What They're Saying

Diverse voices from the frontlines on the state of democracy and human rights in Asia

Let us pray for a ceasefire on all war fronts, in Ukraine, the Holy Land, in all the Middle East and the entire world, at Christmas...May the weapons be silenced and Christmas carols resound!

Pope Francis
Head of the Roman Catholic Church
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The people of India view with increasing alarm and concern the deteriorating situation in Bangladesh. The worst brunt of the chaotic situation prevailing in Bangladesh is being borne by the 15 million strong minority communities.

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The elimination of plastic straws played a major role in raising consumer awareness. However, more comprehensive measures are necessary.

Yukihiro Misawa
Circular Economy and Plastics Policy Manager, WWF Japan
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It has been over 10 years, and it would be unfair to expect a concrete commitment. However, under the terms and conditions, any discovery must be credible.

Anthony Loke
Transport Minister, Malaysia
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It is an issue that Japan should tackle as a whole.

Yoshimasa Hayashi
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary
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The primary yearlong air pollutant is automobile exhausts, and we know this because the petrol available in Pakistan is some of the dirtiest in the world.

Ahmad Rafay Alam
Pakistani environmental lawyer and activist
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The judicial and police ecosystem is not humane to men. It does not recognise men’s vulnerabilities.

Anil Kumar
Co-founder, Save Indian Family, a men's rights activists group
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They rejoice when it rains because there is no water connection. Also, they have no proper comfort rooms. Imagine, they endured that in 7 years.

Irene Jan Udtohan, Hirang ng Hiraya, a youth-led environmental group
Hirang ng Hiraya, a youth-led environmental group
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Democracy in Indonesia is a project that is not yet completely done.

Pusat Riset dan Advokasi Serikat Jesus (Jesuit Centre of Research and Advocacy or PRAKSIS)
a recently established research and advocacy center by Jesuits in Indonesia
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Democracies around the world are increasingly under attack from autocratic forces seeking to rule by fiat. The events that unfolded in South Korea...show that checks and balances in a democratic system are crucial to help stop abuses of power.

Hye Jung Han and John Sifton
Researchers and Advocates, Human Rights Watch
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I think Japan has to change... We are proud (in Japan) of our backgrounds. But I think flexibility and having people from overseas would be very critical for Japan.

Lekh Juneja
Chief Executive Officer, Kameda Seika, a Japanese rice cracker company
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The hearings have really been a watershed moment for human rights, climate justice and accountability, even before a decision is out.

Nikki Reisch
Climate Policy Director, Center for International Environmental Law
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Women appear to be voting more than men, and they are voting as a bloc. They have become a bigger issue in Indian politics than religion and caste.

Yashwant Deshmukh
Founder, C-Voter
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I want to use less plastic so if I have the choice, I opt for the simplest packaging to reduce waste.

Jian Ai
Website designer
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They destroyed everything – everything I had worked for. It was as if we were nothing – our lives didn’t matter.

Krishna Das
Resident of Sunamganj, a northeastern district of Bangladesh
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In the past, protest songs focused on the lyrics and the message within them. However, even if K-pop’s lyrics are unrelated to a protest’s cause, the music serves as a powerful tool to unite participants and heighten the atmosphere.

Lim Hee-yoon
Music critic
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I am infinitely saddened and angered that the nuclear taboo threatens to be broken.

Terumi Tanaka
92-year-old Japanese atomic bomb survivor
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The killing of senior environmental journalist Chhoeung Chheung cannot be met with indifference from authorities. Now more than ever, environmental journalists play a crucial role in fighting against the devastation facing our planet...

Anthony Bellanger
General Secretary, International Federation of Journalists
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Our clients are losing their land, livelihoods, and even lives to these predatory microfinance lenders – they desperately need relief, and the international investors who continue to profit from these predatory loans need to start providing it.

Naly Pilorge
Outreach Director, Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights,
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Some people lost their whole family in Hiroshima or Nagasaki, and even though they stayed with relatives, they were stripped of what they used to own and were bullied.

Reiko Yamada
90-year-old atomic bomb survivor in Japan,
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Like Islam, Hinduism is also a religion that promotes secularism, love and compassion. So, let's not deliberately distort it.

Iltija Mufti, Leader
Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party
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Giving birth is not the issue; the issue is raising the child and having to deal with education pressures.

Jacqueline Zhou
a 37-year-old visual merchandiser from Inner Mongolia who lives in Beijing
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With the impeachment vote set for tomorrow, the hours leading up to it are extremely precarious.

Lee Jae-Myung
South Korea's opposition leader
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I was shattered when it came into my knowledge. // It was very difficult. I was depressed. My daughter, she hugged me and said: ‘Mama, you have to fight it out’.

Ms. Azma Bukhari
Pakistan politician
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The European Union expresses its strong concerns over this decision and its far-reaching implication, including the deepening of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and the exacerbation of the suffering of its people.

The European Union
In a statement on Dec. 4 denouncing the Taliban for banning women and girls in Afghanistan from training as midwives and nurses
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States have obligations ... to act with due diligence, to prevent significant harm to the environment, to prevent, to reduce the emissions and provide support to countries like mine to protect the human rights of present and future generations.

Arnold Kiel Loughman
Attorney General, Vanuatu
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The growing number of young people taking a break threatens to undermine the future labor supply, underscoring the need for targeted policy measures to reintegrate them into the labor market.

Bank of Korea
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Ruth Pollard, Journalist working on South and South East Asia, Bloomberg, In an opinion piece on the political feud between President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte, who are both members of influential political dynasties

Ruth Pollard
Journalist working on South and South East Asia, Bloomberg
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The existential challenges of climate change, artificial intelligence and falling fertility rates — and their disparate effects — demand attention to rural wellbeing in India and a smoother path to development in the coming decades.

Lex Rieffel
Founder, From the Bridge Foundation and former economist, US Treasury Department
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What is supposed to be an effort to protect public health has instead led to a legacy of violence, disease, massive incarceration, suffering, and abuse.

Rachel Chhoa-Howard
Researcher on Southeast Asia, Amnesty International
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The decision to stop the use of polythene bags is the right step. But it would be tough to stop it without giving the people effective alternatives, no matter how much pressure is exerted.

Dr. Lelin Chowdhury
Executive President, Poribesh Bachao Andolan
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They are working under the severe pressure of censorship and restrictions.

Freshta Hemmati
Chief Executive Officer, Afghanistan Journalists Support Organization
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The day after the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, RSF condemns the violent cyberharassment of Rana Ayyub. The Indian journalist has become a symbol of online attacks on the independent press and women journalists.

Célia Mercier
Head, Reporters Without Borders South Asia Desk
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These laws threaten to turn the country into a surveillance state, where privacy is eroded, and expression is stifled under the guise of online safety, security and public order.

Nalini Elumalai
Senior Malaysia Program Officer
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(Our efforts) should not end up with 'congratulations' for the award, which also signifies alarm over heightening threats posed by nuclear weapons.

Yu Sato
Hitotsubashi University graduate student who started online events for listening to the experiences of "hibakusha" atomic bomb survivors
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This conference is about far more than drafting an international treaty. It is about humanity rising to meet an existential challenge.

Luis Vayas Valdivieso
Ambassador of Ecuador to the United Kingdom and Chairperson
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This situation is not just about bureaucratic failure or political incompetence. It is about the lives of people — mostly young Sri Lankans — who have been promised a future that was, in reality, built on lies.

Sri Lanka Guardian
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The issuance of these writs by the Supreme Court marks a crucial step in the legal battle to uncover the truth, secure justice, and ultimately surface (Dexter) Capuyan and (Gene Roz) De Jesus.

Capuyan and De Jesus families
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We will never give up.

Takuya Yokota
Head of the group of families of North Korean abductees
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They know that Myanmar’s behaviour was not in keeping with (ASEAN) leaders’ decision that Myanmar shouldn’t obstruct ASEAN's progress and desire to move forward.

Ng Eng Hen
Singapore Defence Minister
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My father is a strong person, but the Hong Kong government has spent four years trying to break him. I don’t think they can break his spirit but with his treatment they are in the process of breaking his body.

Sebastien Lai
Son of Hong Kong pro-democracy media icon Jimmy Lai
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Online gambling is a social disaster, a disease that damages the community's welfare.

Muhaimin Iskandar
Coordinating Minister for People's Empowerment, Indonesia
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Japan must not cooperate with China's genocidal regime, which continues its ongoing Uyghur Genocide in occupied East Turkistan. Cooperation with China betrays humanity and justice, as well as Japan's own security.

Salih Hudayar
Uyghur-American politician and Founder, East Turkistan National Awakening Movement
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Mary Jane (Veloso) and her family have been fighting to hold her traffickers accountable in court for the last nine years and they deserve full justice.

Migrante International
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Anti-Ainu discrimination violates the law.

Anti-Hate Speech Protesters in Sapporo
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Until you get rid of polio completely, it will resurge and come back, and this is what we are seeing now in Pakistan [where] nearly half of the districts are infected, and in Afghanistan, a third of the provinces are infected.

Hamid Jafari
Eastern Mediterranean Director, World Health Organization
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From the devastation of 'Yolanda' to 'Odette' and now 'Kristine', the country is an alarming reminder for developed countries to adhere to their historical responsibility and provide higher climate finance.

Ian Rivera
National Coordinator, Philippine Movement for Climate Justice
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It is incredibly difficult, especially for families with children. Schools have been shut now for weeks, and what was traditionally one of the better seasons in Lahore has become the worst time to live in the city.

Shoaib Naveed
Lahore resident
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The result of all these tactics is self-censorship, and Tibetans not contacting their families abroad.

John Jones
Head of Campaigns for Policy and Research, Free Tibet
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At last, our voices are heard, though it is quite late. But I believe justice will be done.

Thomas Ignatius
Archbishop, Macwan of Gandhinagar
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The Journalists Association reaffirms its position of fully safeguarding journalists’ reporting rights and independent space.

Association of Taiwan Journalists
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Where anti-terror legislation can be manipulated to target journalists, activists, unionists, or other human rights defenders, democracy remains under threat.

International Federation of Journalists
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The judgement condemning unlawful demolitions as ‘unacceptable’ from the Supreme Court of India is a late but welcome move in upholding the rights of the people.

Aakar Patel
Chair, Amnesty International India
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It’s another SOS for the planet… every fraction of a degree of warming matters, and increases climate extremes, impacts and risks.

Celeste Saulo
Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organization
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The situation in Burma continues to deteriorate as the military junta loses control while ethnic armed organizations are consolidating territory and establishing parallel government structures. These escalating conflicts negatively affect conditions for freedom of religion or belief.

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
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Caregivers often don’t identify themselves as a caregiver but as a child or spouse. Yet the burden (of caregiving) is on them and they also need support.

Joe Tan
Integrated Case Management Head, Care Corner Seniors Services (Singapore)
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We must be cautious. Though the autocrats are gone, ill forces are still active. We cannot afford for the interim government to fail.

Tarique Rahman
Exiled Vice-Chairman, Bangladesh Nationalist Party
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Without combating climate change at a meaningful scale, today’s challenges will only worsen tomorrow.

Sunita Narain
Director General, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)
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Filipino journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio, who reported on abuses committed by the military, is obviously targeted by a strategy that seeks to deter all Filipino journalists from investigating taboo topics.

