FLD Calls for Accountability for Enforced Disappearances, Laws to Protect Human Rights Defenders
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Calls for Probe of Alleged Assaults of Two Journalists by Student Activists
Amnesty International (AI)Urges Release of Bangladeshi Mother Arrested for Her Son's Facebook Post
IFJ Calls for Justice for Slain Reporter, Appeals for Laws Protecting Journalists in India
International Press Institute (IPI) Calls on Bangladesh to Ensure Draft Cyber Security Act Meets Nat'l and Int'l Human Rights Standards
PH transport Group Appeals to Gov't to Suspend Taxes on Petroleum Products, Repeal Oil Deregulation Law Amid Oil Price Hikes
/Amnesty International Urges Bangladesh to De-escalate Ongoing Crisis, Respect Rights of Protesters
previous arrow
next arrow
FLD Calls for Accountability for Enforced Disappearances, Laws to Protect Human Rights Defenders
Uyghur Advocates Urge Travel Firms to Halt Trips to Uyghur Region Over China Rights Abuses
Uyghur Advocates Urge Travel Firms to Halt Trips to Uyghur Region Over China Rights Abuses
Protesters Demand Information on Bangladesh Abductions, Enforced Disappearances
Protesters Demand Information on Bangladesh Abductions, Enforced Disappearances
UN Urges States to Safeguard Children’s Rights As Climate Crisis Worsens
UN Urges States to Safeguard Children’s Rights As Climate Crisis Worsens
South Korea's Human Rights Watchdog Urges Swift Enactment of Itaewon Crush Probe Bill
South Korea's Human Rights Watchdog Urges Swift Enactment of Itaewon Crush Probe Bill
Human Rights Watch (HRW) Calls on Vietnam to Drop Charges, Immediately Release Democracy Campaigners
Human Rights Watch (HRW) Calls on Vietnam to Drop Charges, Immediately Release Democracy Campaigners
FORUM-ASIA to Laos: Immediately Release Human Rights Lawyer Lu Siwei, Ensure His Safety
South Korean Protesters Call for Gov't Action on Fukushima Water
South Korean Protesters Call for Gov't Action on Fukushima Water
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Calls for Probe of Alleged Assaults of Two Journalists by Student Activists
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Calls for Probe of Alleged Assaults of Two Journalists by Student Activists
Thailand's Karen Community to New Gov't: Allow Return to Their Original Village
Thailand's Karen Community to New Gov't: Allow Return to Their Original Village
FORUM-ASIA Urges Pakistan to Denounce Atrocities Against Minority Christians, Review Blasphemy Laws
Int’l Human Rights Groups Join Call for an Enabling Environment for Rights Defenders in the Philippines
Int’l Human Rights Groups Join Call for an Enabling Environment for Rights Defenders in the Philippines
Amnesty International (AI) Urges G20 Countries to Hold India to Account Over Human Rights Violations in Kashmir
Amnesty International (AI)Urges Release of Bangladeshi Mother Arrested for Her Son's Facebook Post
Amnesty International (AI)Urges Release of Bangladeshi Mother Arrested for Her Son's Facebook Post
 Human Rights Group in Myanmar Urges Direct Engagement with Civic Groups
Human Rights Group in Myanmar Urges Direct Engagement with Civic Groups
HRW Calls on Taliban to Stop Killings, Compensate Families
HRW Calls on Taliban to Stop Killings, Compensate Families
Cambodia NGOs Call for Extra Tax on Cigarettes
Cambodia NGOs Call for Extra Tax on Cigarettes
IFJ Calls for Justice for Slain Reporter, Appeals for Laws Protecting Journalists in India
IFJ Calls for Justice for Slain Reporter, Appeals for Laws Protecting Journalists in India
Fleeing Land Rights Cambodian Activist Appeals for UNHCR Intervention, Seeks Refugee Status in Thailand
Fleeing Land Rights Cambodian Activist Appeals for UNHCR Intervention, Seeks Refugee Status in Thailand
ASEAN Calls for Review of Global Minimum Tax
ASEAN Calls for Review of Global Minimum Tax
Citizens' Alliance in Taiwan Urges Stricter Pedestrian Laws
Citizens' Alliance in Taiwan Urges Stricter Pedestrian Laws
Human Rights Watch (HRW) to Australia: Prioritize Humanitarian Visas for Afghans
Human Rights Watch (HRW) to Australia: Prioritize Humanitarian Visas for Afghans
International Press Institute (IPI) Calls on Bangladesh to Ensure Draft Cyber Security Act Meets Nat'l and Int'l Human Rights Standards
International Press Institute (IPI) Calls on Bangladesh to Ensure Draft Cyber Security Act Meets Nat'l and Int'l Human Rights Standards
Participants in ICJ Dialogue Urge Thailand to Remove Barriers to Taking Thai Transnational Companies to Court for Rights Abuses
