not unimaginable, as former victims and survivors of abduction like Jonila Castro, Jhed Tamano, Dyan Gumanao, Armand Dayoha, and Eco Dangla, have experienced.

Attacks against farmers and peasant organizers are on the rise under the Marcos Jr. regime.

On April 23, 2023, elements of the 203rd Battalion of the Philippine Army arrested indigenous people’s rights advocates Mary Joyce Lizada and Arnulfo Aumentado in Mindoro and unjustly detained them in a military camp. Both experienced mental torture, and were denied due process. KASAMA-TK deputy secretary general Jeverlyn Seguin has been constantly red-tagged by the military, among other peasant leaders, in Southern Tagalog.

Meanwhile, there are currently 15 victims of enforced disappearances who remain missing in the country. Among them are farmers and peasant organizers:

On September 15, 2023, peasant organizer Deah Lopez, 26, was traveling along a road in Barangay San Jose en route to Barangay Gil Montilla, Sipalay, Negros Occidental, when she and the driver of the tricycle she was riding were apprehended at a checkpoint. They were then forcibly taken into a van, while the tricycle was loaded onto a pickup truck. Hours later, the driver, Pedro Agravante Jr., was found dead in a ditch in Barangay Nagbo-alao, Basay, Negros Oriental. His hands and feet were bound, and his mouth and eyes covered with duct tape. A gunshot wound to the head and signs of torture were also evident. Lopez remains missing, a victim of enforced disappearance under Marcos Jr. Farmers Norman Ortiz and Lee Sudario were reported abducted at around 1 a.m. of September 29, 2023 from a house in Barangay Bantug, Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija by around ten men wearing military uniforms. Eyewitnesses, who had been awakened by the barking of dogs, reportedly saw Ortiz and Sudario being forced into a van. One of the victims attempted to flee to a nearby cemetery but was caught and dragged back into the van. The two are included as respondents in several trumped up cases on terrorism and other crimes, even as they remained missing. Mariano Jolongbayan, an organizer of fisherfolk under the Haligi ng Batangueñong Anakdagat (Habagat), was abducted by suspected State agents in Lian, Batangas on November 17, 2023, en route to a meeting with local fishers. KARAPATAN believes that the Marcos Jr. regime’s counterinsurgency policy includes policy directives and orders that legitimize abductions and enforced disappearances in order to stifle dissent, terrorize communities and worsen the climate of impunity.

We call on rights defenders and advocates to amplify the call to surface Fhobie Matias and all desaparecidos, as well as the people’s demands to hold the perpetrators accountable and to stop military operations in communities.

Marcylyn Pilala, an indigenous woman from Gueday, Besao, Mountain Province is being accused by the Ilocos Region police as having violated the controversial Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012 (TFPSA) by allegedly allowing New People’s Army (NPA) members to buy from her small "sari-sari" store.

A disturbing pattern has emerged in the Philippines, where professed former members of designated ‘terrorist’ groups such as the New People's Army (NPA), testify against individuals or organizations after their surrender. These testimonies often serve as the basis for charges.

The Anti-Terrorism Council tried to designate the NPA, along with the Communist Party of the Philippines, as a so-called terrorist organization, in a petition but was rejected by a Manila Regional Trial Court decision in September 2022.

Reported NPA surrendered couple Victor and Karen Baltazar alleged Pilala allowed her store to be a source of food stuff, medicine and other goods for the revolutionary army, thus violating the TFPSA.

TFPSA defines terrorism financing as possession, provision, collection or use of property funds, financial or related services for the commission of any terrorist act.

The law, along with the equally controversial Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, is being criticized by civil society organizations as having a very vague definition of “terrorism” that endangers even Constitutionally-guaranteed human rights and freedoms.

Both organizations said Pilala is being harassed because she was among those who opposed a proposed wind energy facility in their ancestral domain.

In her student days, Pilala also served as president of the Mountain Province Youth Alliance (MPYA) that advocates for the rights and welfare of indigenous youth.

Dr. Nguyen Quang A, a critic of government policy and a human rights defender, had been twice “invited” by the Hanoi Police Department over his social media postings and interviews with foreign media agencies.

According to photographs of the invitation letters published by human rights attorney Dang Dinh Manh, the Cybersecurity and High-tech Crimes Prevention Office of the Hanoi Police Department issued two invitations for questioning on Sept. 25 and Sept. 27. The letters said the reason for questioning was regarding Dr. A’s “participation in discussions and interviews on social networks.” The Vietnamese Magazine’s sources said Dr. A refused to accept the police requests for questioning because he believed he had done nothing wrong.

Dr. Nguyen Quang A is the former director of the now-dissolved Institute of Development Studies (IDS). This independent think tank analyzes public policy and provides recommendations for the government to improve its policy-making process. He had engaged in popular demonstrations in the past decade, including several protests against the incursion of Chinese ships into Vietnamese territorial waters and the discharge of untreated wastewater by the Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Co. in 2016. The Vietnamese authorities imposed a travel ban on Dr. A for “national security” reasons before he boarded a plane to Bangkok in May 2023.

A court in Lam Dong Province on Sept. 24 opened a trial for Hoang Viet Khanh, 41, a social media user living in Duc Trong District. It sentenced him to eight years on charges of “making, storing, and distributing information, documents, and items critical of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” under Article 117 of the Penal Code. After his sentence, Khanh also must serve an additional three years of house arrest.

Hoang Viet Khanh has a Facebook account with over 45,000 followers, and he often shares his commentaries on different social, economic, and political issues. On Feb. 19, 2024, the Security Investigation Bureau of the Lam Dong Provincial Police Department arrested and prosecuted him under Article 117 due to his alleged spreading of “anti-state” materials.

The court’s indictment alleges that he used this account to “spread false information,” “distort history and the policies of the party and the state,” and “slander senior leaders of the party.” According to the prosecutors, a total of 126 postings and one video clip that Khanh shared on his personal social media account contained information that “counter the policies of the party and the state in economic and socio-political fields.” The judging panel announced in its verdict that Khanh's activities “pose a danger to society and national security and negatively affect political security and social order.”

Among the cited articles that Khanh shared on his Facebook page, a posting published on April 30, 2019, which marked the 1975 victory of Communist forces in the Vietnam War, proposed a four-point suggestion to the National Assembly that allegedly sought to promote fundamental changes to Vietnam’s political landscape.

The post called for replacing the socialist country’s national flag and anthem and encouraged the regime to cremate Ho Chi Minh’s body under Ho’s official last will and testament. It also urged the party to abolish Article 4 in the Constitution, which enshrined the Communist Party’s role as a leading force of the state and society.

Environmental groups have condemned the killing of a staunch antimining advocate and his companion in Surigao del Sur on Sunday.

Alberto Cuartero, village chair of Barangay Puyat in Carmen town, and Ronde Asis were shot dead by still unidentified assailants in the nearby municipality of Madrid.

The Madrid police called on people who may have witnessed the shooting in Barangay Linibunan to help investigators identify and track down the perpetrators.

‘Deep void’ Cuartero, who was in his late 40s, was one of the local voices protesting the wanton destruction of Carmen’s natural environment by mining operations.

He once helped expose bogus documents brandished by a mining proponent claiming to have earned the community’s consent to be affected.

Civil society leader Chito Trillanes described Cuartero as “a faithful servant of the people and a strong defender of the environment.Most dangerous “We are enraged that another environmental and human rights defender has been felled and now joins the ranks of hundreds of activists killed in the country,” said a statement from the antimining group Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM).

ATM cited the recent Global Witness report that again ranked the Philippines as “the most dangerous country in Asia” for environmental activists.

From 2012 to 2023, a total of 298 environmental activists in the country were killed, accounting for 64 percent of the 468 total across Asia, according to the report.

“The abduction of land and environmental defenders in Southeast Asia has emerged as a critical issue, reflecting broader systemic efforts by power holders to suppress dissent and maintain control over land and resources,” the report, titled “Missing Voices,” noted.

ATM called on authorities to conduct “a serious investigation on the murder of the victims and bring the perpetrators to justice.”

“We demand that police officials undertake all efforts to resolve this brutal killing. We further call on the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Commission on Human Rights to (also) investigate the matter,” ATM said.

Town in mourning Since Monday, the Philippine flag had been at half-staff at the Carmen local government center as a sign of mourning for Cuartero’s death.

“The local government unit of Carmen strongly condemns and deeply mourns the unjust death of Hon. Alberto O. Cuartero, Barangay Captain of Puyat,” the municipal government said in a statement.

“As government officials, serving the people is our top priority. However, it saddens us to realize that there are individuals who seek to hinder the plans aimed at the welfare and development of our community,” it added.

“His death left a deep void in our community and in each of our hearts,” Trillanes said in a social media post.

'50 Men Came To My House': Manipur Rights Defender Raises Concern Over Meitei Leepun Threat Human Rights Alert (HRA) executive director Babloo Loitongbam

A top human rights activist in Manipur has raised concern over threats by the Imphal-based group Meitei Leepun (ML) after he gave legal aid to a Norwegian national, who, he said, was misidentified as a "Christian Chin" by the ML. Human Rights Alert (HRA) executive director Babloo Loitongbam in a statement on Tuesday said some 50 men came to his house in the state capital Imphal on Monday and threatened his family.

"This [threat] is following a press conference by Meitei Leepun (ML) the previous day levelling false charges on me as well as warning people against working with me," Mr Loitongbam said in the statement.

The ML has alleged the longtime human rights defender has taken money from the Kuki tribes to work against the interest of Meiteis. At Monday's press conference, the ML members also alleged Mr Loitongbam has been helping a "PDF Women Wing Commander" identified as Mya Kyay Mon, who the ML claimed was a Myanmar national of Chin ethnicity.

The PDF, or People's Defence Force, is the armed wing of Myanmar's National Unity Government that is fighting the junta.

Mr Loitongbam has refuted all these allegations. Citing his three-decade work as a human rights defender, the father of three daughters said he stood up for the right of every person to seek asylum in another country when they are facing persecution in their own country.