Cédric Alviani
Asia-Pacific Bureau Director, Reporters Without Borders
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The only way to increase our recycling rates is by increasing segregation at (the) source so that material can be collected in a segregated manner and can reach the right processing facility, rather than reaching our landfills and oceans.

Rahul Nainani
Co-founder, ReCircle, a Mumbai-based waste management firm
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Farmers need a comprehensive system that shares details about accidents and lessons for operators.

Takahiro Tamura
Agronomics professor, Utsunomiya University’s School of Agriculture
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By systematically destroying symbols of faith and turning entire villages into ashes, the junta is erasing the security and dignity of communities.

Kyaw Win
Executive Director, Burma Human Rights Network
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[The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan] recognizes the urgent need to address the country’s deteriorating security and law and order. Preventive detention is not, however, the solution as such powers are liable to be abused.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
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The floods have destroyed hundreds of acres of agricultural land and our homes. I ask the government to help us.

Farid
Flood victim in Kunar province, Afghanistan
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There are various and complex factors behind suicides, but it is believed that the high prices have impacted their numbers.

Unnamed official
Ministry of Health, Japan
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Justice has eluded many victims as the Philippine government encouraged a regime of impunity for close to two decades now.

Renato Reyes
President, BAYAN (New Patriotic Alliance), an alliance of left-wing organizations in the Philippines
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There is absolutely no free and safe environment for journalists to work in and we are currently witnessing the bloodiest period in the history of journalism due to the conflict in Gaza and neighbouring countries

Dominique Pradalié
President, International Federation of Journalists
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Tens of thousands of people have been abandoned by the Sindh government and the international community after being devastated again by major floods.

Scott Edwards
Crisis Response Programme Director, Amnesty International
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Year on year, the deaths directly associated with climate change are increasing.

Marina Belen Romanello
Executive Director, Lancet Countdown
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I urge all regional organisations with vague and overbroad definitions and offences of terrorism and violent extremism to review and amend them. Such laws infringe the principle of legal certainty....

Ben Saul
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedom, United Nations
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We are not prepared to adapt to these changes, and it is costing us our livelihoods.

Martha Huynh Mau Phuong
Fish farmer in Vietnam
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This decision marks a critical step towards marriage equality in Japan and offers renewed hope to same-sex couples across the country.

Boram Jang
Researcher, Amnesty International East Asia
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They closed the gates without consulting us. People on both sides will suffer from these disruptions.

Colonel Naw Bu
Spokesperson, Kachin Independence Army
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An anxious government ... rushed through changes to the Constitution in the name of ‘parliamentary supremacy’... [eroding] the independence of the judiciary and made it subservient to the executive. The constitutional principle of the separation of powers was seriously undermined.

Maleeha Lodhi
Former ambassador to the US, UK and UN
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Current national climate plans fall miles short of what's needed to stop global heating from crippling every economy and wrecking billions of lives and livelihoods across every country.

Simon Stiell
Secretary General, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
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There’s a need to address cyberbullying at its roots by implementing educational programmes in schools and sports arenas.... We hope the legal changes will be passed in the current parliamentary session.

Fahmi Fadzil
Malay Communications Minister and Unity Government Spokesperson
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The government spends over 2 trillion won each year to create a million jobs for senior citizens, many of which are insignificant part-time jobs made for the sake of creating jobs

The Chosun Daily
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(We) will not yield an inch of ground in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu to firmly defend our homeland.

Lai Ching-te
President of Taiwan
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The sharp rise in operational costs could push struggling SMEs into insolvency, leading to business closures and job losses.

Chin Chee Seong
President, Small and Medium Enterprises Association in Malaysia
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The Japanese government is ... monitoring the deployment of soldiers by North Korea to Russia with serious concern, including the possibility that they may join in Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

Yoshimasa Hayashi
Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan
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The biggest drawback of having a low number of female legislators is that it doesn't change the traditional perceptions, such as that women are not suited to politics

Karen Makishima
Lone female candidate for the Liberal Democratic Party for a 20-seat prefecture in Japan
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The persecution of Dang Thi Hue is a stark reminder of the risks faced by those in Vietnam who dare to speak out and challenge the government’s authoritarian rule.

Anh-Thu Vo
Research and Advocacy Manager, PEN America
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All combatants in Myanmar’s civil war have a responsibility to protect, and not target, journalists.

Shawn Crispin
Senior Southeast Asia Representative, Committee to Protect Journalists
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Sheikh Hasina and others with command responsibility should be investigated, tried, and, if found responsible, held accountable for the widespread abuses committed during the protests in July and August.

Julia Bleckner
Senior Asia Researcher, Human Rights Watch
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How can there be talks? You kill our innocent people and then you call for talks. First, stop the killings.

Farooq Abdullah
President, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference,
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Elimination of trachoma as a public health problem in Việt Nam is a monumental achievement for the country... This milestone is a testament to the unwavering dedication of Việt Nam’s health workers, including many working at community level.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Director-General, World Health Organizations
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Belanjawan 2025 (2025 Budget) is definitely a step in the right direction. But to truly unlock the potential of Malaysia’s youth... We need to address the deeper issues of political engagement, financial literacy, and giving youth a real voice in local and national governance.

Mastura M. Rashid
Human rights advocate and co-founder, Nasi Lemak Project, a social enterprise and youth movement on poverty alleviation in Malaysia
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The majority of doctoral students in Japan are not receiving financial support. This should be addressed swiftly, such as by providing adequate and comprehensive economic treatment.

Unnamed representative
Mitsubishi Research Institute, a Japanese think tank
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Conflicts have intensified and multiplied in recent years, reaching new highs in casualties, displacing record millions of people, and causing widespread disruption to lives and livelihoods

Achim Steiner
Administrator, U.N. Development Programme
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[I]f we strike down the exception … will we be creating a new offence? Does the court have the power independently to test the validity of the exception?

Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud
Chief Justice of India
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[In Japan], political parties are male-oriented and not open-minded, so it's difficult to find female candidates.

Momoko Nojo
Head, No Youth No Japan
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Red-tagging intensified under the administration of President Marcos Jr ... despite his administration’s attempts to present itself as more respectful of human rights.

Damini Satija
Director, Amnesty Tech
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Pakistan’s review [by the U.N. Human Rights Committee] comes at a crucial time for the country, as human rights violations and abuses remain rampant.

Babu Ram Pant
Deputy Regional Director for South Asia, Amnesty International
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The initial lay-offs have begun, and while severance pay is based on years of service, it is not being disbursed in one lump sum.

Unnamed employee
Forever Group, a pro-junta broadcasting company in Myanmar
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Any drills without prior warning will cause great disturbance to peace and stability in the entire region.

Cho Jung-tai
Taiwan Premier
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Journalists in Afghanistan continue to face arbitrary and opaque arrests amid an ever shrinking legal environment.

International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
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None of the workers can make a living. Some can't afford a meal, and others can't pay their rent and are being evicted.

Chan (full name not given)
Project subcontractor at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
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What colonel Garma said tied (the two elements of the crimes against humanity). He (Duterte) did not just order the killings, he ordered the initiation (of the drug war) ... Secondly, he funded it.

Neri Colmenares
National Union of People’s Lawyers adviser and former Bayan Muna Representative in the Philippine Congress
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We desperately need a workplace culture where people can use childcare leave without worrying about what others think, and support for self-employed people who do not have childcare leave and cannot take time off from work,

Lee Yeong-mi
South Korean mother and recipient of the Civil Merit Medal
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(I)t's not just the forced labor. [In] this region are ongoing crimes against humanity, and [Skechers’] decision is to open a shop and make money. That's very distasteful.

Henryk Szadziewski
Research Director, Uyghur Human Rights Project
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Despite the heavy presence of military and civilian armed forces, law and order has deteriorated to the point that Kurram's residents live in a constant climate of fear.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
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After the pandemic, parents felt the need to help students … but instead they were [focused on] boosting [pupil’s] academic results. It is common that parents value results, but I would say it creates a toxic environment.

Ho Lok-sang
Professor, Lingnan University, Hong Kong
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Now all the women in Byine Phyu [village in Rakhine State's Sittwe Township in Myanmar] are crying. We don’t know if we will ever see our loved ones again, dead or alive

An unnamed woman in Myanmar
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Unfortunately, there has been no political progress, and in fact, the fighting in Myanmar has worsened. We have to be realistic about what ASEAN can do and, at the same time, patient and steadfast in pursuing efforts towards peaceful resolution.

Lawrence Wong
Singapore Prime Minister
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I never thought I would be treated this way just for not wearing a scarf, that too while sitting in my own car. I felt like the spit had landed directly on my face

Aparajita Sangita
Young filmaker and women's rights advocate in Bangladesh
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If my son is alive, whenever Israel can get the hostages released, I want (him) to come home quickly to (his) hometown

Wilas Tanna
Father of Pongsak
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It is a human rights abuse that should not be allowed in democracies. Joining hands with a dictatorship is against international law.

Ahmad Jamal
Chairperson, Refugee Coordinating Committee in Malaysia, Cambodia National Rescue Party
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Oct. 1 is the day when the Chinese communists invaded our homeland East Turkestan. While they celebrate this as a national holiday ... [f]or Uyghurs, it is a day of mourning.

Qelbinur Sidiq
Former teacher at a Uyghur concentration camp in China
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The arrest of Dara is a clear attempt to intimidate and silence him and other journalists in a country where press freedoms are routinely curtailed.

Local NGOs and rights groups in Cambodia
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Many Asian countries glorify overwork, leading to unrealistic expectations – often at the cost of an employee’s mental and physical health.

Kamala Thiagarajan
Journalist based in Madurai, southern India
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He couldn’t find a job and unable to bear the loss, he took the extreme step.

Jayanti Tank
Father of Nikunj Tank, A diamond worker in Surat in western India, dubbed the world's diamond polishing capital
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Women have suffered enough and now that they have these environments that let them speak out, they are finally coming out of the shadows.

Hoa (not her real name)
Worker at a women’s shelter in southern Vietnam
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We will use reparations and reconciliation to heal the wounds and scars of the conflict period.

KP Sharma Oli
Prime minister, Nepal
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My concern is that sea sand mining could cause damage [to the marine ecosystem]. If the sea is destroyed, where else can we get fish? Fishermen here cannot carry out activities other than fishing.

Tri Ismuyati
Resident, Banuharjo village on Java’s northern coast, Indonesia
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Picking ears of corn used to be no big deal. In fact, it was common to see groups of people going into cornfields after the harvest to pick up ears that the harvesters had missed.

Unnamed
North Korean, North Hamgyong province, North Korea
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The [hospital] committees that do exist often include the same doctors who harass us, or their friends. So why would anyone file a complaint and make their life even more difficult?

Unnamed
female doctor at a government hospital in Punjab, Pakistan
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In addition to the criminalization of speech, the authorities are also targeting foreign funding of academic research, so they haven't emptied the glass yet.

Lokman Tsui
Research fellow, Citizen Lab, University of Toronto and former journalism professor, Chinese University of Hong Kong
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I’ve heard another commission has been formed yet again for the rehabilitation of the displaced families. Our plight hasn’t changed a bit, despite the formation of several commissions and committees.

Hira Singh Bhandari
Committee coordinator for displaced families in Kanchanpur district, Nepal
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Imposing a death sentence, or even a period of detention, on the basis of proceedings that do not satisfy the basic requirements of a fair trial may constitute one or more crimes against humanity or war crimes.