Participants in ICJ Dialogue Urge Thailand to Remove Barriers to Taking Thai Transnational Companies to Court for Rights Abuses
Hong Kong Teachers' Union Appeals for Temporary Employee Insurance
Amnesty International to Pakistan: Ensure Protection of Minority Christian Community
Amnesty International to Pakistan: Ensure Protection of Minority Christian Community
UN Experts Call on China to Release Nine Tibetan Environmental Defenders
UN Experts Call on China to Release Nine Tibetan Environmental Defenders
Defend Public Television Independence
Defend Public Television Independence
Indigenous Peoples Network Calls on India to Halt Military Offensive in Naga Territories, Urges International Intervention
Indigenous Peoples Network Calls on India to Halt Military Offensive in Naga Territories, Urges International Intervention
Women's Rights Group in Taiwan Urges Gov't to Include “Comfort Women” in School Curriculum
Women's Rights Group in Taiwan Urges Gov't to Include “Comfort Women” in School Curriculum
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Calls for Probe of Pakistani Journalist's Assassination
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Calls for Probe of Pakistani Journalist's Assassination
Women in Sri Lanka Demand Economic Justice Amid Ongoing Debt Crisis
Women in Sri Lanka Demand Economic Justice Amid Ongoing Debt Crisis
IFJ Calls for Release of Afghan Journalists
IFJ Calls for Release of Afghan Journalists
Other Human Rights Groups Make Urgent Plea to Halt Execution of Death Row Prisoner in Vietnam
Brace for Multiple, More Intense Disasters, IFRC Warns States, Humanitarian Organizations
PH transport Group Appeals to Gov't to Suspend Taxes on Petroleum Products, Repeal Oil Deregulation Law Amid Oil Price Hikes
PH transport Group Appeals to Gov't to Suspend Taxes on Petroleum Products, Repeal Oil Deregulation Law Amid Oil Price Hikes
HRW Calls on IMF to Expand Social Protection of Children in Nepal
HRW Calls on IMF to Expand Social Protection of Children in Nepal
Thai Environmentalists Call for Enhanced Protection of Forest Reserve in Phuket
Thai Environmentalists Call for Enhanced Protection of Forest Reserve in Phuket
RSF Urges China to Release of Australian Journalist
RSF Urges China to Release of Australian Journalist
Prominent Myanmar Activist Urges Boycott of Junta Products
Prominent Myanmar Activist Urges Boycott of Junta Products
UN Expert Calls on States to Support Leadership Roles of Indigenous Youth
Thai Activists Demand Revocation of Senator's National Artist Title
Thai Activists Demand Revocation of Senator's National Artist Title
ADN Declares Solidarity and Support for the Malaiyah Tamil Community of Sri Lanka
IFJ Calls on Taliban to Stop Gender-Based Harassment, Censorship of Afghanistan’s Media
IFJ Calls on Taliban to Stop Gender-Based Harassment, Censorship of Afghanistan’s Media
Amnesty International (AI) Calls on Bangladesh to End Unlawful Use of Force Against Protesters
Amnesty International (AI) Calls on Bangladesh to End Unlawful Use of Force Against Protesters
SUHAKAM Urges Government to Abolish SOSMA, Other Draconian Security Laws
CPJ Urges Pakistan Lawmakers to Reconsider Bills that Undermine Press Freedom
CPJ Urges Pakistan Lawmakers to Reconsider Bills that Undermine Press Freedom
Rights Group Urges Singapore to Stop Aiding War Crimes in Myanmar
Rights Group Urges Singapore to Stop Aiding War Crimes in Myanmar
Rights Groups Call on Laos to Release Lawyer Held After Fleeing China
Rights Groups Call on Laos to Release Lawyer Held After Fleeing China
Indonesia Urges OIC  to Take a Joint Stand Against  Quran Burnings in Several European Countries
Indonesia Urges OIC to Take a Joint Stand Against Quran Burnings in Several European Countries
Civic Leaders Urge Macao Government to Improve Typhoon Precaution Measures
Civic Leaders Urge Macao Government to Improve Typhoon Precaution Measures
Fortify Rights to India: Stop Crackdown, Abuse Against Rohingya Refugees
Fortify Rights to India: Stop Crackdown, Abuse Against Rohingya Refugees
Greenpeace Urges Taiwan Tech Companies to Boost Solar Power Use
Greenpeace Urges Taiwan Tech Companies to Boost Solar Power Use
HRW Calls on Canada to Probe Visa Issuance to Hong Kong Police Attending the World Police and Fire Games in Winnipeg
/Amnesty International Urges Bangladesh to De-escalate Ongoing Crisis, Respect Rights of Protesters
/Amnesty International Urges Bangladesh to De-escalate Ongoing Crisis, Respect Rights of Protesters