Authorities in the Chinese capital have revoked the license of rights attorney Zhang Qingfang, who previously represented prominent jailed dissident Xu Zhiyong.

Zhang -- who made headlines in 2014 when he joined Xu in a silent courtroom protest during Xu's public order trial -- had his license revoked in a letter dated Sept. 20 and signed by the Beijing Municipal Judicial Affairs Bureau, according to a copy shared by a fellow lawyer via X.

"Our investigation found that in 2024 ... you repeatedly interfered with case officers and other lawyers' performance of their duties ... by hyping [the case] online," the letter said, citing screenshots of Zhang's social media posts and "interrogation records."

"The circumstances [of your behavior] are serious, the social impact is bad, and it seriously damages the image of the legal profession," the letter said. "We propose to impose an administrative punishment and revoke your lawyer's license to practice."

Since beginning a nationwide crackdown on rights lawyers and public interest law firms in July 2015, authorities in provinces and cities across China have conducted large-scale purges of lawyers deemed not to be toeing the party line, revoking hundreds of licenses.

Zhang was barred from leaving China in the wake of the mass nationwide arrests and raids on law firms in 2015.

Fellow human rights attorney Pu Zhiqiang, who shared the official letter via his X account, said the Judicial Affairs Bureau had also warned other lawyers not to comment publicly on Zhang's punishment.

Repeated attempts by RFA Mandarin to contact Zhang on Monday were unsuccessful, as the authorities had prevented him from sending out messages on the WeChat social media platform.

The Ho Chi Minh City Police Department on Nov. 9 announced the arrest of Tran Khac Duc, 29, a member of the pro-democracy group Tập hợp dân chủ đa nguyên (Pluralistic Democratic Association), established in 1982. State media reported that Duc was charged with “making, storing, and distributing materials and information aimed at opposing the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” under Article 117 of the Penal Code. He was detained and indicted on Sept. 20.

Nguyen Gia Kieng, the leader of the French-based Pluralistic Democratic Association, confirmed Duc’s arrest with Radio Free Asia (RFA), saying that he has been detained for over 45 days. However, the police only announced his detention recently. Kieng added that the police had started to harass and assault many members of this organization over the past 12 months. This pro-democracy group’s mission is to advocate for the democratization of Vietnam through nonviolent, peaceful means.

According to the police, Tran Khac Duc has contacted and received directives from leaders of the Pluralistic Democratic Association to conduct anti-state activities. Duc was accused of managing this group’s website and drafting, posting, and sharing articles that contained content that insulted state leaders and revolutionary heroes, distorted history, denied revolutionary achievements, and sabotaged the “great national unity.” The police also alleged that Duc had developed a network of domestic personnel for this organization, which “directly affected national security and Ho Chi Minh City’s internal security.”

The Security Investigation Bureau of Ho Chi Minh City Police declared they were continuing to investigate the activities of Tran Khac Duc and other individuals related to this organization.

Thirty-year-old Kartik Naik, a vocal and committed leader of the struggle against Vedanta’s bauxite mining in South Odisha, was picked up by the Kashipur police on 19 September, 2024 around 11.30 am as he left the bank. He was whisked off to the Kashipur JMFC court after a brief halt at the Kashipur police station. After a few hours, he was then held in the Raygada subjail.

On the same day, over a thousand villagers, from the Sijimali region, marched to the police station to demand his release. They staged a protest till late evening. The administration and police had a tough time quelling their rage and sense of injustice. They eventually agreed to release Kartik Naik, and also promised that no more false and fabricated charges would be foisted on the people of Sijimali. However, it came to light that yet another report was lodged against 200 villagers by the police and administration that night itself, allegedly for the havoc the villagers created at the police station. And, Kartik remains in jail.

Speaking from the jail, Kartik Naik has expressed concern for his people. He has said he is prepared to face jail or even sacrifice his life to protect the mountains and the forests from mining, He has urged people to continue the anti-mining struggle in the region through ahimsa and peaceful means. Kartik has said that since the people are struggling for rights enshrined in the Constitution, the struggle will continue as long as the Constitution remains.

On 18 September 2024, human rights defender Zhoomart Karabaev reported receiving threats, including death threats, while in Pre-Trial Detention Center #1 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. He also reported that law enforcement authorities are pressuring him to refuse the services of his lawyer.

Zhoomart Karabaev is a human rights defender, academic, and whistleblower from Kyrgyzstan. In 2024, he systematically exposed how the National Academy of Sciences of Kyrgyzstan signed expert reviews that became the primary basis for sentencing state critics, pre-drafted by the State Committee for National Security. In May 2024, Zhoomart Karabaev provided witness testimony during the trial of writer Olzhobai Shakir regarding the evidentiary support presented by state authorities. He has also spoken out on social media about these practices, calling for an end to the unjust persecution of state critics.

On 18 September 2024, woman human rights defender Aziza Abdirasulova published a letter she received from Zhoomart Karabaev’s lawyer. In this letter, Zhoomart Karabaev, currently detained in Pre-Trial Detention Center #1 in Bishkek, details threats—including death threats— that he has been receiving from law enforcement officials. Specifically, these threats are related to the visibility of the malicious actions of law enforcement officers in the criminal case against him. Zhoomart Karabaev also stated in his letter that law enforcement officers are constantly asking him why he claims that he “will die in pre-trial detention,” indirectly threatening the human rights defender, alleging that he has claimed that he is ready to take his own life. In response, Zhoomart Karabaev asserts that he has never made such statements and is not planning to take his own life; thus, he views these comments from law enforcement officials as death threats.

On 2 July 2024, State Committee for National Security officers in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, arrested Zhoomart Karabaev, brought him in for questioning, and detained him for 48 hours. On 4 July 2024, the Pervomaiskii District Court of Bishkek ruled to place him in pre-trial detention. The accusations against him stem from his social media posts, in which he discussed the current wave of persecution against civil society actors and the authorities' failure to acknowledge corruption in the National Academy of Sciences. The authorities argue that Zhoomart Karabaev's posts constitute "incitement of mass public discord," a criminal offense under Part 3 of Article 278 of the Criminal Code of Kyrgyzstan.

Front Line Defenders is gravely concerned about the pressure and threats, including death threats, against human rights defender Zhoomart Karabaev, as it believes these actions constitute retaliation for his legitimate and peaceful human rights work in exposing state corruption. The organization is alarmed by the wave of repression faced by human rights defenders and journalists in Kyrgyzstan. Front Line Defenders believes that targeting human rights defenders has a harmful effect on the peaceful and legitimate work of human rights defenders in the country.

The Hanoi People's Court on Sept. 16 sentenced Phan Van Bach, a democracy activist and former contributor to the independent YouTube channel CHTV, to five years in prison on charges of “distributing anti-state propaganda” under Article 117 of the Penal Code.

Bach, 49, who requested his lawyers allow him to defend himself, was convicted in a trial that lasted just about one hour. The procuracy charged the former activist under Section 1 of Article 117, which prohibits activities such as “making, storing, disseminating or propagandizing anti-state information,” “sowing confusion among the people,” and “committing psychological warfare.”

Bach was arrested last December after the police alleged he had produced and published articles and video clips on social media that contained anti-state content. According to the indictment, between 2018 and 2022, Bach had used a Facebook account under his name to post 12 articles and six video clips that allegedly “distorted the policies of the party and the state,” “denied the leadership role of the Vietnamese Communist Party,” and “defamed state leaders and incited the masses to oppose the government.”

Le Van Luan, one of Bach’s defense lawyers, said that although his client admitted what he did, he knew that what he published on social media could violate the Penal Code. Furthermore, according to Luan, Bach proposed that Article 117, under which he was prosecuted, be amended. The democracy activist does not plan to appeal the conviction, the lawyer added.

Before Bach's trial on Sept. 12, Human Rights Watch called on the Vietnamese authorities to “drop all charges and release” him. The rights group noted that Bach is an active campaigner for democracy and human rights and has participated in numerous demonstrations to protest the Law on Cybersecurity and the maritime pollution disaster caused by Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Co. in 2016.

Nguyen Thi Yeu, Bach’s wife, also informed the public on social media that her husband had suffered from scabies and intestinal illnesses while in custody, making him lose nearly 25 kg (55 pounds) since his arrest. In a statement published on X after the trial, Freedom House, a watchdog for freedom of expression, urged the Vietnamese government to provide Bach with “necessary medical care” and “facilitate his immediate and unconditional release.” The Washington D.C.-based nonpartisan watchdog group also called the sentencing “unjust” and said they are “deeply concerned” about his health.

A court in An Giang Province on Sept. 4 tried and convicted a social media user and a lawyer on charges of “abusing democratic freedoms” under Article 331 of the Penal Code.

Phan Ngoc Dung, 69, a YouTube user, and Bui Van Khanh, 75, a lawyer, were accused of “taking advantage of their freedoms to distort, slander, and violate the honor and dignity of the Council of Judges of the Supreme People's Court, and the leader of the Supreme People's Court.” Dung received a three-year prison sentence, while Khanh was sentenced to two years.

The indictment declared that around the end of 2020, Dung often watched two YouTube channels named Hóng phim TV and TTAD 2, which hosted online discussions about the unjust nature of the case of Ho Duy Hai, who was wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Dung had pushed for Hai’s release.

In October 2021, Dung allegedly established her own YouTube channel, Tiếng Nói Lòng Dân (The Voice of the People’s Heart), and invited attorney Khang, a lawyer from the Nam Dinh Provincial Bar Association, to answer the audience’s questions and provide legal analysis in her live streams because she knew Khang personally. State media reported that on Jan. 22, Phan Ngoc Dung surrendered himself to the Security Investigation Agency of An Giang Province Police due to the alleged defamation crimes that had been used against him.

Between October 2021 and January 21, 2024, the social media user and the lawyer reportedly hosted numerous talk shows and discussions, producing 1,200 videos on YouTube.