Nicholas Koumjian
Head, Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, U.N. Human Rights Council
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The rice prices are so high that people are buying only what they need in smaller quantities.

Dhurba Prasad Adhikari
Joint treasurer, Nepal Retailers Association
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This is heavy rain in the region that suffered massive damage by the Noto Peninsula earthquake. There must be many people who are very worried.

Yoshimasa Hayashi
Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan
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We broke the tourism paradigm that only able-bodied people can do this job.

Warren Sheldon Humphries
Tour guide for Enabling Village and Sentosa, Tribe Tours
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When will Taiwan finally abolish the death penalty? The road ahead will be even more difficult.

Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty
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Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is going down the same destructive path of perpetrating despicable human rights violations, especially extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and indiscriminate bombings and food and economic blockades in rural communities.

Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law (CARMMA)
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This pattern of violence in cases of blasphemy, in which law enforcement personnel are allegedly involved, is an alarming trend.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)
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The military council is deliberately preventing rescue teams from reaching flood-prone areas. They don’t see these residents as citizens but as rebels.

Unnamed
Member of the revolutionary forces in Myanmar
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(T)he government upholds the principle of treating same-sex marriage and heterosexual marriage equally.

Liang Wen-chieh
Spokesperson, Mainland Affairs Council, Taiwan
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The deep cultural significance of LGBTQ+ inclusion in the family domain could help to catalyze LGBTQ+ inclusion in Thailand across other key aspects of life.

Peter A Newman and Holning Lau
Professor, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto and lead researcher, MFARR-Asia; and Willie Person Mangum Distinguished Professor of Law, University of North Carolina School of Law
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With [the impact of] climate change, many small farmers can no longer afford to keep livestock.

Namrata Ginoya
Senior manager, Resilience and Energy programme, World Resources Institute India
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If you can come early, you will get your quota early. If you are late, you might end up with nothing … and have to start all over again the next day.

Daw Htoo
Resident of Yangon, capital of Myanmar
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We can work together with people who are like us Tibetans — oppressed by the current communist regime of the PRC — be it the Uyghurs, the Taiwanese or Hong Kongers.

Tenzing Dhamdul, 28
Tibetan who grew up in India and research associate, Foundation for Non-violent Alternatives
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[T]he fact that 11 journalists, including a YouTuber, were killed this year so far ... has a chilling effect on independent media.

Iqbal Khattak
Executive director, Freedom Network, Islamabad-based nonprofit advocating press freedoms
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Even after the oil pollution is cleaned up ... the people of the Philippines will be dealing with the impacts of this devastation long after the headlines fade.

Gloria Estenzo Ramos
Vice president, Oceana Philippines
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Are you asking me, when I’m 60, to compete with young people for jobs?

Unnamed Weibo user
China's social media platform
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Today in India the misconceptions against Muslims and Christians abound and form the base of violence. The misconceptions are becoming stronger ... and have become a part of ‘social common sense’.

Ram Puniyani
Chairman, Centre for Study of Society and Secularism, Mumbai, India
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Human smuggling via Kanchanaburi province has doubled since the Myanmar junta staged the coup, and the conscription law announced this year fanned the flames yet again.

Kwanchai Teerasilp
Volunteer, Kanchanaburi Rescue Foundation, Thailand
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[I do this] for freedom, in the sincere hope that the next time we meet, we can meet again in a free and democratic Hong Kong.

Carmen Lau
U.K.-based project officer, Hong Kong Democracy Council and former pro-democracy District Councilor in Hong Kong
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If they (Samsung) had given us a living wage and treated us with respect, we wouldn't have thought of joining a union.

Unnamed
Worker and union member, Samsung Electronics
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Every ethnic group has its own local knowledge (that can be tapped upon). This is key to preventing food insecurity.

Dr. Vita Purnamasari
Food biochemistry lecturer, Cendrawasih University, Papua
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The parents of the 5-year-old who died were too busy making a living to properly check on their child’s health.

Unnamed North Korean
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We’re dealing not only with rotating machinery but with environmental problems like dust, hot steam and working at heights, which often causes accidents. Production is prioritized over safety.

Muhammad Taufik
Union member, Serikat Buruh Industri Pertambangan (Mining Industry Workers Union) and worker, Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park
EXPLORE

These measures are not just an alarming sign about the continuing loss of Hong Kong's autonomy, but also a clear violation of international human rights standards.

Tenzyn Zöchbauer
Chairperson, Tibet Initiative Deutschland
EXPLORE

We, as a [LGBTQIA+] community, are pleased with the government’s temporary registration process. Yet it falls short of offering full marriage rights...

Manisha Dhakal
Executive director, Blue Diamond Society and advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights in South Asia
EXPLORE

The lives of those families are uncertain at the moment, they don’t know where to go as they are still there waiting for compensation.

Pedrito Vieira
Coordinator, Rede ba Rai (Land Network), a coalition of NGOs advocating land rights
EXPLORE

I am happy for myself. I am safe. I have freedom. I am free. But at the same time, my friends in Afghanistan can’t do anything.

Mah (known only by her first name), 22
Afghan woman who fled Afghanistan in August 2021
EXPLORE

I have been trying to apply for factory work again but they told me I’m too old. Everyone is looking for youths who are fresh out of high school who they can pay for cheap.

Muhammad Yudhi, 33
Indonesian motorcycle taxi driver who was laid off from a Jakarta textile factory in 2020
EXPLORE

If you'd told me ten years ago that it would be possible to be out and in Indian politics, I would have scoffed in disbelief.

Anish Gawande
Spokesperson, Nationalist Congress Party, India
EXPLORE

The government and [Yang's] family reject this ruling. The government expresses its strong condemnation and demands that the verdict and the evidence on which it was based be made public.

Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑)
Deputy head and spokesperson, Mainland Affairs Council, Republic of China (Taiwan)
EXPLORE

[W]omen are ignored everywhere, as second-class beings, and if we are not even ethnic Afghans, then we go down to the third level and even lower.

Djemal, 26
Ethnic Turkmen woman living in Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh province, northern region of Afghanistan
EXPLORE

[W]e also want to observe what a democratic country with rule of law is like. We’re studying Japan. How does its economy work, its government work?

Li Jinxing
Japan-based Christian human rights lawyer
EXPLORE

Few victims speak out against agents due to community ties and their influential power.

Amrita Choudhari
Head, Disha Shekhawati, a nongovernmental organization supporting prospective migrants in Ladnun and Sujangarh in Rajasthan, India
EXPLORE

While we acknowledged the possibility of negative feedback, we were more focused on the positive impact that this decision could have on the trans community and is in line with the Miss Universe directive to ensure a pageant that is diverse and prioritizes inclusivity.

Elaine Daly
National director, Miss Universe 2024
EXPLORE

I think she has been very persistent with her own ... her own stance. I hope she can continue ... to stay very strong.

Anthony Wong, 62
Singer and LGBTQ-rights advocate
EXPLORE

I don’t think he has the liberty to say that he doesn’t understand [the issue of same-sex marriage] or have much knowledge on an issue because he is not an ordinary citizen. He is the country’s prime minister!

Pinky Gurung
President, Blue Diamond Society (BDS), Nepal’s pioneering queer rights group
EXPLORE

If we have indeed entered ‘garbage time’, then I think young people could accumulate skills or do something creative, such as selling things via social media or making handicrafts.

He Ajun
Guangzhou-based vlogger, 32, offering career advice
EXPLORE

[T]here is a tendency to normalize and see bullying as being natural because of the high amounts of pressure and demands of specialized medical education … but this shouldn’t be normalized or tolerated.

Diah Satyani Saminarsih
Founder and chief executive, Centre for Indonesia’s Strategic Development Initiatives
EXPLORE

I was very happy when the report was out. But now I feel like, yes, you released a report, but so what? My life has not gotten any better. On the contrary, it's been worse.

Yalkun Uluyol, 30
Istanbul-based Uyghur researcher whose father disappeared in 2018 and was said to be sentenced to 16 years in a Xinjiang prison
EXPLORE

So many families are suffering because the heads of their families have disappeared. Let us lend not only our voices but our hearts and souls to them so they would have the courage.

Edita Burgos
Mother of the abducted Jonas Burgos, who has been missing for 17 years
EXPLORE

There has not been a single meeting to decide cases since the start of the current fiscal year. Not all commissioners are interested in studying cases because it is a tedious process. They prefer other tasks.

Unnamed official
National Human Rights Commission, Nepal
EXPLORE

On rainy days, locals will say, ‘We have a lot of tap water in our house today. But when they say ‘tap water,’ they’re referring to rainwater that fell from the sky.

Unnamed North Korean
EXPLORE

[A]ny line of questioning which invites the implication that the victim had encouraged unwanted attention because she was dressed provocatively must be rejected.

Justice Vincent Hoong
Singapore High court judge
EXPLORE

Where should we go if we left? Our lives are here.

Unnamed tenant
In a building listed as "dangerous" in the suburb of Ghatkopar, eastern Mumbai, India
EXPLORE

There are a lot of sensitive issues in China, including the image of the country and its leaders, which they don't want brought up. For example, the Tiananmen massacre, Winnie the Pooh, and even egg fried rice.

Mr. A (not his real name)
a Taiwanese gamer who works for a well-known gaming company
EXPLORE

These types of extreme court rulings aim to instill fear among all reporters and will have a chilling effect across Myanmar’s independent media.

Shawn Crispin
Senior Southeast Asia representative, Committee to Protect Journalists
EXPLORE

[The morality law] extends the already intolerable restrictions on the rights of Afghan women and girls, with even the sound of a female voice outside the home apparently deemed a moral violation.

Roza Otunbayeva
Head, U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)
EXPLORE

[E]veryone should have and deserve a free, equal and inclusive society, and a democratic system that effectively safeguards human rights, the rule of law and justice.

Ng kin-wai, 28
The first Hong Kong activist to defend himself in person in a landmark national security trial against 47 pro-democracy campaigners who were charged with "conspiracy to commit subversion to subvert the state power"
EXPLORE

The big companies have come here and built the windmills, but they're useless to us.

Nena Ram, 65
Livestock herder in Jaisalmer, in India's desert state of Rajasthan
EXPLORE

The detention of my brother is an abuse of his human rights and a breach of Cambodia’s constitution.

Vanna Hay
Japan-based Cambodian political activist
EXPLORE

The national security law and Article 23 have created an atmosphere of uncertainty and self-censorship among many reporters and media companies.

Johan Nylander
Swedish journalist in Hong Kong
EXPLORE

The committee highlighted reports of harassment, forced evictions and the detention of 28,500 Afghans from September to December 2023, which have driven many to return to Afghanistan out of fear.

Michal Balcerzak
Chairperson, U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
EXPLORE

Even though times have changed, many LGBTQIA+ members still face abandonment from their families. Many still don’t have their families at their funerals.

Pinky Gurung
President, Blue Diamond Society
EXPLORE

The accident occurred as the company pushed ahead without taking measures despite problems in various steps in the production process.

Kim Jong-min
Police official, South Korea
EXPLORE

The poverty levels are on a scale I’ve never seen in any other country, and I’ve travelled a lot. It’s really sad that this country is where it is today and that nobody really cares about what’s happening to it.

Ibrahim Nash’at
Egyptian journalist and film-maker based in Germany
EXPLORE

Hanoi has imprisoned six leaders of the climate movement and has effectively criminalized energy policy activism.