Northeast Asia

South Asia

Southeast Asia

Global / Regional

LAM
Image is not available

I asked them why my husband was disciplined, how long he would be disciplined and when my family would be able to see him again. They did not provide any more information.

Le Thanh Lam
Wife of Vietnamese political prisoner Bui Tuan Lam
September 20, 2023
On the suspension of her husband's family visits in return for being imposed on losing his appeal for his five-year sentence, having been convicted of spreading “propaganda against the state”
GANGULY
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

(T)his latest commission seems to be aimed at deflecting international pressure over continuing impunity, rather than revealing the fate of the disappeared or bringing those responsible to justice.

Meenakshi Ganguly
Deputy Asia Director, Human Rights Watch (HRW
September 17, 2023
In a newly published report by the HRW (Sept 18) on Sri Lanka's proposed truth commission.
MAUNG
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

Airstrikes targeting civilians, not military targets are war crimes and crimes against humanity. If they attended the conference knowing of this situation it would encourage violence.

Sithu Maung
Spokesperson, Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw
September 19, 2023
On Myanmar's launch of 20 military airstrikes while the ASEAN Air Chiefs conference (Sept. 13-15), led by junta Air Force chief Gen. Tun Aung, was going on in Naypyitaw, capital of Myanmar
CALLAMARD
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

It is time for the (Bangladeshi) Government to put an end to this travesty of justice.

Agnès Callamard
Secretary General, Amnesty International
September 19, 2023
On the ongoing trial of Mohammad Yunus, who is accused of employment-related violations and faces a criminal case in Bangladesh under the Labour Act 2006 Bangladeh (ojo!) authorities
ALI
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

We have been consistently fighting for it and I am very happy. Democracy is all about widening
and expanding representation.

Subhashini Ali
Former Parliamentarian, Communist Party of India
September 20, 2023
On the Indian government's proposed law seeking to reserve one-third of seats in the lower house and state legislative
assemblies for women
UNAMED
Image is not available

This is actual political persecution and a blatant violation of religious freedom
and international conventions.

Unnamed source in China
September 17, 2023
On the Chinese court’s recent conviction of Catholic priest Joseph Yang Xiaoming for “impersonating religious personnel,” based on as per charges filed leveled by the Religious Affairs Office of Longwan district in Wenzhou, in Zhejiang province. Yang allegedly refused to join state-run organizations including the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.
HRCP
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

Most of these refugees are likely poor, vulnerable individuals.... Their status as unauthorized refugees does not mean they are not entitled to protection, nor should they bear the brunt of Pakistan's security concerns.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)
September 16, 2023
On the recent crackdown on Afghan refugees in Karachi, southern Pakistan, resulting in the arrest of at least 350 refugees for allegedly lacking the correct documentation, and prompting the HRCP to urge the next government to sign the 1951 Geneva Convention and its 1967 Protocol on the status of refugees
CALLAMARD
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

This generation faces a worsening climate catastrophe, with devastating consequences for human rights, but too many leaders in positions of power today are doing too little to avert this disaster, and even
reneging on existing promises.