The Department of Cybersecurity and High-tech Crime Prevention alleges that a total of 12 video clips published on Dung's YouTube channel and her Facebook page, Dieu Nhan, contain information that “distorts, slanders, and violates the honor and dignity of the Council of Judges of the Supreme People's Court and the leader of the Supreme People's Court” and “insults the Vietnamese judiciary,” which “negatively affects social order and societal safety.”

Two pro-democracy activists have been sentenced to prison for royal defamation over protest speeches they delivered in Chaiyaphum Province in 2021.

Jatupat Boonpattararaksa and Atthapol Buapat, pro-democracy activists, were sentenced to prison for royal defamation for protest speeches they made in front of the Phu Khiao Police Station and Phu Khiao School on 1 February 2021, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR).

On that day, the “Ratsadon” group staged a protest, calling on the police to apologise to students who were intimidated by police officers after they registered for a “Ratsadon On Tour” camp, a forum for opinion exchange and discussions of problems in Thai society. 26 people, including 15 and 18-year-old students, received summonses, for allegedly violating the Emergency Decree. Three of the summonses were later dismissed.

Jatupat and Atthapol were charged with 4 offences: royal defamation, sedition, violating the Emergency Decree, and the unauthorised use of a sound amplifier. The speeches they gave, which raised the subject of monarchy reform but did not mention any particular king by name, were deemed to defamatory of the Royal Institution. Jatupat compared the financial standing of the monarchy with that of the people and called for the amendment of the Constitution. Atthapol called for reducing the royal budget.

Another activist, Panupong Jadnok, was also charged in the case, but he did not show up at the court.

According to TLHR, the defendants were initially sentenced to three years in prison. As Jatupat had been given an additional one year and three months in prison for repeating the offence, his cumulative sentence was four years and six months. Due to his ‘helpful testimony’, the court reduced his sentence to two years and twelve months. The court also dismissed three of the charges – sedition, violating the Emergency Decree, and the unauthorised use of a sound amplifier- brought against Atthapol, jailing him for two years for royal defamation.

Their lawyers have filed bail requests, pending appeal. They are currently being detained at the Phu Khiao Prison.

ด่วน! 14.00 น. ศาลอุทธรณ์ภาค 3 มีคำสั่งให้ประกันตัว ไผ่-ครูใหญ่ #คดี112 ปราศรัยหน้า สภ.ภูเขียว พิเคราะห์พฤติการณ์แห่งคดีและความหนักเบาแห่งข้อหา เห็นว่า จำเลยทั้งสองเคยได้รับการปล่อยชั่วคราวระหว่างพิจารณา ไม่มีพฤติการณ์หลบหนี จึงอนุญาตปล่อยชั่วคราวระหว่างอุทธรณ์ ตีราคาประกันคนละ 300,000 บาท

Update: TLHR said that, at around 14.00 today (14 September), the Region 3 Appeal Court have granted Jatupat and Atthapol bail on the grounds that they have been granted bail before and are not a flight risk. The Court required a security of 300,000 baht each.

A hotel in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, has canceled its agreement with a group opposing the government's plan to construct a nuclear power station to host a gathering next week.

Vadim Ni, a founding member of the group AES Kerek Emes (We Don't Need Nuclear Power Plants), told RFE/RL on September 13 that the hotel, run by U.S.-based Hilton Hotels & Resorts, canceled the deal three days before the event was to take place on September 16.

"This morning, after I sent invitations to media outlets to the event, the hotel administration called me and said the agreement was annulled due to -- what they said -- the hotel's closure," Ni said, adding that most likely the hotel canceled the gathering of about 50 people due to pressure imposed by people linked to the government or supporters of the idea to construct a nuclear power plant.

Ni also said his group is searching for an alternative site for the gathering.

The hotel's manager, who introduced herself as Aleksandra, refused to comment on the decision to cancel the event.

Kazakh authorities said last week that a nationwide referendum on the possible construction of a nuclear power plant will be held on October 6.

On September 12, the Kazakh Prosecutor-General's Office said four individuals and two companies were fined for holding opinion polls on the issue because they failed to inform the authorities about their intention to conduct the opinion polls.

Ni and several other activists announced the creation of their group on September 10.

The activists said that if a nuclear plant is constructed in partnership with a foreign country -- four companies are currently on the short list -- Kazakhstan could lose some of its sovereignty.

China's CNNC, South Korea's KHNP, France's EDF, and Russia's Rosatom have been named in media reports as possible partners.

Kazakh officials have avoided commenting directly, saying the decision would be made after the referendum.

Shortly before launching its ongoing invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia proposed that its Rosatom nuclear agency be Kazakhstan's main partner in such a project.

Many Kazakhs publicly reject the idea of Rosatom's involvement, citing the legacy of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster and Russia's occupation of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Ukraine as examples of Moscow's attitude toward nuclear safety.

Many in Kazakhstan expect the referendum to succeed, given the country's tightly controlled political environment.

But the push to build a new nuclear facility has been met by significant opposition, despite apparent efforts to silence dissent on the issue. In recent weeks, several activists known for their stance against the project have been prevented from attending public debates on the matter.

Suchart Sawadsri, a well-known 79-year-old Thai writer, has been accused of sedition for sharing a video clip concerning the royal defamation law.

Thai Lawyers for Humans Rights (TLHR) reported that former national artist Suchart Sawadsri faces a sedition charge in connection with a Facebook post on 29 October 2022 where he shared a video clip titled “10 things people do not know about Section 112 (royal defamation law)”, originally posted by iLaw. He also included a message with the shared video clip, saying “Why we have to revoke Section 112. We will choose a political party that has a clear policy about ‘revoking Section 112’ #ReleaseOurFriends”.

The lawsuit against Suchart was filed at the Srinakarin Police Station, Phatthalung Province, by Songchai Niamhom, leader of the ultra-royalist King Protection Group, which is active in the southern provinces. Members of the group are reported to have filed complaints, especially royal defamation charges, against several people, including a former Move Forward Party MP.

Suchart was charged with sedition, an offence related to national security, and violation of the Computer Crime Act. In August 2024, he received a summons from the police station in Phatthalung. The authorities claimed that it was the third summons, though the writer insisted that he had never received any prior summons.

Despite his advanced age, Suchart, along with his lawyer, had to travel the long distance to the southern province to acknowledge the case on 11 September. The writer denied all allegations and plans to provide further testimony.

It was also reported that on Thursday (19 September) Suchart and his legal team will hold a press conference concerning this case.

The sedition law stipulates that anyone who publicly makes statements by words, writings, or any other means which are not in accordance with the Constitution or for expressing an honest opinion or criticism, in order to change the country’s law or the government by the use of force or violence, or to raise unrest and disaffection among the public in a manner likely to cause a disturbance, or to cause the people to violate the laws of the country, shall be punished with imprisonment not exceeding 7 years.

Suchart, who was awarded the title of National Artist for Literature in 2011, was stripped of his title by the National Culture Commission (NCC) and the Ministry of Culture. He is one of many public figures who support pro-democracy protests and political reforms, and publicly criticise the military junta. His national artist title was revoked due to his social media posts that were deemed defamatory towards the monarchy.

Sedition is one of the most frequently used charges against political activists and demonstrators. According to TLHR, since the mass protests in 2020, at least 154 people have been charged with sedition, with 29 cases also involving charges of royal defamation.

On November 6, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Chung Chia-pin, aggressively checked the identification of China Times News Network reporter Guo Jiquan, grabbing at his interview pass and questioning his identity as a reporter. International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate, the Association of Taiwan Journalists (ATJ) in condemning the politician’s behaviour and calling on the Legislative Yuan to protect the safety of journalists on duty.

During a financial committee meeting of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan on November 6, politician Chung Chia-pin forcibly grabbed the interview pass of journalist Guo Jiquan, questioning its validity. The reporter had been accepted into the legislature after an inspection by law enforcement, a requirement prior to entry, and was filming Chung and other politicians amid minor physical clashes between elected officials.

Despite Chung’s attempts to explain the misunderstanding, Chung refused to return the reporter’s identification. The matter was only resolved following intervention from fellow journalists. Representatives from opposition political parties have condemned the incident, while Chung has claimed that he want to speak with the journalist privately to resolve the matter.

This altercation follows a similar case in September 11, amidst anti-corruption investigations into People’s Party Chairperson Ko Wenzhe. During the political commentary program ‘Lu Xiufang Evening News’, former legislator Cai Zhengyuan claimed that Sanli News reporter Ma Yuwen had received exclusive interviews and information through sleeping with key figures. The ATJ rebuked the remarks as sexist and undermining Ma’s personal dignity, calling on Cai to issue a public apology.

The ATJ said: “The Journalists Association believes that as a political figure, this move is obviously excessive. The Journalists Association reaffirms its position of fully safeguarding journalists’ reporting rights and independent space. If relevant persons question a journalist’s identity and qualifications, the relevant review should return to the authority and responsibility of the Legislative Yuan.”

IFJ said: “In a democracy’s legislative assembly, it is unacceptable that a journalist be subject to aggressive behaviour. Chung’s conduct must be investigated, and authorities must ensure the security of media workers.

The Hanoi People’s Court on Sept. 10 opened a trial for Nguyen Vu Binh, an independent journalist, and blogger who extensively writes about democracy and social issues, and sentenced him to seven years on charges of “distributing anti-state propaganda” under the controversial Article 117 of the Penal Code. Binh was a former journalist at the Communist Journal (Tạp chí Cộng sản), an official mouthpiece of the Communist Party. According to Radio Free Asia (RFA), he had three defense lawyers, Le Dinh Viet, Le Van Luan, and Nguyen Thi Trang. Binh’s sister, Nguyen Thi Phong, and his daughter were allowed to witness the trial.