Project88
EXPLORE

For many Chinese college graduates, better job prospects, upward social mobility, a sunnier life outlook - all things once promised by a college degree - have increasingly become elusive.

Yun Zhou
Assistant professor of sociology, University of Michigan
EXPLORE

For a transitional justice process to accomplish its aims, all of the five essential pillars of this process—truth, justice, reparation, memorialisation, and guarantees of non-recurrence—must be pursued.

Mandira Sharma
Senior international legal adviser, International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)
EXPLORE

When you get close to the end, by starting to close the door when the game is getting tougher, it could be a way to try to avoid that accountability that civil society groups bring to the table.

Vito Buonsante
Policy advisor, International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN)
EXPLORE

I heard they were collecting money for people. Starting from 2000, they had been a key family to be under watch.

Unnamed security guard
Kashgar Prison, in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China
EXPLORE

The lender neither returned the land nor did the police file a case. I have all the necessary documents proving my purchase of the land.

Satyaranayan Prasad Yadav
Loan shark victim in Kathmandu, Nepal
EXPLORE

And when we talk about interpretation, it always means that if you are the target of the elite or the establishment then they could find anything to [rule] against you.

Titipol Phakdeewanich
Political scientist, Ubon Ratchathani University, Thailand
EXPLORE

As a woman, it boils my blood. The culprits of this crime should be found immediately … and our workplaces should be made safer.

Richa Garg
Doctor in India
EXPLORE

They were being taken like cattle on a truck to a military base. We didn’t have enough money for his release, so we asked my sister to borrow money from others.

Mother-in-law of a 24-year-old undocumented migrant worker in Thailand
who was deported on Aug. 7 to Kawthoung, a bordertown in southern Myanmar
EXPLORE

Over the past six months, a lot of movies and events, not just in Hong Kong but internationally have been canceled suddenly after getting phone calls from the Hong Kong authorities.... I am very worried and pessimistic about the future of the film industry in Hong Kong.

Kiwi Chow
Film director, Hong Kong
EXPLORE

The road is in dilapidated condition, and landslides frequently block it. In the rainy season, it is always uncertain when we will reach our destination.

Bhakta Rawat
Driver who regularly plies on Karnali Highway in Nepal
EXPLORE

Climate change affects everyone. But the impact is not equal because some people, due to their living conditions and physical conditions, are affected more than others.

Eva Yeung
Red Cross Hong Kong
EXPLORE

We certainly regret this action because in addition to not respecting human rights, it has also insulted the Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia itself.

Anwar Abbas
Deputy chairman, Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI)
EXPLORE

Pedestrian working conditions, inhuman workloads and violence in the workplace are the reality.

Indian Medical Association (IMA)
EXPLORE

The international community’s response to North Korean human rights abuses could be characterized as a state of inaction.

Dr. Nina Seungju Lee
Profiler, Transitional Justice Working Group, a non-governmental organization in Seoul, South Korea
EXPLORE

The closure of the bridge, which we rely on for the flow of goods, has made things more difficult. We are currently facing a crisis.

Spokesperson
Regional Defense Force-Hualngoram, one of the Chin resistance organizations handling the joint administration of Rikhawdar in Chin state on the Myanmar-India border
EXPLORE

We're working in hiding, and we don't know for how much longer.

Nikki (not her real name)
Afghan beautician
EXPLORE

We are worried that the floating solar farms will further shrink our fishing grounds that have already been reduced by past development projects.

Ronnel Arambulo
Vice chairperson, National Federation of Small Fisherfolk Organizations in the Philippines (Pamalakaya)
EXPLORE

With admirable focus and discipline, she has overcome misinformation and cyberbullying, turning adversity into victory.

Lai Ching-te
President, Taiwan
EXPLORE

The proposed changes could lead to the loss of waqf properties as the bureaucrats would decide the matters ... and not in accordance with the law.

Wajeef Shafiq
Former counsel, Delhi Waqf Board, India
EXPLORE

I feel very relieved after the court ruling, knowing that if my son ever gets a partner and gets married, he will not be excluded from medical services.

Madam Vivian Kang, 56
Member, Parents, Families and Friends of LGBTQ+ People in Korea (PFLAG Korea)
EXPLORE

Afghan daily laborer in Iran

Shah Mahmood
Harassment, detention and deportation of Afghan refugees increased in the past three years. It is becoming difficult for Afghans to live in Iran, but we are desperate, and there is nothing if we return to Afghanistan.
EXPLORE

The reality is that Min Aung Hlaing lacks the capacity and influence to organize even a sham election, much less anything remotely close to a free and fair election.

Jason Tower
Country director for the Burma program, U.S. Institute of Peace
EXPLORE

People were tasked with 200 to 300 kilograms ... of grass compost in early spring ..., but to fertilize the land for double cropping, you need to increase the fertilizer a lot, so they tasked laborers again with grass compost, increasing the task to 500 kilograms (1,102 pounds)

Unnamed resident
North Hamgyong Province, North Korea
EXPLORE

Tax policy and tax administration reforms require a gender lens to reduce the cost of doing business for women.

Dr. Vaqar Ahmed
Joint Executive Director, The Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) and co-author, "Empowering Women in Trade— a South Asian Perspective," which is published by SDPI
EXPLORE

As long as nuclear weapons exist, they will surely be used again someday.

Hidehiko Yuzaki
Governor, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan
EXPLORE

We can’t hear any shooting and the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) have been securing the area ... The only thing people are worried about is airstrikes. Everyone is afraid, the whole country is afraid of planes.

Unnamed resident of Kyaukme, in Shan state, Myanmar
EXPLORE

It does sound like there was some displeasure with his posts.

Ryan Ho Kilpatrick
Managing editor, China Media Project
EXPLORE

The army has an important role to play in ensuring security and stability. The interim government that will now assume power should carry out a credible investigation into the tragic events of recent weeks...

International Crisis Group (ICG)
a Brussels-based global think tank
EXPLORE

This year, we are seeing the least amount of donations. Where I live, we have only received one lunch box since the start of the floods.

Aung Kyaw Soe
Resident of Bago, Myanmar’s fourth-largest city
EXPLORE

They had very high expectations about themselves, about China and about the world in general. And then when they graduated from college and when they became adults, they became victims of the slowdown.

Xiang Biao
Director, Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Germany
EXPLORE

This stereotype can create a stigma around men taking paternity leave.

Cheung Hoi Shan
Assistant professor, Psychology and Child & Human Development Department, National Institute of Education, Singapore
EXPLORE

The real challenge now is the rehabilitation of the survivors. It is going to be tough.

Noorudeen CK
Local self-government representative, Chooralmala, Wayanad, in Kerala state in southwest India
EXPLORE

Children can no longer do what they used to do naturally, like playing in the school yard.

Yuriko Takahashi
Elementary teacher in Tokyo
EXPLORE

(W)e only know the date of the groundbreaking, but have not received information about compensation.

Pich Chandara, 32
Mother of three who lives next to the starting point of the canal on ancestral land in Kien Svay district, Kandal province, Cambodia
EXPLORE

Some (who were jailed) for political cases like me, when released, are treated as pariahs in society in a hidden manner.

Chan (who declined to give his full name)
A pro-democracy activist in his 20s, who has been jailed for his involvement in the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong
EXPLORE

If PRC (People’s Republic of China) leaders don’t like it when people speak out against their horrific human rights record, maybe they should improve their horrific human rights record.

Jim McGovern
Congressman, Massachusetts, U.S.A. and a key sponsor of the Resolve Tibet Act
EXPLORE

The fascist [Pakistani] state is using all its power to sabotage Baloch Raaji Muchi [Baloch National Gathering] but has failed.

Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC)
a rights group
EXPLORE

It was not an incitement of violence against nationality or ethnicity because he was just showing his concern about the state ceding land for private ownership.

Choung Choungy
Defense lawyer of Ny Nak
EXPLORE

The act takes a landmark step in challenging the (Chinese Communist Party's) historical revisionism. But the U.S. should be prepared to offer concrete support to the Tibetan community, which is already beginning to feel the CCP's retaliation.

Central Tibet Administration
Dharamshala, India
EXPLORE

My brother wasn’t involved in any protests. Why was he shot? Who will be held accountable for this?

Lipi Akter
Sister of Mohammad Anik, 24
EXPLORE

I wish they could work only as fishermen, because it’s fun. There are too many difficulties on the land.

Muslimin (who goes only by one name), 49
A fisherman who belongs to the sea-dwelling Bajau community in Pulau Papan, Indonesia
EXPLORE

We must not allow the hell of the atomic bombing to be recreated. I feel a sense of crisis.

Michiko Kodama, 86
Hibakusha (survivor of Hiroshima and Nagasaki's atomic bomb) and campaigner for nuclear disarmament
EXPLORE

It seems the National Human Rights Commission is being used by the political leadership.

Suman Adhikari
Founding chairperson, Conflict Victims Common Platform in Nepal
EXPLORE

These actions appear to be solely aimed at punishing him for his legitimate human rights activities and the exercise of his rights to freedom of expression and of peaceful assembly.

Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
EXPLORE

Our goal is to identify the bones and send them back to their families.... The bones are virtually the only proof of what happened.

Kazuyuki Kawamura
Former Shinjuku district assembly member
EXPLORE

My son was killed. I did not apply to anyone to give birth to him. Why should I apply to get my son back after death?

Hajera Begum
Mother of 21-year-old Shahjahan who was shot on July 19 and died on July 24 during the week of violence in Bangladesh
EXPLORE

If we don't have any single member in Rakhine state from our community, from our religion, or from our ethnicity, I just fear that Rohingya will be disappeared from this world very soon.

Karim (whose full or real name is not known)
U.S.-based Rohingya refugee
EXPLORE

This move was made under the guise of enforcing the compulsory education system established by the Chinese government.

Unnamed Tibetan from Lhasa
the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region
EXPLORE

As of today, there are 4,000 Pashtuns who have been forcefully disappeared by the security forces. There is no doubt about them being forcefully disappeared by the state.

Alamzeb Meshud
Founding member, Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM)
EXPLORE

The [crackdown] in Hong Kong was a wake-up call to get more involved to protect our country against China.

Yuying Chen
Community leader, Taiwan
EXPLORE

I want to apply for citizenship for my son because it is about rights. Citizenship is automatic for children of Malaysian men, I am applying to fight for that same right.

Cary (whose full or real name is not known)
An overseas Malaysian mother
EXPLORE

Whenever there is such divide in the name of caste or religion, I absolutely do not either support it or encourage it.

Chirag Paswan
Chief, Lok Janshakti Party, Bihar state, eastern India
EXPLORE

The right to comfortably use restrooms is a fundamental and universal human right.

Seoul Central District Court, South Korea
EXPLORE

We have documented numerous cases where child laborers face issues such as unpaid overtime, termination after completing critical orders, or dismissal for refusing overtime.

Ma Ei
Co-secretary, Federation of General Workers Myanmar
EXPLORE

People weren’t able to go out the last two days because of the shutdown. Now you have a curfew, and the internet has been completely shut down since early yesterday evening.

Tanvir Chowdhury
Al Jazeera reporter in Bangladesh
EXPLORE

Vietnam has become more and more like China, where institutions and norms doesn't really matter as much as personal power.

Nguyen Khac Giang
Visiting fellow, Vietnam Studies Program, ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore
EXPLORE

The unjust firing of Selina Cheng illustrates once again the plummeting press freedom in Hong Kong, once among the best in the world ...