Agnès Callamard
Secretary General, Amnesty International
September 16, 2023
In a statement on the conduct of coordinated climate protests across countries, including the March to End Fossil Fuels on Sept. 17 in New York. These protests coincide with the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week, to be followed by the Secretary-General’s Climate Ambition Summit on Sept. 20.
SOPHHORN
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

Every day, the market inflation is so high that it makes our workers, average people, live in difficult conditions and without enough money left over to save.

Yang Sophorn
President, Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions
September 13, 2023
On the negotiation deadlock over wage increases between garment factory worker unions and empoyers in Cambodia, with the former demanding a $15 monthly minimum wage hike as opposed to the latter's $1 counteroffer
SURESH
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

Governments around the world must urgently address the senseless killings of those who stand
up for our planet....

Shruti Suresh
Co-director of Campaigns, Global Witness
September 13, 2023
In a statement coinciding with during the release of the non-profit organization's latest report highlighting environmental defender killings across the world -- totaling 1,910 -- between 2012 and 2022. In Asia the Philippines is still the most dangerous country for land and environmental defenders for the 10th straight year.
TOGOCHOG
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

This policy, implemented under the guise of 'Second Generation Bilingual Education,' is widely regarded by Mongolians worldwide as a form of cultural genocide.

Enghebatu Togochog
Director, New York-based Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center
September 14, 2023
On China's decision to ban a collection of books on Mongolia's history as part of a wider prohibition on the use of the Mongolian language in educational settings and amid tighter controls in Inner Mongolia, a semi-autonomous region in China
HUQ
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

It’s a learning-by-doing process. Experts from Harvard cannot come and tell our farmers what to do, our farmers will tell us what to do.

Prof. Saleemul Huq
Director, International Centre for Climate Change and Development
September 14, 2023
On Bangladesh’s progress in adapting to climate change, particularly among farmers, who have restored and updated traditional practices such as raised homesteads and floating vegetable gardens. The country, known as “ground zero for climate change,” ranked seventh in the Long-Term Climate Risk Index of countries most affected by climate change from 2000 to 2019, according to the 2021 Global Climate
Risk Index report.
BROUILLETTE
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

This decision by the Philippine courts is a rare and important win for press freedom and the rule of law
in the Philippines.

Prof. Saleemul Huq
Director of Advocacy, International Press Institute
September 15, 2023
On the court acquittal of Rappler CEO and veteran journalist Maria Ressa in her final tax evasion case in the Philippines
RIGHTS
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

The United States, one of the world’s most powerful and influential countries, could do much more to hold perpetrators in Myanmar accountable on the international stage.

Fortify Rights
September 15, 2023
In a written statement submitted to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, a bipartisan commission in the U.S. Congress, which is examining the human rights situation in Myanmar and which conducted a congressional hearing on Sept. 13, where survivors from Myanmar testified about the junta atrocities
ADN
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

The Asia Democracy Network (ADN) vehemently condemns the recent sentencing of Adilur Rahman Khan and Nasiruddin Elan, activists attached to the Odhikar human rights organization in Bangladesh. Their unjust imprisonment on trumped-up charges is a grave violation of their fundamental rights and an alarming attack on the principles of democracy and justice.

ADN
September 15, 2023
In a statement strongly denouncing what it calls the unjust imprisonment of Bangladeshi human rights defenders Adilur Rahman
and Nasiruddin Elan
GAPJIL
Image is not available

Since casual harassment and microaggressions can escalate into more serious crimes like stalking and sexual violence, we must come up with more effective approaches to address these issues
at a fundamental level.