Nguyen Vu Binh was arrested on Feb. 29 in Hanoi, along with activist Nguyen Chi Tuyen. According to the indictment, Binh, 55, was accused of participating in a talk show that discussed political, economic, and social issues in Vietnam. The show was published on a YouTube channel called “TNT Media Live,” hosted by the Vietnamese lawyer and former political prisoner Nguyen Van Dai. The court declared that Binh had participated in four video clips uploaded between January and March 2022, which allegedly “contained false information and caused public confusion.”

One of Binh’s lawyers, who requested anonymity, said that the journalist admitted to his activities but rejected the conviction because he only exercised the right to freedom of speech and expression guaranteed in the Vietnamese Constitution and the Convention on Civil and Political Rights that Hanoi has ratified. The lawyer added that Binh would not appeal the sentence because he did not believe in Vietnam’s justice system. Previously, in 2003, Nguyen Vu Binh was convicted under “espionage” charges and sentenced to seven years in prison and three years of probation for sending reports on the human rights situation to international organizations.

Before Binh’s trial, rights advocate Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Sept. 8 urged the Vietnamese authorities to “drop all charges and release” Nguyen Vu Binh. The arrest and trial of Binh have become the latest example of repression that occurred after police general To Lam assumed his new position as the Vietnamese Communist Party’s general secretary. HRW noted that between April 2016 and May 2024, when To Lam led the security ministry, Vietnamese police “arrested at least 269 people for peacefully exercising their basic civil and political rights.” In 2002 and 2007, HRW awarded Nguyen Vu Binh the Hellmann/Hammett Writers’ Award, dedicated to the activists who faced political persecution.

Asanali Suieubaev, a founding member of the unregistered Algha, Qazaqstan (Forward, Kazakhstan) political party, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on September 10 on a charge of distributing illegal drugs that he rejects as politically motivated. Suieubaev's lawyer, Meiirzhan Dosqaraev, told RFE/RL on September 11 that the case against his client had been "trumped up" after he publicly accused former President Nursultan Nazarbaev of corruption in November 2023. Also in November, the chairman of Algha, Qazaqstan, Marat Zhylanbaev, was sentenced to seven years in prison on extremism charges that he also rejected as politically motivated.

A Kazakh activist has been fined for a YouTube clip questioning government plans for a nationwide referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant.

Abzal Dostiyarov streamed the session of the Auezov district court in Almaty on September 10 at which he was found guilty of violating the law on public polling and ordered to pay a 55,350-tenge ($115) fine.

Dostiyarov insisted he is innocent, saying the video clip in question from a week earlier was not a poll.

"I reject the charge. There were opinions of our subscribers compiled under our video. It was not a poll for all the citizens of the country, it was just feedback," Dostiyarov said. He alleged that the court's ruling was politically motivated.

Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev last week announced plans for a nationwide referendum on October 6 to gauge public support for the construction of a nuclear power plant.

Many Kazakhs expect the referendum to succeed, given the country's tightly controlled political environment.

But the push to build a new nuclear facility has been met by significant opposition despite apparent efforts to silence dissent on the issue. In recent weeks, several activists known for their stance against such a project have been prevented from attending public debates on the matter.

Nuclear power-related projects have been a controversial issue in Kazakhstan, where the environment was severely impacted by operations at the Soviet-era Semipalatinsk nuclear test site from 1949 to 1991, and the Baikonur spaceport, which is still operated by Moscow.

Hours before his decree was made public on September 2, President Toqaev reiterated his support for the plant's construction.

There has been no official information about a proposed site, but a public debate was held last year in the village of Ulken on the shore of Lake Balkhash, in the southeastern region of Almaty, on the possibility of constructing a nuclear power station there.

Talk of a new nuclear power station in Kazakhstan has been circulating for years, leading to questions regarding what countries would be involved in the project.

Kazakh officials avoided answers, saying the decision would be made after a referendum.

Shortly before launching its ongoing invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia proposed that its Rosatom nuclear agency be Kazakhstan's major partner in such a project.

Many Kazakhs publicly rejected the idea of Rosatom's involvement, citing the legacy of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster and Russia's occupation of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in Ukraine as examples of Moscow's attitude toward nuclear safety.

On September 3, the chairwoman of Kazakhstan's Central Commission on Referendums, Sabila Mustafina, said 15.5 billion tenges ($32.5 million) has been requested to conduct the referendum.

Ten individuals, including Madhushan Chandrajit, the convener of the Inter-University Student's Federation, were arrested for allegedly participating in a protest in front of the Colombo Fort railway station in violation of election laws.

The Inter-University Student's Federation organized the protest to voice opposition to several issues, including the establishment of private universities.

The protesters gathered on the main road in front of the Fort railway station and attempted to move forward.

According to News 1st correspondent, the police arrived and instructed the protesters to disperse.

However, when the protesters continued to advance, the police intervened to disperse the crowd, resulting in the arrest of Madhushan Chandrajit and others.

In a decision dated 10 September 2024, the Guangdong Provincial High Court rejected human rights defenders Wang Jianbing’s and Huang Xueqin’s appeal and upheld the original verdict. However, the court failed to give advance notice to the lawyers of both human rights defenders regarding its decision to not convene a trial to consider their appeal, and its plan to announce the verdict on 10 September.

The verdict was delivered to Guangzhou Municipal No. 1 Detention Centre on 12 September. On 13 September, one of Huang Xueqin’s defence lawyers found out about the verdict when he met the woman human rights defender at the detention centre. In the afternoon of 12 September, one of Huang Xueqin’s lawyers telephoned the responsible judge at the Guangdong High Court to request for an open trial to consider the appeal, on the basis that new testimonies from new witnesses have been collected and submitted to the court. However, during the phone call the judge did not inform the lawyer that a verdict had already been reached.

Article 202 of China’s Criminal Procedure Law stipulates that verdict announcements are all to be conducted publicly, and that verdicts must be delivered to the defendants and their defence lawyers at the same time. In an official notice issued in 2019, the Supreme People’s Court and the Ministry of Justice have instructed courts to inform defence lawyers in a timely manner of important procedural decisions, including decisions to not convene a trial to consider appeals and to announce verdicts. The Supreme People’s Court’s 2021 interpretation of the Criminal Procedure Law further clarifies that if a court decides to announce a verdict at a set time, it must notify all parties, including defence lawyers, the time and location of the announcement ahead of time. Once the announcement is completed, the written verdict must be immediately sent to the parties.

19 September 2024 marks three years since Wang Jianbing and Huang Xueqin were arbitrarily detained.

The Supreme Court today rejected the appeal of Vorn Pao, President of the Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association (IDEA), and upheld his conviction on charges of "masterminding" and “instigating intentional acts of violence with aggravating circumstances” under Articles 28 and 218 of the Criminal Code in relation to a 2014 strike action on Phnom Penh’s Veng Sreng Boulevard.

Pao was handed a sentence of four years and six months in prison by the Phnom Penh Capital Court in 2014. He served 5 months of the sentence alongside 21 other people, and the remaining portion of the sentence was suspended, a verdict which was upheld today by the Supreme Court. He remains at risk of having the remaining suspended sentence implemented if he is convicted on any charges in the next five years.

Pao was one of the four individuals who appealed the Capital Court’s verdict to the Appeal Court. On 29 September 2023, the Phnom Penh Appeal Court upheld the lower court’s sentences, but dropped the fine of 8 million riel (around US$2,000).

Pao was the only defendant who filed a further appeal to the Supreme Court. He was arrested along with other workers and human rights defenders in front of the Yak Jin garment factory on 2 January 2014, one day before mixed forces opened fire on the peaceful minimum wage strikes on Veng Sreng Boulevard. The incident resulted in the deaths of four civilians and injuries to at least 38 others. A 15-year-old garment worker, Khem Sophath, was wounded during the violence and remains missing.

Samsung Workers in Sriperumbudur near Chennai in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu have been on strike for over two weeks, withstanding threats from management and attacks by the security forces. According to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) out of the 1,800 total employees in the factory, over 1,300 have been participating in the strike led by the Samsung India Workers Union (SIWU).

Workers are demanding wage revisions and increases, better working conditions, and recognition of their union SIWU, which has been delayed due to objections raised by the company.

The protest started at Echoor, at least a kilometer away from the Samsung plant at Sriperumbudur on September 9 after management failed to respond to the strike notice served by the workers in August.

The Samsung India Electronics Private Limited was established in 2007, and has operated without a union since then. The factory in Sriperumbudur is one of the two factories Samsung has in India. The factory makes Samsung’s electronic appliances.

Workers have complained of mistreatment and discrimination by the management. The factory presently has a nine hour workday and SIWU has demanded it be reduced to eight hours. They are also demanding a raise in various allowances and the equalization of wages for workers with the same qualifications and duties. Workers at the factory have also raised the issue of not being permitted to properly use their sanctioned leaves from work.

CITU, one the largest trade union organizations in India with over four million members, claims that Samsung has failed to address the basic demands of their workers, including concerns over low wages. CITU claims that the company spends less than 0.3% of its total annual production value on labor costs.

The workers highlight that even after a decade of experience at the plant, most of the workers earn less than Rs 30,000 (USD 359) per month, not enough to cover their basic needs and the cost of living.

The SIWU was formed in July 2023, with over 1,400 workers of the unit. E Muthukumr, the union’s president, claims the membership has now increased to over 1,700. However, its registration was delayed after an objection was raised by Samsung management. The management objects to the company’s name being used in the name of the union.

The delay is more than double the stipulated time limit of 45 days set up to process such applications under the Indian union act. Management has refused to talk to the union and objected to its registration. Instead, it has forced some workers to become members of a “workers committee” constituted by management. It has conducted some talks with the committee which, SIWU claims, has no legal validity.

Samsung uses threats to break the strike

On September 16, over 100 SIWU workers were detained by police after attempting to march to the district collectors office in support of their demand for registration of the union.

On Monday, management claimed more workers joined the workforce. However, according to the SIWU, 80% of production at the factory has been impacted due to the strike.

After failing to win over the workers utilizing tactics such as sending gifts, last week, Samsung management sent a notice to workers invoking its “no work, no pay” stance. However, workers have claimed that management cannot declare their strike illegal and withhold their wages as the call for the strike is in line with the law.