Maya Wang
China director, Human Rights Watch
EXPLORE

People have found a platform to voice their frustration against the Awami League’s autocratic rule over the past decade and the erosion of their voting rights.

Rezaul Karim Rony
Editor, Joban Magazine, Bangladesh
EXPLORE

America isn’t heaven. It just allows you to live more like a human being.

Cai Zhigang
Former People’s Liberation Army soldier in China who now runs guest houses and gives assistance and advice to Chinese migrant border crossers in California, U.S.A.
EXPLORE

We are optimistic that this case will set the precedent for future cases to also be liable for court.

Tamilan Eswaran
Social activist in Malaysia
EXPLORE

How can I raise my 14-member family if I cannot plant paddy?

Mohammad Sabir Shah
Farmer from Bhagawanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
EXPLORE

The authorities, as well as some Buddhist officials, are pressuring monks to prevent them from participating in social work. They won’t let us fulfill our roles [for the community] and I don’t understand why.

Saing Rithy
Buddhist monk, Damrei Sar Pagoda in Battambang province, western Cambodia
EXPLORE

This incident reminds us that you can buy your freedom with the right bribe, no matter how severe the crackdown. As bribes become more expensive, only the poor get caught.

Unnamed North Korean trader
EXPLORE

I really fail to understand what the administration gets in stopping people from going to the martyrs’ graveyard. People have a right to choose their heroes. And the martyrs are heroes for the people of Kashmir.

Sajad Lone
Chairman, Jammu and Kashmir's People's Conference, India
EXPLORE

[The Malayan tigers] suffer from habitat loss, prey depletion and retaliatory killings stemming from human-tiger conflicts.

Dr. Mark Rayan Darmaraj
Country director, Wildlife Conservation Society Malaysia
EXPLORE

(The problem) became particularly evident as the number of children continued to decrease. After my kindergarten emptied out, I thought about how to make the best use of it.

Li Xiuling
Principal at a former kindergarten in Taiyuan, capital of Xanxi province in northern China
EXPLORE

This (additonal tax) could pay for schools, hospitals, renewable energy, and many more essential investments.

Jairam Ramesh
Senior Congress party leader, India
EXPLORE

Samsung is the hardest imaginable place to unionise and strike. If Samsung workers succeed in this undertaking, it will empower the rest of South Korea’s labour.

Vladimir Tikhonov
Professor of Korean studies, University of Oslo
EXPLORE

If it is a crime to dump babies, then there should be laws to protect vulnerable seniors too.

Zulhan Ambi
Social work department chief, Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL)
EXPLORE

There is an immediate need to revise the law while also improving the management of such correction centres.

Yagya Adhikari
Joint secretary, National Human Rights Commission (Nepal)
EXPLORE

Although it has been eight years, I will not forget that day. Eight years passed in a blink of an eye but justice has not been served...

Meas Nee
Political analyst, Cambodia
EXPLORE

Our family doesn't have any property or any relatives there. According to my understanding of the law, someone who has been released from prison ought to be free.

Chen Zijuan
Wife of human rights lawyer Chang Weiping
EXPLORE

[A]s Pakistan continues to host some 3 million Afghans, all solutions need to be explored in addition to voluntary repatriation, including third-country resettlement ...

Filippo Grandi
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
EXPLORE

Pieces of body — head, hands and legs — were scattered on my roof when the bomb hit some houses nearby.... I don’t want to live this poor, miserable life in the war.

Kyaw Paing
Resident of Kyaukme, in northern Myanmar's Shan State
EXPLORE

For four-to-five months every year, women have no option but to fetch water from long distances because nearby wells and water sources dry up.

Ashwini Deshpande
Head, Economics department, Ashoka University, Delhi, India
EXPLORE

Advocacy and educational campaigns have empowered more victims to come forward and report such behavior.

Fong Wei Li
Managing director, Forward Legal in Singapore
EXPLORE

We are trying to figure out what democracy actually means.

Tsenguun Saruulsaikhan, 27
Youngest member of Parliament in Mongolia
EXPLORE

Now is not the time to talk about peace, but justice.

Chiching (not her real name)
Activist from the Hmar tribe in Manipur, India
EXPLORE

I was very hopeful and happy … that I was going to get such an increase in my salary.

Jaynal MD, 25
Bangladeshi migrant worker in Singapore who was scammed by his recruitment agent, leaving him without a job and a place to stay after paying $7,000 to come to the city-state for a better-paying job
EXPLORE

The internet is our last hope. But nothing can replace real freedom.

Beheshta (who declined to reveal her full name), 24
Young Afghan woman
EXPLORE

I feel that the economic growth we had in the past was too fast, and that we'll be paying back the overdraft on the economy for the next 20 years, or even longer.

Sun (not his real name), 20
Former construction worker in Changsha, a southern city in China
EXPLORE

For Rohingya people — oppressed, scapegoated, exploited, and stuck between warring parties — the situation carries echoes of the lead-up to genocidal violence in 2016 and 2017.

Thomas Andrews
U.N. Special rapporteur on the situation in Myanmar
EXPLORE

For the state to evade responsibility for damages payments would be extremely unfair and unjust, and absolutely intolerable.

Japan Supreme Court
EXPLORE

The government bodies that are responsible for public safety … are frequently over-ruled by politicians who seek to use religious gurus and their organizations as possible vote banks.

Sanjay Srivastava
Disaster management expert, Department of Anthropology and Sociology, SOAS University of London
EXPLORE

The conviction and sentencing of the ten activists today, associated with environmental group, Mother Nature Cambodia, is a blatant attempt to silence them for their activism.

Josef Benedict
Asia Pacific researcher at CIVICUS
EXPLORE

It is clear that the Chinese Communist Party has stepped up its efforts to strengthen its control on global discourse and information in recent years.

Erika Staffas Edström
Analyst, Swedish National China Centre, Swedish Institute of International Affairs
EXPLORE

[T]he matter, if true, raises a serious issue of discrimination against married women causing the violation of the right to equality and equal opportunity.

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in India
EXPLORE

We call upon Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his federal government to prioritize Indigenous sovereignty, self-determination, and meaningful consultation in all decisions that impact our future.

Peter John Jaban
Sarawak Activist and human rights campaigner
EXPLORE

The waste-charging scheme has been delayed for a long time and the waste volume has increased continuously. Society has no room to slow down its pace on the path of waste reduction.

Greenpeace
EXPLORE

The recent eviction is a clear indication of how the Bajau Laut community have been sidelined and discriminated against for decades with no regard for their culture or future.

Julia Chan
Senior state correspondent, The Malay Mail Online
EXPLORE

We are concerned by the use of UAPA anti-terror law to silence critics.

Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights
EXPLORE

This win represents a measure of justice for those Uyghurs and other Turkic people who have been tortured and subjected to slave labour.

Rahima Mahmut
UK Director, World Uyghur Congress (WUC)
EXPLORE

The Indian army stops us from going there. But this is our land, not China’s.

Morup Namgyal, 57
Tibetan herder from the Changpa people of the high Himalayas in Ladakh, India
EXPLORE

Many field reporters and photographers have been laid off, forcing remaining reporters to work harder. However, their employers don’t provide overtime pay, per diems, days off, or workplace safety measures.

Sumet Somkhanae
Secretary-general, National Union of Journalists, Thailand
EXPLORE

I could not go anywhere because they had full control over us and made us work day and night like an ox. I spent about 50 years like that, like being in prison but without a cage.

Kang Hee Yeol
Former South Korean soldier who was captured by the North Koreans two months after he joined the army in 1951 and only managed to escape in 2009
EXPLORE

We sent Satnam abroad with great hopes by incurring a lot of debt. But we had never thought that his life would be at risk in a country like Italy.

Father of Satnam Singh
EXPLORE

I worked in the mine for 25, 26 years but I can't afford anything. A few elites benefit from the (mining) sector, not the ordinary people.

Tumurkhuyag Bayanmunkh
Retired miner
EXPLORE

How many other mothers are wandering the streets like me looking for their children? We will continue to look for our children until we die.

Yogeswary Selvaratnam
Tamil mother
EXPLORE

Since most of them aren’t party members, they remain simple researchers even as they grow older, and they receive the worst treatment...

Unnamed source
Pyongyang, North Korea
EXPLORE

Our businesses are under strict regulations. I hope you can understand our situation.

Unnamed owner of a thriving eatery in Yangon, Myanmar
EXPLORE

If Putin cannot get everything he wants from Beijing, he will look to get it elsewhere, and there aren’t a lot of supermarkets that cover his
wish list — arms, labor and a willingness to pick a fight with Washington.

Samuel Greene
Professor of Russian politics, King’s College London
EXPLORE

After being threatened with a labor camp sentence if they refuse to return to work, some young people have gone into hiding and are staying away from home.

Unnamed source
South Pyongan Province, North Korea
EXPLORE

On the one hand people lack awareness about health. On the other hand, people in remote areas do not know about the government benefits available to heart patients.

Prakash Raj Regmi
Cardiologist, Sahid Gangalal National Heart Centre
EXPLORE

We wish for the freedom of Suu Kyi, all political prisoners and the entire country. We launched this strike to show that we have not forgotten our leader.

Unnamed resident
Wetlet township, Sagaing region, Myanmar
EXPLORE

Many see a heatwave as an enduring act of nature, with little expectation from the government to intervene. It reflects a broader issue of low expectations in India.

Neelanjan Sircar
Director, Center for Rapid Insights (CRI)
EXPLORE

This shows the societal advancement in Thailand in terms of accepting sexual diversity and safeguarding the rights of the LGBTQ ... community

Isha Gharti
Public policy researcher, Chiang Mai University
EXPLORE

Her crime was teaching religious content to kids. She wasn’t changing those kids’ ideology, she was just teaching them religious content.

Unnamed director of security
Zulkum village, Kashgar prefecture, southwestern Xinjiang, China
EXPLORE

When the matter is of national security, then the Central government should also come forward so that peace returns to Manipur.

Konsam Himalay Singh
Retired Lieutenant General, Indian Army
EXPLORE

They have no victims, no witnesses, no crimes. They only have my interviews with journalists as evidence in their hands.

Alexander Gonzalez-Davidson
Co-founder, Mother Nature, an environmental group in Cambodia
EXPLORE

Lacking labor makes it difficult to scale up, our government can’t do much … Thailand is the place that people want to go. I’m more than worried, but what can I do.

Somchit Phankham
Farm manager, Panyanivej Organic Farm in Laos
EXPLORE

This election is going on under all possible pressures, such as heavy government pressure and spying.

Democratic Party of Mongolia
EXPLORE

Dissolving a political party is a major move that requires fact-finding and investigation. The (Election Commission) must follow the letter of the law rather than simply interpreting it.

Chaithawat Tulathon
Leader, Move Forward Party (MFP) in Thailand
EXPLORE

Our problem is that at night armed men come to our homes, demanding food, and in the morning the military comes and takes the homeowner away [for interrogation].

Pattu Lala Bittani
Pakistani resident along the Afghan border
EXPLORE

On the national level, we say this importation is in breach of Italian domestic law in relation to the encouragement or conspiracy to support slavery.

Michael Polak
London-based barrister who chairs Lawyers for Uyghur Rights
EXPLORE

On the national level, we say this importation is in breach of Italian domestic law in relation to the encouragement or conspiracy to support slavery.