Gapjil 119
A non-profit dedicated to addressing workplace abuse
September 12, 2023
On the widespread sexual discrimination in workplaces faced by South Korean women, based on an online survey conducted by Embrain Public on Aug. 2-10
KUOMJIAN
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

We have collected compelling evidence of the widespread burning of Rohingya villages and the assaults and killings of civilians. I have been particularly horrified by the numerous accounts of sexual crimes
that we have collected.

Nicholas Koumjian
Head, Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar
September 12, 2023
In his report during the 54th Session of the U.N. Human Rights Council on Sep. 11 in Geneva, Switzerland
PHUNTSHO
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

So, over the years, I think a lot of things have been done, yet there are still cases (of cyberbullying)
that crop up.

Sonam Phuntsho
Principal, Changzamtog Middle Secondary School, in Thimpu, Bhutan's capital
September 11, 2023
On cyberbullying as a growing concern among students in the south-central Asian country despite efforts to combat it
GRANDI
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

We need fully inclusive education systems that give refugees the same access and rights as
host-country learners.

Filippo Grandi
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees
September 10, 2023
In his foreword to the newly released 2023 Refugee Education Report published by the U.N. Refugee Agency
ICOMOS
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

Overall, more than 3,000 trees will be destroyed, with more than 500 of those estimated to be over
100 years of age.

International Council on Monuments and Sites
September 8, 2023
In an open letter to 18 Japanese officials, including Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, as well as business and community leaders, On the planned redevelopment of Tokyo's Jingu Gaien park, established 100 years ago to honor the Meiji Emperor. The international conservancy body has placed the park on its 'Heritage Alert' list.
SHENGKUN
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

Despite the continuous progress of mine-clearing operations in the ASEAN region with the joint efforts of all parties, the mine situation is still grim.

Ma Shengkun
Deputy Director-General, ASEAN Arms Control Department
September 9, 2023
In his remarks during the High-level Regional Dialogue of the ASEAN Regional Mine Action Center held in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, on the state of mine-clearing operations in Southeast Asian countries, some of which still face threats from land mines
ROGERS
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

In all my years working in and on #HongKong, I’ve never seen floods like this. It’s a direct result of the irresponsible, negligent, repressive #CCP misrule.

Benedict Rogers
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Hong Kong Watch
September 9, 2023
On Hong Kong's catastrophic flooding after being hit with a record rainfall in almost 140 years
DONGETO
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

Every child has the right to health and the right to finish their education and reach their dreams. Without government intervention, early and unintended pregnancies most often upend these rights

Romeo Dongeto
Convenor, Child Rights Network and Executive Director, Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development Foundation, Inc.
September 8, 2023
On the Philippine House of Representatives' approval on third and final reading of the proposed Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Act, a national action plan seeking to address teenage pregnancy in the Philippines, which has one of the highest adolescent birth rates among Southeast Asian countries.
WIN
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

His sentencing is yet another indication that freedom of the press has been completely quashed under the military junta’s rule, and shows the hefty price independent journalists in Myanmar must pay for
their professional work.

Swe Win
Editor-in-chief, Myanmar Now
September 7, 2023
On the 20-year hard labor sentence imposed by Myanmar's junta on photojournalist Sai Zaw Thaik for documenting the destructive aftermath of Cyclone Mocha
OHMAR
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

The governing council of the Human Rights Commission in Pakistan ... has expressed immense concern over the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming general #election.

Human Rights Commission in Pakistan
September 5, 202
In a statement urging the Election Commission of Pakistan to immediately announce the schedule of the next general election
OHMAR
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

We have learnt how big and deep the wounds our teachers have suffered and how great a crisis our schools and classrooms are facing.

Lee Ju-ho
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education in South Korea
September 6, 2023
In a statement made on Sept. 4 at a memorial service for a school teacher who died by suicide after reportedly suffering months of bullying and pressure from a student’s parent. At the same time he gave assurances to "listen closely to the voices of teachers in the field” amid a growing demand for revisions to the child welfare and abuse laws and protection of teachers' rights in the face of an alarming rise in assaults on teachers by students and their parents, leading to a mental health crisis among teachers
FRANCHE
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

Enforced disappearances have left a painful scar on the nation’s history and continue to shape the lives of thousands of Sri Lankans who exist in a state of ambiguity, where their loved ones are neither present
nor definitively absent.

