Uwazi

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.