Michael Polak
London-based barrister who chairs Lawyers for Uyghur Rights
EXPLORE

Because the UNHCR has recognized Y Quynh’s political refugee status, Thailand should have the obligation to protect his rights.

Y Phic Hdok, Founder
Montagnard Stand for Justice (MSFJ)
EXPLORE

For 1.5 million girls, this systematic exclusion is not only a blatant violation of their right to education, but also results in dwindling opportunities and deteriorating mental health.

Catherine Russell
Executive Director, UNICEF
EXPLORE

As women play more active roles and the number of female executives is on the rise, the surname issue has become a business risk that companies can no longer dismiss as a problem of certain individuals.

Masakazu Tokura, Head, Keidanren (Japan Business Federation)
a business lobby that's calling on the government to allow married couples to keep dual surnames
EXPLORE

They can keep (people) out and kick out office-holders. But they cannot take office themselves because they cannot win the election. I think certainly we’re seeing another round of turmoil.

Thitinan Pongsudhirak
Political analyst and professor, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
EXPLORE

We are not street dogs to be treated this way. We want to remind the politicians not to come seeking votes, as people are well aware of how they support the communities in winning their rights.

Unnamed estate worker
Elpitiya town, Sri Lanka
EXPLORE

They must foster social justice through meaningful actions and legislation, not through the forced singing of a propaganda song and the recital of a pledge that appears redundant.

Teachers Dignity Coalition
a nonprofit organization promoting teachers' welfare in the country
EXPLORE

Hong Kong, once a vibrant and politically diverse community is slowly becoming a totalitarian state. The rule of law is profoundly compromised in any area about which the government feels strongly.

Jonathan Sumption
One of two British judges in the Hong Kong appeals court who quit his post recently
EXPLORE

It is time for the international community to step up and share the responsibility. Bangladesh cannot continue to bear this burden alone.

Md Shoriful Alom
Independent researcher
EXPLORE

It is the Chinese authorities’ unrelenting constriction of freedom of speech and media freedoms that has led me to slowly change from an ordinary person to who I am today.

Li Ying
Overseas Chinese dissident
EXPLORE

Arresting a journalist for his critical reporting just shows that the Vietnamese government is moving further and further away from democracy and the rule of law.

Patricia Gossman
Associate Asia director, Human Rights Watch
EXPLORE

Arresting a journalist for his critical reporting just shows that the Vietnamese government is moving further and further away from democracy and the rule of law.

Patricia Gossman
Associate Asia director, Human Rights Watch
EXPLORE

Everyone loves Lord Ram, but without work and income, what can one do?

Nankan Yadav
Indian farmer
EXPLORE

The Bajau Laut have been living in the area since before there were official borders. The actions being taken against them is just cruel.

Mukmin Nantang
Founder, Borneo Komrad, Sabah-based social advocacy group, Malaysia
EXPLORE

Many coal miners have passed away, but there are still about 10,000 of us who are still alive.

Chou Chao-nan (周朝南)
Retired miner
EXPLORE

It’s cruel and absurd to wait for the Myanmar military to confirm a Rohingya refugee’s nationality while that same military continues to deny that Rohingya people exist and continues its efforts to destroy them as a people.

Matthew Smith
Chief Executive Officer, Fortify Rights
EXPLORE

Most young people would make the same decision. This is the only way left for us to root out the military dictatorship.

Unnamed 28-year old eligible for military conscription under the junta in Myanmar
EXPLORE

It's very meaningful to commemorate together with Japanese friends at the site where my father and many Chinese workers endured hardships.

Liu Yonghui
Son of a Chinese forced laborer at a former coal mine in Iizuka, Fukuoka, in southwest Japan, who died during World War II
EXPLORE

There is fear that 17 percent of our lands will be submerged. It will also cause increasing salinity both in farming land and underground water. Eventually, it will threaten our food security ...

Mohammed Harun Or Rashid
Deputy director, Department of Environment, Bangladesh
EXPLORE

If they [the government] preserve this area, people who come to Pailin will know that we were the Kula. If they don’t, we will be forgotten.

Nang Kham
a descendant of the Kula community in Cambodia, who originally came from Myanmar
EXPLORE

It appears that district level officials and hospitals were not fully ready to deal with the situation.

Unnamed disaster expert associated with Bihar State Disaster Management Authority, India
EXPLORE

The progress in women’s participation on boards across the people, public and private sectors reflects a growing recognition on the importance of having gender diverse boards.

Masagos Zulkifli
Minister for Social and Family Development, Singapore
EXPLORE

It’s all part of China’s efforts to divide Taiwanese society and influence public opinion.

Chen Shih-min
Political scientist and Associate professor, National Taiwan University
EXPLORE

They say vote for us, we will give you help from outside, we will give you a road, we will give you a school - but no one asks us (about) our conditions after the elections.

Akwanshi Thakur
22, Student, Almi village, a hamlet in Mandi constituency in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India, one of the remote and inaccessible areas where officials have to bring the ballot boxes to the voters
EXPLORE

Many of these workers are at high risk of modern slavery. (They) will surely be arriving to bogus employers on bogus quotas with no jobs, facilitated by corrupt government officials, agencies and recruitment intermediaries.

Andy Hall
Independent migrant worker rights specialist
EXPLORE

They had to pay agents at least 20,000 Thai baht each to cross the border to come to the Thai side. For those who are arrested, it costs them double or triple that amount and some are sent back to Myanmar.

Ko Min Oo
Foundation for Education and Development (FED), an organization helping migrants in Thailand
EXPLORE

The crux of the challenges faced by at-risk stakeholder groups [in Japan] is the lack of diversity and inclusion in the labor market ..., and the prevalence of discrimination, harassment and violence in the workplace and society at large ...

U.N. Working Group on Business and Human Rights
EXPLORE

The district faced severe drought, especially the cardamom sector. But Union government representatives are yet to visit the drought-hit areas in the district or announce any special package.

Mundakkakkal Madhavan Mani
Member of the Legislative Assembly, Udumbanchola constituency and national council member, All India Kissan Sabha
EXPLORE

There is a dire need for a hospital in the rural municipality because the existing Turmakhand Health Post is in a dilapidated condition.

Ekendra Bayak
Health unit head, Turmakhand Rural Municipality, Achham District, Sudurpashchim Province, far-western Nepal
EXPLORE

TIME Magazine looks at me like [a] next generation leader trying to change the world. But in Thailand, they look at me like someone dangerous to the society, or a
criminal—which is really sad.

Chonthicha “Lookkate” Jangrew
Thai activist and lawmaker who was recently included in TIME’s list of Next Generation Leaders
EXPLORE

When prices go up, the end consumers, often the elderly, are usually the hardest hit. They have limited incomes, and if the cost of essential goods like vegetables rises, their quality of life deteriorates.

Sharon Koh
Economist and Senior lecturer, School of Business, Monash University Malaysia
EXPLORE

Most of the people accused of being two-faced are Uyghur cadres who pay attention to Uyghur culture, virtue and education, and who work for the government.

Abduweli Ayup
Founder, Uyghur Hjelp (Uyghuryar), a Norway-based nonprofit
EXPLORE

In reality, [the bill] is designed to provide blanket immunity to the holders of top offices of the state against justified and true criticism also.

Muhammad Aftab Alam
Islamabad-based lawyer and legal expert on media and internet laws
EXPLORE

Protests are healthy; they shouldn’t be violent. Protests give voice; they shouldn’t be silenced.

Maria Ressa
Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Rappler CEO
EXPLORE

(M)ost relocation programs in Tibet move former farmers and pastoralists to areas where they cannot practice their former livelihood and have no choice but to seek work as wage laborers in off-farm industries.

Human Rights Watch
In a report, titled "Educate the Masses to Change Their Minds” China’s Forced Relocation of Rural Tibetans
EXPLORE

My husband has always stood for human rights regardless of any affiliation.

Syeda Urooj Zainab
Wife of missing Pakistani poet and journalist Ahmad Farhad
EXPLORE

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the coup [On May 22], there are still many people who have been robbed of their freedom to express their political views, leading to an unforeseen increase in the number of people charged in political cases.

Thai Lawyers for Human Rights
(TLHR)
EXPLORE

I respect parliament, but I hope parliament can do things that we respect and respect our democratic procedures.

Nymphia Wind
Taiwanese drag queen
EXPLORE

The climate crisis is already upon us but the effects will be felt even more intensely by future generations. Cases like this are vital to safeguarding citizen’s rights.

Jiyoun Yoo
Climate Justice Campaigner, Amnesty International Korea
EXPLORE

Politicians are only talking about religion and caste. No one is talking about the environment or farmers issues.

Vaibhav Maske
Millet farmer in western Maharashtra state, India
EXPLORE

North Korea’s scientists and engineers are forced to work on the nuclear weapons program regardless of their own personal interests, preferences or aspirations. They do not have the freedom to choose their occupations.

Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK)
a Washington, D.C.-based non-government research organization
EXPLORE

With inter-communal tensions between ethnic Rakhine and Rohingya high — and being actively stoked by the military — this is a critical period when the risk of yet further atrocity crimes is particularly acute.

Volker Turk
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights
EXPLORE

Child marriage, as dire as it is, has become a coping mechanism when a family struggles for survival.

Wahida Zaman Shithi
Health communications lead, Noora Health, Bangladesh
EXPLORE

I wish I were paid wages that are appropriate for how hard I work.

Unnamed North Korean laborer at a Chinese seafood factory
EXPLORE

The fact is, those who are critical of the state are missing, most of them being journalists and social activists.

Mohsin Akhtar Kayani
Justice, Islamabad High Court (IHC)
EXPLORE

Security forces chased them into a corner. One of them stood up and said we are members of the public, but he was shot dead.

Mangu Oyam
Father of one of the suspected military cadres (allegedly working for the banned Communist Party of India or Maoist) shot dead by security forces on May 10 in Bijapur district, Karnataka, southwest India, despite being unarmed and while they were out plucking tendu leaves
EXPLORE

Amid rising prices, we can't live on the minimum wage. The company is completely indifferent to the situation of irregular workers.

Unnamed member
Shuppan Union, Tokyo, Japan
EXPLORE

Netiporn’s tragic death in custody shows how brutal the punishment for royal defamation is in Thailand.

Sunai Phasuk
Senior researcher on Thailand, Human Rights Watch
EXPLORE

There is an urgent need to take special measures to improve the situation of Dalit women and girls due to the inter-generational history of oppression and the entrenched culture of caste-bias, patriarchy and discrimination.

Amnesty International
EXPLORE

It's the 16th anniversary, and we only wanted to commemorate our children at the place where they were killed. They haven't allowed this in 16 years.

Zhou Xingrong
One of bereaved parents in Dujiangyan city, southwestern Sichan province in China
EXPLORE

I saw lots of dead bodies at the base and if the soldiers who had training for six months were being killed in fighting, how could we fight the rebels after just 10 days of training?

Abdullah (not his real name)
One of an estimated 1,000 Rohingya men and boys forced to fight with the Myanmar army against a local rebel group
EXPLORE

The law has to be clear and has to be understood by the public. The public will have to know whether they are breaking the law or not.

Victor Dawes
Chairman, Hong Kong Bar Association
EXPLORE

For 17 years now, families of victims of past rights abuses have staged a weekly protest called Kamisan (Thursday) in front of the (Indonesian) State Palace. A meeting with them would be a good start.