Marc-André Franche
U.N. Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka
September 4, 2023
In a statement urging the Sri Lankan government to accelerate efforts to address enforced disappearances in the country and provide justice for the victims
SCHULTE
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

You could craft the most airtight legal system on paper, but if the political will is impaired to implement it, then nothing's going to happen.

William Schulte
Policy and Legal Advisor for Mekong Region, EarthRights International
September 6, 2023
On the Mekong region being one of the toughest places globally for environmental litigation, and, more broadly, on the challenges of launching climate litigation in Southeast Asia
DOLMA
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

Over the last seven decades, the situation in Tibet has been deteriorating to the extent that it is now facing imminent threat of cultural genocide and total annihilation of Tibetan identity.

Yeshi Dolma
Exiled Tibetan Lawmaker
September 7, 2023
On China’s attempts to eradicate Tibetan cultural and national identity since its annexation of Tibet
OHMAR
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

By legitimizing this criminal junta and providing direct support to them, ASEAN, the USA, and other dialogue partners are enabling them to continue waging a terror campaign against Myanmar people.

Khin Ohmar
Chair, Progressive Voice
September 5, 2023
In a statement calling for the revocation of ASEAN's invitation to the Myanmar junta to join the regional bloc's upcoming defense conference in Hawaii. The ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) Maritime Security Conference and Future Leaders’ Programm will take place on Sept. 12-14
SHAMDASANI
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

The situation in Xinjiang remains of concern. Laws and policies assessed in our report are still in place ... (O)ur 2022 assessment was clear on the need for accountability. We continue to stand by that,
publicly and bilaterally.

Ravina Shamdasani
Spokesperson, U.N. Rights Office
September 3, 2023
In a statement denying accusations by rights groups accusing the global body and the international community of inaction in the face of continuing abuses in China's Xinjiang province a year after the U.N. released its stunning report on the extent of human rights violations in the region
JIAWEN
Image is not available

The city government gets involved in stuff it shouldn't, indiscriminately. They have destroyed the legacy left
by our ancestors.

Jiang Jiawen
Resident, Liaoning Province in China
September 2, 2023
On the government's crackdown on folk religious practices including Ghost Month, which began on Aug. 30
NAYAK
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

Every day, a Dalit person is killed or attacked. Dalit women are stripped, raped and murdered.

Father Vijay Kumar Nayak
Secretary, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India Office for Dalits and Lower Classes
August 30, 2023
On the continued social oppression of the Dalit community, who makes up nearly 60 percent of India's 25 million Christian population despite the country's criminalization of discrimination in 1948
OBO PRISON
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

Whenever a batch of prisoners is sent to a labour camp, it is common to see one or two political
prisoners among them.

Unnamed former inmate in Obo Prison in the city of Mandalay in Myanmar
September 1, 2023
On the junta’s recently revived practice of sending political prisoners into hard labor
U.N.
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

Enforced disappearance is a serious human rights violation that has frequently been used to spread terror.

United Nations
September 1, 2023
In a statement on the commemoration of the International Day of the Disappeared (Aug. 30)
LUCAS
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

(T)he government must really pay attention to agriculture. Else, only landowners and proprietors, not farmers and farm workers, will benefit.

Marcelino Cruz Lucas
65, Filipino farmer
September 2, 2023
On the lack of government support for the agricultural sector amid challenges such as calamities and land ownership issues
PARKS
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

The climate crisis is a child rights crisis.

Will Parks
UNICEF representative in Cambodia
August 29, 2023
On the worsening environmental health risks children in Cambodia face, including water and food contamination, toxic metals, pesticides and hazardous waste, based on the country’s first Children’s Environmental Health Assessment conducted by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with UNICEF
CHAN
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

I have decided, with the guidance of legal counsel, to cease all operations of the Societas Linguistica Hongkongensis, effective immediately, in order to ensure the safety of my family and former members.