The workers had presented their demands to management in July, and after they failed to get a positive response, they gave the notice for their strike in August, as required by law.

Several other unions have extended support to Samsung workers.

Sriperumbudur is an industrial town near the capital Chennai. CITU claims the delay caused by the Samsung management to address the genuine demands of the workers has already stirred workers in other nearby factories, as they have held solidarity gate meetings last week.

The National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) in South Korea, which conducted Samsung’s first ever strike in July has extended its support to the demands raised by striking workers in the Tamil Nadu plant

Soundarajan, president of the Tamil Nadu section of CITU, questioned the arrest of workers by the police last week, asserting that forming a union is not a crime. Talking to the press, he warned that if the government does not change its stance on the issue of unionization at Samsung, CITU will launch a statewide movement against it.

The state government has initiated a reconciliation between the union and the management on Tuesday, September 24. A CITU leader told Peoples Dispatch that they are hopeful that Samsung management will agree to the union’s demands.

Karachi airport authorities recently added Sammi Deen Baloch to Pakistan's Exit Control List (ECL), preventing her from boarding a flight to Oman. Baloch was detained for over three hours at the airport. In a video statement, she revealed, “I have been stranded here at Karachi Jinnah International Airport. I was here to catch a flight to Muscat. I have been stranded here for several hours. I was previously given a boarding pass, and then I was stopped from boarding the plane. They have still not given me a plausible reason, and have taken my passport.”

Baloch continued, “I was detained here for several hours, I was questioned and investigated and I have been sitting here in a small office for the last 3-4 hours and they have not returned my passport. I have been urging them to, at least tell me that I have been detained and stopped by the Federal Investigation Agency, Pakistan (FIA) on what accusations. I have not been issued a letter; they are just telling me that they have received a letter from the Home Minister’s office to put me on the ECL list. However, no such paper has been shown to me yet.”

The civil rights network Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) has issued a strong denunciation of the “abduction” of labour rights activist Anirudh Rajan, who was taken by state authorities on September 5, 2024, while traveling to meet his family. This incident is part of a troubling trend, as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and various state forces have increasingly targeted trade union and democratic rights activists over the past year.

Anirudh Rajan, a dedicated labour rights advocate based in the Delhi-NCR region, has been instrumental in organizing workers in Manesar under the banner of the Manesar General Mazdoor Sangh. His activism began with the New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI) and later extended to efforts for the release of political prisoners in CASR. He has led numerous protests advocating for improved working conditions and has critically examined the misuse of public funds for the benefit of large corporations.

According to CASR, while traveling from NCR to Bengaluru to visit friends and family, Anirudh was apprehended by police as he was about to board a bus to Chennai. Allegations have surfaced claiming he was attempting to meet his girlfriend and was involved in fundraising for the banned CPI (Maoist) party—claims that have been denied as false. He has been labeled a criminal and arrested under the repressive Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

According to CASR, the Indian government is targeting trade union activists nationwide, resulting in heightened surveillance, raids, and arrests based on accusations over the past decade. The state’s tactics aim to suppress any discourse surrounding the exploitation of the working class, with all forms of unionization facing severe backlash. Activists have been alleged to be associated with conspiracy charges, designed to undermine legitimate organizing activities.

Believes CASR, Anirudh’s arrest is part of a broader conspiracy, which casts a shadow over democratic rights activists in northern India. Activists unrelated to any criminal activity are often ensnared in this web of intimidation and persecution, with the state working to criminalize public action by infringing on fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution, including the right to freely associate and organize.

The ongoing repression of union activists, alongside those opposing social and economic injustices from marginalized backgrounds, aims to instill fear among ordinary to citizens and facilitate the unchecked rise of authoritarian, crony-capitalist governance, it adds.

The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Kyrgyz authorities to drop their threats against two independent online news outlets over reports about President Sadyr Japarov on the grounds they contain “false information.”

In a September 4 letter, Kyrgyzstan’s culture and information ministry threatened to block access to Novye Litsa in 24 hours unless it deleted an August 30 article connecting a Russian political strategist linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, the deceased leader of the Russian mercenary company Wagner, to Japarov’s 2021 election campaign. The outlet complied with the order but defended the accuracy of the article.

The ministry also demanded that the Kyrgyz Service of the U.S. Congress-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, known locally as Radio Azattyk, remove a radio report covering the Novye Litsa story or face a similar block.

“By issuing threats against Radio Azattyk and Novye Litsa over reports looking into President Sadyr Japarov’s alleged political strategists, Kyrgyz authorities have once again demonstrated that the ‘false information’ law is used for shielding the reputations of top state officials, not for countering disinformation,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. “Defamation allegations should be weighed against evidence— not the opaque whims of officials sitting in the halls of power. The false information law must be repealed.”

The ministry cited a 2021 law, which allows it to block websites it deems to contain “false information.”

In 2022, authorities blocked Radio Azattyk’s websites and in 2023 ordered the outlet to close, only reversing their decisions after the outlet had deleted a video about border clashes. This year, prosecutors shuttered and liquidated Kloop, a local partner of the global Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, after blocking its website which featured a series of corruption investigations.

Presidential press secretary Askat Alagozov said on Facebook that if Radio Azattyk’s reporting was found to “deliberately slander” Kyrgyzstan’s leadership, “the question of whether we need such an outlet may be put on the agenda.”

Since Japarov became president in 2021, Kyrgyz authorities have launched an unprecedented crackdown on independent reporting in a country previously seen as a regional beacon for the free press.

The Appeal Court has found Mongkhon Thirakot, a Chiang Rai-based activist and online clothes vendor, guilty of royal defamation and violation of the Computer Crimes Act and sentenced him to 4 years and 6 months in prison for two Facebook posts made in July 2022.

The ruling upholds a 30 October 2023 verdict by the Chiang Rai Provincial Court which found that Mongkhon was guilty of royal defamation and violation of the Computer Crimes Act. He was initially sentenced to 4 years in prison and given an additional 6 months in prison on a trespassing charge.

Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) reports that the Appeal Court ruled to uphold the verdict on the grounds that Mongkhon admitted that he made the posts and that they referred to King Vajiralongkorn. The Court found that the two posts, which appeared to refer to ordinary people, were rude and inappropriate. Written with the intent of insulting the King, they were deemed to constitute an offence under the royal defamation law. The court noted that the defendant’s discontent with the current political situation was not a valid excuse for the offence.

Mongkhon was charged with royal defamation and violation of the Computer Crimes Act for two Facebook posts made on 28 and 30 July 2022. One contains a picture of King Vajiralongkorn and a message about wearing black while in mourning. The other contains an edited picture of Mongkhon holding a picture frame.

He was arrested at his family home in Chiang Rai on 11 August 2022 by a unit of 21 police officers. He was later released on bail. The public prosecutor indicted him on the grounds that the posts insulted the King and damaged his reputation.

Mongkhon was previously sentenced to 50 years in prison on 25 counts of royal defamation for Facebook posts made between 2 – 11 March 2021. He is now facing a cumulative prison sentence of 54 years and 6 months, currently the longest prison sentence ever given for a royal defamation. Since January 2024, he has been detained pending appeal at the Chiang Rai Central Prison after the Supreme Court denied him bail on the grounds that his lengthy sentence makes him a flight risk.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) expresses concern following the recent arrest of journalist Antonieta Kartono Martins, who was covering the eviction of street vendors in Timor-Leste’s capital. This obstruction of journalism in a country widely regarded as a regional model of press freedom sends a troubling signal. President Ramos-Horta pledged to safeguard press freedom following the event, and RSF will remain vigilant in monitoring his commitment.

Timor-Leste, ranked 20th in RSF’s World Press Freedom Index, is not known for arbitrary arrests of journalists. Yet, on the night of September 4, Antonieta Kartono Martins, a reporter for the East Timorese news site Diligente Online, was arrested while covering a police operation to remove street vendors from a market in Dili, the capital.

She was released without charge after being detained for several hours. The police also confiscated the camera of another journalist, Suzana Cardoso from Media One Timor-Leste, and deleted her footage of the operation.

The general commissioner of the police in Timor-Leste, Henrique da Costa, described the incident as a "misunderstanding" between the officers and the journalist, noting that the matter had been "resolved at the police station." He added, "the journalist is free to take the matter to court, as we are all subject to the law." The President of the Republic of Timor-Leste, José Ramos-Horta, announced that he discussed the matter with police representatives and opposed any obstruction of journalists' work in the field.

“In a democracy like Timor-Leste, journalists should never have to face obstruction or arrest for covering events of public interest. We welcome the supportive reaction of President José Ramos-Horta, but we also urge him to ensure that the police forces respect press freedom in all circumstances.

Cédric Alviani RSF Asia-Pacific Bureau Director Timor-Leste journalists are generally able to report freely, but they occasionally face legal harassment, intimidation, and police violence. A nation of fewer than 1.5 million people, it is a model of press freedom in Southeast Asia, ranking 20th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2024 World Press Freedom Index.

Several people were injured and around a dozen were detained during a protest by local government workers in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar. Police fired tear gas at the protesters after they broke through barricades to enter the high-security zone. The demonstrators were protesting the withholding of funds from local governments and denying them the authority to carry out development activities.

Journalist Roy Barbosa was reportedly assaulted, harassed, and threatened by an unknown assailant while covering a protest in Malolos, the capital of Bulacan province in Luzon on September 3. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)) joins its affiliate, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), in condemning the assault and urging the Filipino government to ensure the safety of journalists and media workers covering demonstrations.

On September 3, Manila Today journalist Roy Barbosa was reportedly assaulted and threatened by an unidentified man while covering a protest in Malalos organised by the human rights group Karapatan National Capital Region. The protest held approximately one hour north of Manila, coincided with the filing of a motion to dismiss terrorism charges against trade unionists Ed Cubelo and Rodrigo Esparago, along with 26 others, at the Malalos Regional Trial Court Branch 12.