The Jakarta Post
EXPLORE

It’s not fair. We are being thrown out without being heard.

Ismail Contractor
a migrant care worker from India
EXPLORE

Nepal’s next general election is more than three years away, and India-style Hindutva politics could still be whipped up. For now, it seems more likely that it will be Nepali nationalism that will be a more potent vote-mobiliser.

Akhilesh Upadhyay
Former editor, Kathmandu Post, and Columnist, Hindustan Times
EXPLORE

Singing a protest song should never be a crime, nor is it a threat to ‘national security.’

Sarah Brooks
China Director, Amnesty International
EXPLORE

If someone had shut down the machine when my accident happened, I would not have lost an arm.

Chorn Chivoan
37, Worker at Angkor Brewery in Cambodia, who figured in a work accident in 2021, leading to the loss of his right arm while leaving his left arm paralyzed
EXPLORE

HRCP reminds the state that no rights defender should ever have to pay with their life for the work they do.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
EXPLORE

The pursuit of political power is seen as a pathway to unlimited wealth expansion, resulting in unhealthy competition.

Iftekharuzzaman
Executive Director, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB)
EXPLORE

[T]he closure wave will continue. There will be kindergartens closing every school year for the coming three years, and I expect about 20 will close in the current school year.

Lam Chui-ling
Vice-chairperson, Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers
EXPLORE

Most farmers in Thailand cannot adapt to climate change and lack access to smart farming technology, which makes them the most fragile group in a crisis.

Witsanu Attavabich
Economics lecturer, Kasetsart University, Thailand
EXPLORE

Taiwanese journalists still suffer from a very polarized media environment dominated by sensationalism and the pursuit of profit.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
EXPLORE

The worst for Hong Kong is the political and legal factors. Hong Kong’s position is very low; the situation remains very difficult.

Aleksandra Bielakowska
Advocacy officer, Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
EXPLORE

I was offered to state my price ... I did not want the money. But I have my reasons to withdraw. I have three daughters and I must look after them. If something happens to me, how will they survive?

Jitendra Chouhan
Loc Sabha (Lower House) candidate from Gujarat’s Gandhinagar parliamentary constituency, India
EXPLORE

Clarity on relevant terms … is essential for businesses to know where China’s red lines are - this should be a consideration when revising laws related to national security.

European Union Chamber of Commerce in China
EXPLORE

We demand the junking of these twin repressive laws that have proven to be gravely injurious to the people’s civil and political rights.

Karapatan
a human rights group in the Philippines
EXPLORE

Victims are dying day after day. We have no time to lose.

Akio Iwasaki
Chairman, Association of Minamata disease patients in the Shiranui area in Japan
EXPLORE

Instead of funding social services, agriculture, and the labor sector, the Marcos Jr.’s record (of) high public debt is only going to infrastructure efforts that will benefit big businesses and is vulnerable to corruption.

Joanne Cesario
vice chairperson, Kilusang Mayo Uno, and member, Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law, and Development
EXPLORE

For the ban, people will be deprived of the right to know the real state of the bank and financial sector as well as the country's economy.

Newspaper Owners Association of Bangladesh and the Editors' Council
EXPLORE

I came to think that orders really emphasizing that we had to 'crack down on foreigners' -- in other words judging people by their appearance alone -- were a human rights violation.

Taro Yamada (not his real name)
Former police inspector in Japan
EXPLORE

Healthcare facilities are not legitimate military targets. They are situated in civilian areas. Attacking them is an inhumane act.

Unnamed Kachin resident
EXPLORE

This case will be a test for the Thai justice system, especially the capability of the judges in solving conflict by revealing the truth in court.

Pornpen Khongkachonkiet
Director, Cross-Cultural Foundation
EXPLORE

I went to the school with my 13-year-old daughter. She was happy her school was open. But I was tense. The heat is too much. She already got heat rashes from sweating. I hope she does not get sick.

Lucky Begum
Mother of a student at a state-run school in Dhaka, Bangladesh
EXPLORE

(R)ather than being an isolated problem caused by a few bad actors, slavery is in fact a widespread problem in the fishing industry, fueled by structural drivers ...

Allison Gill
Legal Director, Global Labor Justice, an international labor rights organization
EXPLORE

We welcome the adoption of this much-needed resolution, which highlights the recent blatant violations on press freedom...

Antoine Bernard
Director, Advocacy and Assistance, Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
EXPLORE

We are extremely encouraged by the fact that Indigenous leaders in the Cordillera, as well as all over the Philippines, continue the fight – despite the severe threats.

International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs
a global human rights organization for Indigenous People's rights
EXPLORE

If our friends from our neighbouring country (Myanmar) come in to seek safety, we will have to look after them and this is not extra work.

Anutin Charnvirakul
Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, Thailand
EXPLORE

The kidnapping of the Panchen Lama nearly 30 years ago reverberates today in the Chinese government’s compulsory, state-run boarding schools in Tibet, which have separated over 1 million Tibetan children from their families, language, religion and culture.

International Campaign for Tibet
EXPLORE

I don’t think he is at fault, [he] was just telling the truth to protect the people. The arrests are intended to demoralize the next generation.

Koet Yi
35, sister of Koet Saray, president of the Khmer Students Intelligent League Association
EXPLORE

Our request [to] the Islamic Emirate is to assist us. We have no homes...

Hazrat Gul Eid Mohammad
One of the deported Afghans from Pakistan
EXPLORE

Sri Lanka suffers from a continuing accountability deficit, be it for alleged war crimes, more recent human rights violations, corruption or abuse of power, which must be addressed if the country is to move forward.

Marc-Andre Franche
EXPLORE

(South) Korea needs to improve its discriminatory administrative system that determines the range of protection from violence based on a victim’s nationality and registration, and protect all migrant children from abuse.

Lee Jasmine
Member of Parliament, Green Justice Party, South Korea
EXPLORE

Growing youth unemployment [in China] is also exacerbated by cultural preferences for tertiary education, leading to a perception of vocational work as insecure and decreasing the prestige of vocational roles.

Henry Devitt
New Colombo Plan Scholar, Australian National University
EXPLORE

We are currently considering ways to increase and expand humanitarian assistance by collaborating with international organizations within the next one to two week.

Nikorndej Balankura
Senior Spokesman, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand
EXPLORE

It’s a multidimensional problem, which requires capacity-building and political will to implement environment-related laws. Both of these, unfortunately, have been lacking.

Hamid Sarfraz
Environmentalist in Islamabad
EXPLORE

The willful killing of Peralta by the military, who was unarmed at the time of her arrest, is a war crime that can never be justified under any circumstance.

Clarice Palce
Secretary General, GABRIELA
EXPLORE

Dhonyoe was accused of teaching his students beyond the national education system and was repeatedly questioned by authorities in mid-March.

Unnamed source
EXPLORE

Despite the government’s crackdown on dissent and activism, her powerful words continue to inspire people across Vietnam and throughout the world.

Suzanne Nossel
CEO, PEN America
EXPLORE

There is a logical reason not to participate in the upcoming Upazila elections as the environment for fair and peaceful elections has not yet been created and the existing anarchic situation has further deteriorated.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party
EXPLORE

We thought we could help make this country a bit safer for our children. And then, the Itaewon crush happened. We realised it is still not safe, and so we need to work harder.

Park Jung-hwa
Mother of a 17-year-old girl who drowned, along with 303 others, in the 2014 Sewol ferry tragedy in South Korea,
EXPLORE

They can't recruit people, because very few young people are choosing to join the government.

Leung Chau-ting
Chairperson, Hong Kong Federation of Civil Service Union
EXPLORE

As journalists, you don't stop being a journalist. When something happens in front of you, you want to tell the story, and you want to tell it right.

Jeff Canoy
Chief of Reporters, ABS-CBN Integrated News
EXPLORE

It is necessary for the authorities in power in Afghanistan and international organizations to take practical steps through relevant consultations to prevent the deportation of migrants.

Asefa Stanikzai
Afghan Migrant Rights Activist
EXPLORE

It is unfortunate to see the political leaders raking up religion to motivate their voters and disrupting the social-cultural environment.

Seema Khan
Chairperson, Nepal Muslim Women Welfare Society,
EXPLORE

[W]e will expand drug rehabilitation infrastructure and relevant education, and strengthen drug control.

Ministry of Food and Drug Safety
South Korea
EXPLORE

There is intense pressure of work in the rural areas. As a result, the quality of the service falls.

Syed Masud Ahmed
Researcher, BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health
EXPLORE

We have never experienced such blatant efforts by authorities to evade scrutiny of court proceedings in any country, which further highlights the ludicrous nature of the case against Jimmy Lai, and the dire erosion of press freedom and the rule of law in Hong Kong.

Rebecca Vincent
Campaigns Director, Reporters Without Borders
EXPLORE

An industry that profits from producing, selling and buying sexual images of minors should be deterred and eliminated by strengthening the punishments for the offenses.

Jean Kuo (郭昱晴)
Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker, Taiwan
EXPLORE

The police failed to recognize that people have the right to peacefully protest, and that the authorities have a duty to facilitate and protect protests.

Smriti Singh
South Asia Regional Director, Amnesty International
EXPLORE

The new spate of killings in Davao City and elsewhere shows that President Marcos has not done enough to end the ‘drug war. The Marcos administration needs to take stronger action to demonstrate that the ‘war on drugs’ is officially over.

Bryony Lau
Deputy Asia Director, Human Rights Watch
EXPLORE

Shutting down this platform is a matter of significant loss and concern for the Tibetan scholarly community as it has been a constant source to access content.

Jigme Wangyal
Author and professor of literature, Central University of Tibetan Studies, Varanasi, India
EXPLORE

(Y)ou do not give tickets to Muslims at one place, you redraw constituencies at another place ... or you don't allow Muslims to vote. It is not just intimidation. It's also elimination.

Ziya Us Salam
Author, "Being Muslim in Hindu India
EXPLORE

Despite the modernization and democratization ... the shadow of the past, particularly the class system institutionalized during the Meiji Restoration, still looms large.

Cristian Martini Grimaldi
Tokyo-based journalist, L'Osservatore Romano, the daily newspaper of Vatican state
EXPLORE

The failure to include Myanmar people’s voices, represented by their Ambassador, at the table ... demonstrates [the UNSC's] disrespect for the Myanmar people’s steadfast democratic resistance movement.

Khin Omar
Founder and Chairperson, Progressive Voice, Myanmar
EXPLORE

The [Chinese] authorities think our community has been trying to humiliate them, so they want to use all the means at their disposal to punish human rights lawyers

Wang Quanzhang
Chinese human rights lawyer
EXPLORE

Unemployment has increased so much … that those who have been giving zakat, fitrana [charitable donations] and charity all their lives are now coming to us for ration

Maulana Bashir Ahmed Farooqui
Founding Chairman, Saylani Welfare International Trust
EXPLORE

His face was injured and there was blood around his mouth like he had been beaten. Amanullah’s case reveals how the junta considers Muslims.

Ko Nyan Hein
Muslim activist in Myanmar
EXPLORE

In some of these areas, people won’t know there are landmines until they see them with their own eyes or step on them

Heng Ratana
Deputy Director General, Cambodian Mine Action Centre
EXPLORE

We do not see the justifications but the contravention of individuals' rights by forcing them to take unnecessary medical tests and their right to privacy.