Andrew Chan
Founder and Convenor, Societas Linguistica Hongkongensis, which was set up to safeguard linguistic rights and uphold the status of the Cantonese language in Hong Kong
August 29, 2023
On the shutdown of the non-profit group after national security police searched his former home without a warrant while he was away
UNHCR
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

Rohingya refugees continue to tell us they want to return to Myanmar when it is safe for them to
do so voluntarily.

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR)
August 27, 2023
In a statement urging renewed commitment from the international community to support the global humanitarian assistance for nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, who have formed the backbone of the humanitarian response over the past six years since the August 2017 Myanmar military crackdown that forced them to flee the Southeast Asian country.

Unnamed resident of North Hamgyong
Image is not available

There are so many criminal acts involving weapons that people are afraid to even speak face to face.

Unnamed resident of North Hamgyong province in North Korea
August 26, 2023
On the reported surge in violent crimes amid the food crisis in the country
MUSAWAH
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

Fighting for LGBT rights in the Muslim dominated south, especially in the Bangsamoro region, has always been very challenging because we risk our lives every time we travel to armed-conflict areas.

Rhadem Musawah
Leader, Mujer LGBTQ+, an independent gender rights advocacy group working in Mindanao in southern Philippines
August 26, 2023
On being tagged by the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency as a front of the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines
ARWIN
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

#Today, the Taliban group prevented the flight of 37 girls to study in the United Arab Emirates.... Under their rule, girls are prohibited from continuing their education outside of Afghanistan.

Maryam Marof Arwin
Leader and Founder, Afghanistan Women’s and Children Strengthen Welfare Organiztion
August 25, 2023
JAE-MYUNG
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

The Yoon administration practically acted as a spokesperson for Japan, even as it was going to pollute our waters with radioactive waste.

Lee Jae-myung
Head, Democratic Party of Korea
August 25, 2023
On South Korea's Yoon Suk Yeol administration's perceived leniency with Japan over its phased release of radioactive wastewater, starting on Aug. 24, from the structurally flawed Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan
LIU
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

I worry it’s more difficult for young people to know the truth… I don’t know how long we can exist. We will continue to sell books as long as possible.

Leanne Liu
Store Manager, Boundary Bookstore
August 24, 2023
On testing the limits of what independent book shops in Hong Kong are allowed to sell under the watchful eye of the government, which has been cracking down on titles deemed to be violating the national security law
UNNAMED
Image is not available

If villagers violate concession rights, they should answer to Lao authorities, not the investors. This country has laws to protect Lao people.

Unnamed Lao social commentator
August 24, 2023
On the illegal detention of 50 Lao villagers, and demand for a ransom to have them freed, by a Chinese mining company operating in Laos. The latter found the former digging for gold on their concession in the Southeast Asian landlocked country and has demanded 10-15 million kip (US$520-775) in return for their freedom.
LIU
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

This is very unfair as heterosexual couples can get visas as long as they can get by financially, but
same-sex couples cannot.

Ariel Ling-chun Liu
Taiwanese spouse of Masahiro Shibaguchi, an openly gay assemblyman from Aichi Prefecture in Japan
August 23, 2023
On the non-recognition of same-sex marriage in Japan that has made it impossible for him to obtain a spouse visa in the country, where he works and lives, and forced him and his partner to register their marriage in Taiwan, where such unions are recognized
NAGATO
Image is not available

A peaceful world can only be achieved by someone willing to change the world, that's why we are here.

Momo Nagato
16-year-old resident of Hiroshima and one of a group of high school students from Japan
August 23, 2023
Who, acting as "peace messengers" advocating for the abolition of nuclear weapons, met with Carolyne-Melanie Regimbal, Chief of Service of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, on Aug. 22 in Geneva on the occasion of U.N. conference on disarmament. They also submitted some 625,000 signatures that they had collected since 2020 similarly calling for a nuclear-free world.
LAWLOR
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

India's persistent detention of human rights defender GN Saibaba is an inhumane and senseless act.... It bears all the hallmarks of a State seeking to silence a critical voice.

Mary Lawlor
U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders
August 22, 2023
On the nearly decade-long detention of Gokarakonda Naga "GN" Saibaba, a long-standing defender of the rights of minorities in India, who has a disability due to polio
ROSE
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

It's always a risk going out in drag.... They see us as sexual deviants or sinners.