While recording live footage of the protest, Barbosa was confronted by an unidentified man, who claimed to be a "private citizen" and "vlogger" and refused to identify himself. Barbosa was subjected to repeated harassment, including yelling, spitting, and abuse related to his non-binary identity. The man demanded that Barbosa delete the footage and threatened legal action.

Barbosa’s colleagues were also stopped by the same individual, who was accompanied by several police officers and were reportedly threatened with legal charges if they did not reveal Barbosa’s whereabouts.

Later that evening, Barbosa published his report detailing the harassment. Shortly after, he received a threatening message on Facebook from an unknown user who claimed Barbosa was a member of the New People's Army (NPA), a practice known as ‘red-tagging’. Barbosa reportedly received similar messages in July, warning the journalist against covering the trial, and warning of future legal action for his coverage.

In a statement released by Manila Today, the outlet asserted that this incident highlights the ongoing targeting of media workers who report on injustice and hold those accountable. The publication criticised the use of harassment and threats as a tactic to silence journalists, reflecting a broader issue of state attempts to undermine community and alternative media.

A week prior, on August 27, news crews from MindaNews, Newsline Philippines, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, and state-run PTV News were reportedly barred from covering a rally by members of the controversial church, the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, at its compound in Buhangin, Davao City. Video footage posted by Sun Star Davao shows the crowd demanding that the media leave, accusing them of being "biased." Earlier in the day, KOJC members were also seen driving away a reporter from One News. Reports from the scene indicate that objects were thrown at the news crews that evening.

On 2 September 2024, around 12 p.m., Nelson Roldao, a Timorese human rights activist supporting the pro-West Papua movement, was arrested at Timor-Leste the Prezidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport in Dili, Timor-Leste, while accompanying West Papuan activist, who was traveling back to his home country.

Information gathered from a press conference by Human Rights Defenders later in the afternoon at 4 p.m. stated that Nelson Roldao and Lorico were accompanying a colleague from West Papua at Nicolao Lobato International Airport as he prepared to return to his home country. This West Papuan colleague had come to Timor-Leste to participate in the diplomacy training program whose patron is Ramos Horta, Timor-Leste's President.

While still at the airport, the Papuan colleague proceeded to immigration to board an outbound Citilink flight. Nelson and Lorico returned to the gate to collect parking tickets when they were approached by armed police officers in plain clothes, threatened Nelson and detained him. The police seized Nelson's documents, which included a small West Papua flag, but found no criminal materials. Further information indicates that the National Police of Timor-Leste, stationed at Nicolao Lobato International Airport, arrested and detained Nelson Roldao.

The Human Rights Defenders movement argued that the Timor-Leste Police are overreacting, and this is considered a violation of human rights.

"We consider the detention and actions of the police against Nelson to be arbitrary and illegal, as it violates human rights principles and the RDTL Constitution, specifically Article 10, paragraph 1, which asserts that the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste is committed to solidarity with all peoples struggling for national liberation," said Inocencio de Jesus Xavier, spokesperson for the movement.

The movement also condemned the police arrest and demanded that the National Police of Timor-Leste immediately release human rights activist Nelson Roldao. They called on the international community to protest against the Timor-Leste government, particularly the Security Institution (PNTL), for the detention of Nelson Roldao.

Neon Metin journalists are attempting to confirm details with the police at the airport but have been unable to obtain clear information on Nelson's current location. Initial reports indicated that Nelson was arrested by the Unidade Policia Fronteira (Border Police Unit), but unit's Commander Euclides Belo stated that Nelson was detained for identification with the latest information suggests he is in the custody of the National Police Investigation Unit at the PNTL's headquarter.

The papal visit to Timor-Leste is just 10 days away, and the Timor-Leste government has issued warnings about the pro-West Papua movement, classifying it as a national security threat. The solidarity movement has been categorized as a security threat rather than as an act of solidarity.

Authorities on Sunday announced the closure of at least 15 factories in Savar and Dhamarai areas in the face of workers' protests.

Local people said a group of workers and job aspirants started a demonstration in Palashbari area that later spread across the entire Savar and Dhamrai. Workers said their protest was aimed at demanding fair wages, overtime allowance, attendance bonuses and job security.

The workers of GAB Limited and some nearby garment factories blocked the road in Palashbari area of Ashulia around 9am. Similarly, workers of Ha-meem, Sharmeen, NASA Group, Snowtex Outerwear Limited factory also came down on the streets and blocked the roads.

Meanwhile, the workers of Acme Consumers Limited put forward a 16-point demand.

Mohammad Sarwar Alam, superintendent of police of Industrial Zone Police-1 in Ashulia, said that the workers are protesting with various demands. He said that additional men from the law enforcement agencies are currently deployed in the area to bring the situation under control.

Police officers arrested the father of an activist facing charges of violating the Anti-Terrorism Law, September 1 in Barangay Silongin, San Francisco, Quezon province.

Roberto Mendoza is the father of Lieshel, a farmer who was charged by elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ 85 th Infantry Battalion last January 2024 with violating Section 12 of the Anti- Terrorism Law and the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act.

According to human rights watchdog Tanggol Quezon, Roberto was arrested at approximately 5 a.m. with no search or arrest warrant given to him.

“[Mendoza’s arrest is] clearly another tactic by the 85 th IBPA and the police to intimidate Lieshel into ‘surrendering’ as an alleged member of the revolutionary New People’s Army,” Tanggol Quezon said in its statement. “Lieshel and Roberto are ordinary farmers working honorably and standing up for their rights.”

Tanggol Quezon maintains that both Roberto and Lieshel Mendoza are innocent. “The Mendozas have nothing to ‘surrender’ for,” the group said in their statement. “If anything, the 85 th IBPA and the police should surrender given their long list of human rights violations in South Quezon and the Bondoc Peninsula.”

Mendoza is detained at the San Francisco Municipal Police Station pending charges filed against him. Tanggol Quezon is calling for his immediate release.

Mendoza’s arrest is the latest in a series of attacks against farmers and human rights defenders in the province. Tanggol Quezon notes that the 85 th IBPA is using a pattern of “using the law to equate human rights advocacy with crime.”

Last October 2023, another coconut farmer, Liezel Merchales, was charged with financing terrorism by the 85 th IBPA.

Yulesita Ibañez was similarly charged with financing terrorism and violating Section 12 of the Anti-Terror Law after the military alleged that they provided food and coffee to members of the NPA last January.

Ibañez and Mendoza are members of Karapatan Quezon and the group Coco Levy Fund Ibalik sa Amin (CLAIM). Soldiers have once forced Mendoza into presenting herself as a surrendered NPA combatant under the government’s Enhanced Community Livelihood Integration Program (ECLIP).

Their paralegals, Tanggol Quezon members Paul Tagle and Fritz Labiano, were also charged with financing terrorism last February. The charges against Tagle and Labiano were dropped last June by the Batangas Regional Trial Court for lack of evidence.

The 85 th IBPA is currently headed by Lt. Col. Reynir S. Nirza, who took the reins of command from Lt. Col. Joel R. Jonson last April. Under Nirza, the 85 th IBPA has been involved in the arrest of peasant and women’s right advocate Fatima Banjawan last August 2 while conducting a community investigation in Santa Elena, Camarines Norte.

Tibetan language content creator and live-streamer Tashi Nyima, also known as Gang Lhaja, shared in a video posted on the Chinese social media platform KuaiShou on 28 August that his live-streaming activities were abruptly suspended following orders from the local police. He explained that the restrictions on his content, particularly his series “Outdoor Livestream on The Plateau”, were primarily due to his growing influence within Tibetan communities, where his Tibetan language content had become increasingly popular

In addition to being suspended from further live-streaming, Gang Lhaja was arbitrarily detained from 1 to 3 September and was beaten in a detention centre. On 7 September, he released another video in Tibetan, expressing his frustration and disappointment regarding the situation. He also uploaded a transcript of his video message in Chinese alongside the video.

In the video, he states:

” I have experienced defeat, and I have experienced it repeatedly. However, I honestly cannot accept the defeat this time because this is a defeat for all who have supported and valued my work. Usually, I admit defeat when it comes. But, the obstacles and interference in my work [by the local authorities] make me extremely discouraged and disheartened. There are a hundred ways to do one task, a thousand paths to one destination, and I carefully trod the path through suitable means and wisdom. However, the path I was taking to accomplish my work has been directly blocked.

I even felt this might be the last livestream in my life. I was terribly scared. I trembled terribly. But today, thanks to the kindness of the Lama and the Three Jewels and, secondly, thanks to the kindness of my friends, I have come here and been able to go online as before. This is also due to the kindness of the Lama and the Three Jewels.

On the one hand, I’m thrilled (my heart is joyful). On the other hand, I’m despondent (my heart is sorrowful). In any case, I couldn’t accomplish the task I set out to do. With hard-earned money saved, I intended to traverse distant places with hope. I prepared over 200,000 yuan, planning to travel through the three regions of Tibet—U-Tsang, Amdo, and Kham. However, my friends, I will not be able to accomplish it. It’s been seven days now. I’ve been thinking a lot. I feel defeated and sad. However, I know that the greater one’s influence on society, the more obstacles and pressure one faces.”

With over 75,000 followers on KuaiShou and an additional 6,500 followers on a fan account created by supporters, Gang Lhaja has established a strong presence as a Tibetan content creator. He has long focused on producing the Tibetan language content online through games, quizzes, and educational activities, often based on the “Chinese-Tibetan-English Dictionary of New Daily Vocabulary” by Khenpo Tsultrim Lodoe, one of the heart disciples of the renowned Nyingmapa master, Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok. Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok was instrumental in reviving Tibetan Buddhism, culture and language in Tibet following China’s Cultural Revolution, during which Mao Zedong attempted to eradicate remnants of traditional Tibetan culture. Under Khenchen’s guidance, numerous private Tibetan language schools were founded, including Sengdruk Taktse, established by Tulku Thupten Norbu.

In one of his final videos before the police intervention, Gang Lhaja revealed his plans for an extensive tour across several regions of Tibet, including Dzachuka, Kardze, Palyul, Derge, Jhomdha, Chamdo, and other regions across Tibet’s three traditional provinces to promote the use of new Tibetan vocabularies. However, since 28 August, he has been unable to host more live streams. Despite this, in his final video, he expressed disappointment with the authorities, asserting that he had not violated any laws or regulations.

In China, live streaming has become a booming industry, but it has also attracted increased attention from regulators. The Chinese government imposes strict controls over content creators, requiring compliance with regulations from agencies like the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and the Ministry of Public Security.

One recent regulation, the 2019 “Norms for the Administration of Online Short Video Platforms and Detailed Implementation Rules for Online Short Video Content Review Standards,” prohibits content that ‘undermines social stability’, ‘content dividing the nation’, ‘content disclosing state secrets’, and ‘content harmful to ethnic and territorial unity’, among many others. These vague regulations have led to increased censorship, particularly affecting ethnic minorities like Tibetans.

In recent years, several Tibetans have been targeted by authorities for content deemed politically sensitive. In 2022, five Tibetans were detained by local Chinese police in connection with a song about the Tibetan spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, which was performed during a musical contest on Kuaishou. Last year, Tibetan singer Palden was sentenced to three years in prison for sharing patriotic Tibetan songs on the same platform.

Gang Lhaja is a native of Yuthok village in Derge (Ch: Dege) County, in the traditional Tibetan province of Kham, near the birthplace of the esteemed Situ Panchen Chökyi Jungney, the 8th Tai Situ incarnation. Situ Panchen was a distinguished scholar, writer, painter, doctor, and linguist renowned for his contributions, including the widely studied Situ’s Commentary on Tibetan Grammar, an essential text for Tibetan language students.

Gang Lhaja, a former monk, began his early education in a local monastery, learning basic reading and writing, before graduating from a Shedra (Tibetan Buddhist monastic university). Later, he moved to Chengdu, where he sold coffee on the streets while continuing his Tibetan studies. Although his small coffee business failed, he transitioned to creating online content and garnered widespread support for his efforts to promote the Tibetan language and culture.

As a social impact content creator, he has engaged in numerous charitable activities. He has raised funds for needy patients and even purchased livestock from butchers for life release. His efforts have inspired many followers to participate in acts of compassion and charity, creating a community centred around these values. The recent restrictions on Gang Lhaja are part of a broader pattern of repression against Tibetan language and culture. In recent years, Tibetan activists, scholars, and cultural figures have faced increasing censorship and persecution. While private schools in Tibet are being shut down, Chinese has been imposed as the primary language of instruction, further eroding linguistic freedoms. In June this year, restrictions on Tibetan language content creators heightened concerns over the rapidly shrinking cultural and linguistic freedoms online, with many voicing strong discontent on social media, reporting difficulties in streaming and speaking in Tibetan on platforms like Douyin and Kuaishou.

As many as 11 journalists and media workers employed by Cable News Network (CNN) Indonesia were illegally terminated on August 31, less than a week after workers at the broadcaster formally registered their labour union. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its Indonesian affiliates, the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) and the Media and Creative Industry Workers Union for Democracy (SINDIKASI), in strongly condemning CNN’s illegal union-busting tactics, urging Indonesian authorities to conduct an immediate investigation into the incident, and calling on the broadcaster to immediately overturn its salary cuts and reinstate all affected workers.

CNN Indonesia’s Head of Human Capital Development sent termination notices by email to 11 leading union activists on August 31, with the journalists barred from attending work and access to the company WhatsApp group and email system restricted the same day.

The layoffs came just days after employees of the broadcaster officially registered Solidaritas Pekerja CNN Indonesia (SCPI), translating to CNN Indonesia Workers Solidarity, with the country’s Ministry of Manpower on August 27. Organised workers announced the union’s registration on August 31, with an accompanying online discussion attended by Indonesian Press Council Chair Ninik Rahayu.

According to SCPI’s Chair, workers had held a series of discussions over the past several months, in part responding to unsanctioned wage cuts imposed in June, issued without full agreement from staff or any compensation. Workers at the news service had previously faced layoffs without union representation. Throughout months of organising efforts, journalists reported receiving threats and intimidation from management, who warned against unionisation.

The union was officially declared on July 27 and brings together workers from broadcast services at CNN Indonesia TV and digital news via CNNIndonesia.com. The SCPI is the first labour union organised under Trans Media, a media and entertainment subsidiary of the Indonesian conglomerate CT Group headed by former minister and prominent businessman Chairul Tanjung.

Speaking with the IFJ, SINDIKASI Advocacy Coordinator Guruh Riyanto said: “As a union officially registered, the SPCI union is protected by Indonesian law. The act of terminating the unionised workers can be categorised as a form of union busting. It is strongly suspected to violate Article 28 of the Indonesian Labour Union Law that clearly protects the rights of the workers to unionise.”

The right to form or join a trade union is protected in Indonesia under the 1945 Constitution, the Human Rights Law, and industrial relations legislation. Indonesia is also a signatory to the International Labour Organisation Conventions No. 87 and No. 98, which protect Freedom of Association and the Right to Organise, and the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining respectively.

AJI said: “AJI assesses that the unilateral termination of employment by CNN management is contrary to the freedom of expression guaranteed by the constitution. The decision to terminate SPCI members just hours after the union’s establishment can be suspected as an attempt by the company to carry out union-busting (eradicating labour unions).”

SINDIKASI said: “SINDIKASI strongly condemns the alleged union busting by CNN Indonesia to the workers unionised under Solidaritas Pekerja CNN Indonesia (SPCI). The workers organised the union to respond to the salary cut by the management that had lasted for three months (June-August). […] SINDIKASI supports the SPCI union to organise and conduct collective bargaining. We also call for the press and media workers unions as well as other social movements to support the struggle of the SPCI union. The fulfillment of the media workers’ rights will ensure the quality of journalism works as well as the rights of the people to access reliable information.”

The IFJ said: “Union busting is illegal under Indonesia’s Constitution and industrial legislation and is a blatant violation of workers' rights. At a time of global economic challenges, the act of terminating journalists for organising and imposing unsanctioned wage cuts is disgraceful and punishable by law. The IFJ strongly condemns the actions of CNN Indonesia and calls on the authorities to take immediate action to ensure the broadcaster reverses these unlawful dismissals and salary cuts, reinstating all affected workers."

Dr Riaz Ahmed, an associate professor and syndicate member at the University of Karachi (KU), was released on Saturday night after eight hours of alleged “illegal detention” by three police stations in Karachi upon protest and outcry.

Fellow colleague Prof Tauseef Ahmed told Dawn.com that Dr Ahmed left his home earlier today to go to KU but he did not reach the university and his whereabouts were unknown.

He said the KU professor was a member of its syndicate whose meeting was scheduled for Saturday to “decide about the degree issue of a judge of Islamabad High Court (IHC)”.

He added that Riaz had earlier posted on X where he alleged “external pressure” on the KU syndicate regarding the degree case.

Tauseef alleged that Dr Riaz’s “disappearance” could be related to the KU’s syndicate meeting.

He said that rights activists had reached Bahadurabad police station, claiming that Riaz was taken away from there in two police mobiles.

Bahadurabad Station House Officer Naeem Rajput denied the detention of the political activist. Dawn.com also reached out to East Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Farrukh Raza for a response but did not receive any.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Vice Chairperson Qazi Khizar told Dawn.com that Dr Riaz was brought to the Bahadurabad police station where he was released after the protest and pressure by rights activists, KU teachers and students, lawyers and labour leaders and intervention of higher police authorities.

Khizar said that Dr Riaz told them that he was taken away from Tipu Sultan Road when he left his residence to go to KU at 1pm. “He was detained for eight hours,” Khizar said.

Dr Riaz said in his recorded video at the police station that he was supposed to attend the KU syndicate meeting about the degree issue of the IHC judge when he was taken away.

He reiterated the same in a media talk after his release, saying he was due to attend the syndicate meeting to discuss the issue of the IHC judge’s degree. He alleged various procedural anomalies in how the issue was being conducted.

His wife, also in a recorded video from the police station, said that when she came to know from the university at 5pm that her husband had not attended the meeting, she came to the Bahadurabad police station where her husband was present who narrated the whole story to her but later on, he was taken away in police mobiles to an unknown location.

The HRCP condemned the disappearance of the KU professor.

Meanwhile, KU Teachers Society secretary Dr Asad Tanoli announced a boycott of all classes at the university on Monday.

The KU teachers’ body in a statement also expressed concerns over the “mysterious disappearance” of Dr Riaz.

He had also gone missing in 2018, but returned home a day later. He was taken into custody by Rangers in April 2017 for allegedly carrying an unlicensed pistol when he was on his way to the Karachi Press Club (KPC) to hold a press conference to demand the release of over 70-year-old retired professor and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London leader Dr Hasan Zafar Arif.

He was picked up minutes before he was to hold a press conference at the KPC to demand proper treatment for the late Dr Arif. Dr Riaz was subsequently released on bail.

The associate professor was also the core organiser of a seminar on Balochistan’s missing persons held at KU in 2015 after a similar session was cancelled by the Lahore University of Management Sciences.

Nguyen Ngoc Anh, a fisheries engineer and activist, was released from Xuan Loc Prison on August 30, 2024, after serving a six-year sentence for charges related to his criticism of the Vietnamese government. Anh, 44, was convicted in 2019 for "making, storing, and disseminating information against the state" through social media posts and videos addressing issues such as marine pollution caused by Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation and territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea.

Upon his release, Anh was turned over to local authorities in Binh Dai District, Ben Tre Province, where he will begin a five-year probation period. Despite his imprisonment, Anh expressed pride in standing up for what he believed was right, though he noted his health had deteriorated during his incarceration.