Carmen Rose
Veteran drag queen in Malaysia
August 22, 2023
On the increasing scrutiny and discrimination against LGBTQ communities in Malaysia under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's watch reputation as a progressive reformer
HRCP
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

It's unacceptable and points to a larger, more worrying pattern of state-sanctioned violence against people exercising their right to freedom of expression and assembly.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
August 21, 2023
On the arrest of prominent human rights activist Mazari-Hazir and former lawmaker Ali Wazir after joining the first of a series of protests against enforced disappearances in Pakistan organized by the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement, which fights for the rights of ethnic Pashtuns
WAI-HING
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

This isn’t about relaxation, but human rights – the right to live and the right to health.

Emily Lau Wai-hing
Former Lawmaker, Hong Kong’s Democratic Party
August 20, 2023
On her and activist Raphael Wong Ho-ming's proposal to improve ventilation and cooling arrangements, such as by providing air conditioning, in prisons amid climate-change induced rising temperatures in Hong Kong
PALMA
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

We keep on saying we have to create jobs. And here we are among the government bureaucracy itself, we have 240,000 unfilled positions.

Wilter Palma
Congressional Representative in the Philippines
August 19, 2023
On the irony of a 4.5 percent unemployment rate in the country despite the estimated 204,000 vacant permanent positions across government agencies
IDRIS
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

Freedom, independence and justice are ideals that are never attained without sacrifice. The people of East Turkistan have borne a heavy burden in pursuit of these ideals.

Abdulhakim Idris
Executive Director, Center of Uyghur Studies in Virginia, U.S.
August 19, 2023
On the continuing repression of Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities in Xinjiang, China, as well as of political activists like him who live abroad. Belated news of his father's death seven months ago is not unusual for the Uyghur diaspora.
MARCIEL
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

What on earth is the UN thinking?

Scot Marciel
Former U.S. Ambassador to Myanmar
August 18, 2023
In his post on X (formerly Twitter) reacting to this week's visit of Martin Griffiths, the U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, to Myanmar to meet with the junta in the capital Naypyidaw
SREYSRORS
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

It reflects in the current society that restrictions from the government on citizens’ freedom of speech and expression are tight, which makes freedom of speech limited, and some people no longer dare to speak.

Ly Sreysrors
Member, Young Analyst Group
August 18, 2023
On the results of a survey by Transparency International Cambodia (TI) revealing that the youth, making up 60% of the population, fear speaking out on social issues due to increased government restrictions
NUOJUN
Image is not available

My major in university is in environmental design, but with the rise of AI, I don’t have much hope in
the design industry.

Li Nuojun
18, University student in China
August 17, 2023
On the bleak job prospects faced by young people like her in the country, with youth unemployment at record high, 21%, as of June
MARSHALL
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

Bibles have been desecrated and Christians have been tortured and harassed having been falsely accused of violating the Holy Quran. We cry for justice and action from law enforcement ...

Bishop Azad Marshall
President of the Church of Pakistan
August 17, 2023
On the vandalism of multiple churches in Faisalabad, eastern Pakistan, over blasphem
allegations against Christians
HOUSEWIFE
Image is not available

Although our income has not increased, commodity prices never decline. It is not easy to get a meal if you don’t earn 10,000 kyats a day.

Unnamed housewife in Myanmar
August 16, 2023
On the soaring prices of basic commodities in Myanmar despite the recent formation of a committee tasked to combat the problem.
LIJIAN
Image is not available
KIRSTEN

They are utterly terrified of Gao Zhisheng. They're afraid that he will shine his light across the whole of China, and the Chinese Communist Party fears that more than anything.

Jie Lijian
Overseas-Based Youth Leader, China Democracy Party
August 16, 2023
On the sixth anniversary of the 6th year since the forced disappearance of human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng in Shaanxi province
in northwest China
SHENGLIANG
Image is not available

It proves that he [Xi Jinping] is firmly in control, a manifestation of arrogant power. He's not even willing to stage-manage [relief and rescue efforts].

Lin Shengliang