Nguyen Ngoc Anh has been an outspoken critic of government policies since 2013, using Facebook to voice his concerns. His wife, Nguyen Thi Chau, also faced harassment from authorities for advocating for her husband's release and highlighting his mistreatment in prison. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) previously condemned Anh's imprisonment as "arbitrary" and in violation of international human rights conventions.

About the Human Rights Defender: Advocate Ajay Kumar is a lawyer who has been working for 30 years as an activist. Since his days as a student in Kurukshetra university, he has been active in various mass and democratic struggles like struggle against the illegal termination of canteen workers in Kurukshetra University and the struggle against the demolition of working-class neighbourhood of Gandhi Nagar, Kurukshetra. He participated in the peasant movement in Kandela, Haryana, was active in opposing the arrest of peasant leader Ghashi Ram and took lead in fact-finding missions on atrocities against Dalits in Haryana. In Chandigarh, he was active in the movement against evictions of slum dwellers as well as the movements against the amendments to Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act and Chhota Nagpur Tenancy Act in 2016. Adv. Ajay has aided in the capacity-building of activists from the anti-displacement movements against Electro Steel Company in Santhal Pargana (Jharkhand), Grabanda Bera electricity project in Gumla (Jharkhand) and South Korean giant Posco in Jagatsinghpur (Odisha). He was also founding member of Vistapan Virodhi Jan Vikas Andolan (VVJVA), a conglomeration of more than 50 organisations from across the country seeking to challenge the forcible displacement of peasants particularly Adivasis. He was also involved in Kisan Andolan and in organising the movement against the caste atrocities committed in Panchkula in the state of Haryana.

Background of the incident: Adv. Ajay Kumar’s close association with other incarcerated activists made him a person of interest in the false case against Prof. G.N. Saibaba, with his name mentioned in the lower courts.

Details of the Incident: On August 30, 2024 at 3:40 in the morning HRD Ajay Kumar was at his residence in Chandigarh with his wife and 9 year old daughter when 15-20 personnel raided his house and the searched his house till 12:40 in the noon. Some of them were in civilian clothes from the NIA and others were in uniform. At the time of raid Adv Ajay Kumar and his wife tried to ask for the search memo and FIR. They found that Mr. Ajay Kumar’s name was not mentioned in FIR or in any search memo. HRD Ajay Kumar submitted to NIA that he is a practicing lawyer in Punjab and Haryana High court Chandigarh and gave list of his cases which he appeared in court as lawyer. After searching the house they took a hard disc, 3 mobiles and some documents. NIA personnel served him a notice to come to NIA office at Chandigarh. Mr. Ajay Kumar went to NIA office as asked, where he was interrogated till 4:00 in the morning. At that time his wife Aarti who is also an advocate was given an arrest memo of Ajay Kumar. Mr. Ajay was continuously threatened by NIA officials to tell him names of other persons or they will send him to jail for a long time. Adv. Ajay was then arrested and taken to Lucknow and is currently in Lucknow jail. The HRD was arrested under the FIR no. RC-01/2023/NIA-LKW by NIA Lucknow under Section 154 Cr. P.C on June 19, 2023; Sections 120B, 121A of IPC and under Sections 18, 18B, 20, 38 & 39 of the UA (P) Act, 1967.

Rajkumar Rajeevkanth, an activist from the People's Struggle Alliance—a breakaway group from the Aragalaya—was arrested in Trincomalee by Sri Lankan police. He was participating in protests organized by the Tamil Families of the Disappeared, who were staging demonstrations across the North-East to mark the International Day of the Disappeared.

Despite being alone and unarmed, Rajeevkanth was forcibly escorted by police, including members of the riot squad.

Footage shows Rajeevkanth being forced into a police jeep from the occupying Trincomalee Police Station before being taken away. Posting on his personal Facebook account in Tamil, Rajeevkanth expressed his long-standing support for the Families of the Disappeared. "When this protest crossed 2000 days, I joined many who marched from Colombo. I even participated in last month’s protest," he wrote. "Arrests are not uncommon, and I have been facing legal cases for more than two years."

Rajeevkanth also shared his negative experiences in prison. Regarding today’s arrest, he noted that he had a verbal confrontation with the police when he asserted his right to protest. "When they tried to attack me, I stepped back. They later arrested me, claiming that I was the one who tried to attack them."

He highlighted that this is not the first time false allegations have been made against him in an attempt to secure his arrest. He credited his mother for preventing him from being jailed for 14 days, as she refused to leave his side until he was released. He also thanked his lawyers, Aishwariya and Prashanthini, who supported him during his ordeal.

The Sri Lankan government continues to persecute the families of victims of enforced disappearance who seek to enforce their rights, Human Rights Watch said today. Security forces persistently harass families through surveillance, intimidation, false allegations, violence, and arbitrary arrests.

On August 29, 2024, a court in Trincomalee granted a request by police to ban relatives of the disappeared from holding a procession to mark the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearance on August 30.

“The relatives of the disappeared experience the daily torment of not knowing what happened to their family members, which state agencies have cruelly compounded by trying to silence them,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Hundreds of mothers, wives, and others have passed away without learning what happened to their loved ones, and many more express fear they might not live to see justice done.”

Sri Lanka has one of the world’s highest rates of enforced disappearance, including those who disappeared during the leftist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna insurgency (1987-89) and the civil war between the government and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (1983-2009). Sri Lankan authorities have for decades refused to reveal the fate of the disappeared or to prosecute those responsible, leading the United Nations human rights office to call for international prosecutions.

In his August 22 annual report on Sri Lanka to the UN Human Rights Council, the UN high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, described “a persistent trend of surveillance, intimidation and harassment of journalists and civil society actors, especially those working on enforced disappearances … and reprisals against family members of the disappeared engaging with the UN or international actors, including members of the diplomatic community.”

The high commissioner also examined allegations of abduction, arbitrary detention, torture, and sexual violence by Sri Lankan security forces carried out as recently as January. The victims in these cases, whom they said were primarily men, had been involved in protests over issues such as enforced disappearances.

In May, Human Rights Watch met with relatives of disappeared people throughout north and east Sri Lanka, mostly the wives or mothers of victims. They described a pattern of ongoing abuses. Several are facing court proceedings after being arrested at protests, including three who had been hospitalized as a result of police violence against protesters.

One woman in the Eastern Province, campaigning to know the fate of her husband, who surrendered to the military in 2009, said she believes she is under regular surveillance by security agencies, including the police Criminal Investigation Department, Terrorism Investigation Division, Special Task Force, and the army. She said they offer to pay her neighbors for information about her, in tactics apparently designed to isolate her from her community.

“We can’t raise our voices, we have no freedom to move,” said a woman in the Northern Province, whose husband has not been seen since his arrest in 2008. “They [security agencies] threaten us, and even take action against our family members. We have no freedom to do anything.”

The women said that police officers habitually deliver stay orders – prohibiting them from attending memorialization events or protests – in the middle of the night when they are dressed in their nightclothes and take photographs. “If my gate is locked, police climb over the wall or cut the fence to deliver a stay order,” one said. Another showed a pile of eight stay orders, although she said she had received more. “If anything is happening in the Northern or Eastern Provinces I get a stay order,” she said.

Several mothers of the disappeared said the most frightening threats were directed at their other children. One said that when she attends protests the police tell her, “You have to look after your child who is still alive.” Another said that days after she was arrested at a protest in 2023, her son was arrested in an allegedly fabricated drugs case and sent for custodial “rehabilitation.” Criminal cases against both her and her son are ongoing.

In December, the authorities launched an abusive anti-narcotics campaign called “Yukthiya,” which the UN says had resulted in over 121,000 arrests five months later. Families of the disappeared said the authorities are increasingly using false drug cases to harass them. The mother of a disappeared man said that police – including anti-narcotics officers – began making inquiries about her surviving son in December, leading her to fear that they would plant drugs in her home. “I have already lost a son,” she said. “He is now the only one I have left. I sent him to India [for his safety].”

Relatives of the disappeared said they have little or no recourse to domestic avenues for redress. In 2017 the Sri Lankan government established the Office of Missing Persons (OMP), which is supposed to establish the whereabouts or fate of the disappeared but has resolved almost no cases. Relatives accused the OMP of pressuring them to agree to receive compensation payments that they fear will lead to their cases being closed without further investigation.

One relative said, “The OMP says ‘take this certificate, get Rupees 200,000 [US$665], don’t support this movement [for truth and justice].” Another, whose daughter disappeared in 2009, said, “When I went to the OMP I noticed that they were pressing many families like us. They said to the families, ‘we don’t want any documents, we just want the details of the [disappeared] person.’ Some people took compensation, and some refused.”

“Earlier we trusted the OMP but after they recruited certain commissioners, we lost our faith,” said the mother of a disappeared person from Mannar, in northwest Sri Lanka, referring to the appointment of former senior security forces officials to the body. She said she has refused offers of compensation because “I need to know what happened to my son.”

Many relatives of the disappeared are also skeptical of the current government’s proposal for a new domestic truth and reconciliation commission, following numerous similar bodies that have previously failed to deliver truth or accountability. “We don’t accept it. We don’t have faith in it,” one said. They emphasized the importance of international involvement, including in criminal investigations.

The UN Human Rights Council, concerned governments, and other UN bodies should implement the recommendations in the UN high commissioner’s report, including:

Investigating and prosecuting alleged perpetrators of international crimes committed in Sri Lanka under the principle of universal jurisdiction. Imposing targeted sanctions on alleged perpetrators. Carrying out enhanced vetting of Sri Lankan officials, including those involved in UN peacekeeping missions. Renewing the Human Rights Council’s mandate for UN monitoring, reporting, and work on accountability for human rights violations and related crimes in Sri Lanka. “Successive Sri Lankan governments have resisted any progress to address the terrible legacy of enforced disappearances, and instead compounded the anguish of victims’ families,” Ganguly said. “While the Sri Lankan government commits these abuses, the Human Rights Council and governments around the world need to stand with the families of the disappeared.”

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