Wong Hiu-chong
Hong Kong Lawyer
EXPLORE

Regardless of one’s nationality and infringement of immigration laws, everyone in Korea has the right to human dignity and liberty under the Constitution.

Choi Jung-kyu
Lawyer, Migrant Advocacy Groups, Korea
EXPLORE

The long history of anti-Muslim violence and unjust treatment of Muslims must not be allowed to repeat itself.

Kyaw Win
Executive Director, Burma Human Rights Network(BHRN)
EXPLORE

I think the relevant authorities and the company should provide appropriate solutions to the residents and expedite the compensation as soon as possible. This can [stop] further impact on them.

Am Sam Ath
Operations Director, Licadho
EXPLORE

If constructive criticism causes uncomfortable reactions from politicians and business people, they need to look at themselves.

Stephen Roach
Economist and former Chairman, Morgan Stanley Asia
EXPLORE

If anyone opens an eatery to distribute free food today, poor people will be found thronging there in abundance.

Ruhul Kabir Rizvi
Senior Joint Secretary General, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)
EXPLORE

When you try to go to a supermarket you’re stopped. They check your mobile phone and your travel papers and passport. There’s always something wrong and they demand about 3,000 kyat [US$1.50]. It happens at checkpoint after checkpoint.

Unnamed goldsmith, 36
EXPLORE

We understand that the Mandela Rules and the Bangkok Rules state restraints should not be used on women when they’re in labor, and our new directive takes them into account.

Unnamed official of Japan's Justice Ministry
EXPLORE

The arrests and criminal investigations launched into Sri Lankan journalists G.P. Nissanka and Bimal Ruhunage are unacceptable reactions by authorities and could create a chilling effect on the media.

Carlos Martinez de la Serna
Program Director, Committee to Protect Journalists
EXPLORE

We understand that this law is not a universal cure to every problem, but at least it's the first step towards equality in Thai society.

Danuphorn Punnakanta
Member of Thai Parliament and Chairperson, Lower House Committee on Marriage Equality
EXPLORE

The deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan will put women and girls at unique risk, as forced returns seriously curtail their rights to education, work, movement, and in some cases, expose them to imminent threat of violence.

Amnesty International South Asia
EXPLORE

Driven by online anonymity, inspired by new business models and accelerated by COVID, these organised crime groups are now working at a scale that was unimaginable a decade ago.

Jurgen Stock
Secretary-General, Interpol
EXPLORE

A free and independent press reports not what they are told but what they observe, framed by historical and political context…. FOCAP will not be intimidated by threats and groundless attempts to smear its members’ reputation.

Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP)
EXPLORE

The letter from [Nusantara Capital City Authority] not only insults the rights of the Sepaku community ... but also puts them at risk of losing their place of residence.

Usman Hamid
Executive Director, Amnesty International Indonesia
EXPLORE

Let me repeat: nothing justifies the abhorrent October 7 attacks and hostage-taking by Hamas and nothing justifies the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.

António Guterres
UN Secretary-General
EXPLORE

The prison sentences and repeated criminalisation of (Arnon Nampa's) work are completely disproportionate and form part of a concerning trend of deliberately silencing human rights defenders and other dissenting voices.

U.N. Special Rapporteurs
EXPLORE

Every time we let authoritarians get away with atrocities, we risk other bad actors attempting to do the same.

Frances Hui
Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, U.S.-based Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation
EXPLORE

This momentous decision by the court marks a significant step forward for human rights including the right to freedom of expression and media freedom in Indonesia.

Wirya Adiwena
Deputy Director, Amnesty International Indonesia
EXPLORE

The climate ‘red alert’ in addition to prolonged exposure to toxic air quality in many parts of the South Asian region illustrates the risk of harms to life and health of more than a billion people from accelerating climate chaos.

Ann Harrison
Climate Adviser, Amnesty International (AI's)
EXPLORE

There are times when for two to three days he can’t buy anything at the canteen because they say the things he needs aren’t there.

Tran Phuong Thao
Wife of political prisoner Dang Dinh Bach, who's also head of the nonprofit Center for Research on Law and Policy for Sustainable Development in Vietnam
EXPLORE

We will continue to speak out without fear of this evil law.

Hong Kong Outlanders
A Taiwan-based exile group
EXPLORE

That means an estimated 160,000 children were blackmailed into sexual activities, had sexual images shared without their consent, or faced other online abuses.

United Nations Children's Fund
EXPLORE

Today they lost another piece of their freedom – any act of peaceful protest is now more dangerous than ever.

Sarah Brooks
China Director, Amnesty International
EXPLORE

We couldn’t do anything. One of my friends advised us to voice the lack of medical treatment for him through the news media. But we were afraid his family would be made to suffer if we did.

Unamed friend of Khin Soe
A political prisoner detained in Daik-U Prison in central Myanmar
EXPLORE

It feels like this could be our final opportunity to create a country free from dictators, and this chance is within our reach.

Dr. Tayzar San
Pro-democracy activist credited with launching the first anti-coup protest in Mandalay, Myanmar, in 2021
EXPLORE

Indian government reprisals against members of the diaspora who criticize the BJP’s abusive and discriminatory policies show the authorities’ growing hostility to criticism and dialogue.

Elaine Pearson
Asia director, Human Rights Watch
EXPLORE

In Singapore, with 16 weeks paid maternity leave and four weeks paid paternity leave, we haven’t moved much beyond these outdated standards.

Dr. Kalpana Vignehsa
Senior research fellow, Institute of Policy Studies at the National University of Singapore
EXPLORE

They're afraid that I'll go to Beijing during the National People's Congress, so they have detained me in a rescue facility....

Fu Yuxia
Resident of Lianyungang City in Jiangsu, China
EXPLORE

The challenge posed by the Chinese Communist Party is not just for our community; it is, very importantly, a global one. It's all around the same universal issue of having to counter authoritarianism worldwide.

Joey Siu
Ombudswoman, World Liberty Congress and prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist
EXPLORE

Congress should prioritize the passage of the SOGIESC Equality Bill to provide the LGBTQ+ community more concrete protection against violence....

Arlene Brosas
Representative, Garbriela Women's Party-list in the Philippines
EXPLORE

How much more should I do to finally be recognized? My honest feeling is that I can’t wait any longer.

Shinya Yamagata
LGBTQ rights activist
EXPLORE

We need to practically implement the research findings and recommendations. Only then will laws be created and accountability be ensured.

Shirin Akhter
Founder, Karmojibi Nari, a non-profit, non-government women's organization in Bangladesh
EXPLORE

Kerala will stand united in opposing this communal and divisive law.

Pinarayi Vijayan
Chief Minister, State of Kerala and a leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
EXPLORE

It is vital that we respond to the growth in online censorship and the amplification of disinformation by making independent media more accessible in their countries of origin.

Christophe Deloire
Secretary-General, Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
EXPLORE

Over the past two decades, the Thai authorities have utterly failed to provide justice, truth or reparation to (Somchai Neelapaijit) and his family.

Chanatip Tatiyakaroonwong
Regional Researcher for Thailand, Amnesty International
EXPLORE

2024 is the year in which China is heading into a state of social unrest…. The official crime data tells us that people are having a hard time, and is a true reflection of the state of society.

Cheng Xiaofeng
Former police detective, Zhuzhou Police Department, Hunan Province, Central China
EXPLORE

The absence of adequate safeguards leaves them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.

Gilda Banugan
Chairperson, Migrante Taiwan -- part of a global alliance of grassroots migrant organizations of overseas Filipinos and their families
EXPLORE

By stifling these essential voices, Vietnam is not only violating its binding international commitments but also jeopardizing its own future.

Võ Trần Nhật
Vice-President, Paris-based Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (Quê Me)
EXPLORE

The investigation of a case of human rights violation cannot be treated with confidentiality.

Pornpen Khongkachonkiet
Director, Cross Cultural Foundation
EXPLORE

Most of them are quite young, so they simply go back to their home countries to start new lives. Many of them are also afraid of their identity being made public, so are reluctant to share details.

Lee Ko-woon
Film director, “Host Nation,” a documentary about Filipino women sexually exploited in South Korea
EXPLORE

The ministry accepts our petitions most of the time, but they accept it without providing a solution in return. This time I hope our petition will have some results.

Seak Kana
Member, Labor Rights Supported Union (LRSU) of Khmer Employees of NagaWorld
EXPLORE

The contemporary progress we observe has largely been propelled by women themselves… not because of systems or policies that sufficiently supported them.

Chyn Yu-rung
Secretary-General, Awakening Foundation
EXPLORE

Malaysian authorities are treating migrants as criminals, arbitrarily holding them for prolonged periods in immigration centers with almost no access to the outside world.

Shayna Bauchner
Asia Researcher, Human Rights Watch (HRW)
EXPLORE

The police are regularly checking people’s WeChat and TikTok accounts for any evidence of them having shared the videos and for communication with the outside world.

Unnamed Source in China
EXPLORE

I spoke out because if I stayed silent, more people can be victimized, and that would be remiss of me.

Eicho
Buddhist nun, Tendai sect in western Japan
EXPLORE

The Vietnamese government likes to boast about its respect for human rights when seeking a seat on the UN Human Rights Council, but its brutal crushing of dissent sends the opposite message.

Phil Robertson
Deputy Asia Director, Human Rights Watch
EXPLORE

These days, county authorities are inspecting broadcast cables and forcing any households without speakers to purchase and install them

Unamed resident of Puryong
North Korea
EXPLORE

The move by ASEAN legitimizes the junta as if it were the government of Myanmar and supports its deepening relationship with the Russian regime, which is the junta’s biggest supplier of arms.

Justice for Myanmar
EXPLORE

We have faced a big challenge integrating these students in schools as it required extra resources...

Pan Wen-chung
Taiwan Minister of Education
EXPLORE

We must act now to reverse this disastrous trend because the communities and countries of the Mekong cannot afford to lose them.

Lan Mercado
Regional Director, World Wildlife Fund Asia-Pacific
EXPLORE

We want the search to carry on but we also have to be realistic. We cannot expect the government to spend billions (on the search).

V.P.R. Nathan
Husband of Anne Daisy, one of the passengers on the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 which vanished on March 8, 2014
EXPLORE

This is highly alarming. Monsoon changing its pattern will bear consequences for agrarian Bangladesh.

Bazlur Rashid
Meteorologist and co-author, "Changing Climate of Bangladesh," released Feb 27
EXPLORE

The Indian authorities have an obligation to uphold the right to peaceful protest, whoever is taking part and whatever the issue….

Elaine Pearson
Asia Director, Human Rights Watch
EXPLORE

If Assange is extradited and prosecuted in the U.S. under the Espionage Act ... [i]t would set a harmful precedent for governments worldwide, establishing a framework whereby states can pursue journalists through the courts, no matter where they are located.

Committee to Protect Journalists
EXPLORE

They [social media companies] should have steps actually helping out activists to protect their freedom of speech…. They need to be more transparent, so users and the public know whether government-sponsored hacking activities are going on

Yaqiu Wang
Research Director for China, Hong Kong and Taiwan at Freedom House
EXPLORE

The current protests reflect the unequal power relations across the borrowers and lenders, which are often predatory.

Khushbu Mishra
Economist and Associate Professor, Stetson University in the United States
EXPLORE

If the government is really serious about seeking reelection, it should start by taking concrete steps to repeal restrictive laws, release human rights activists in detention and halt the harassment and reprisals against them.

Josef Benedict
Civil Space Researcher, CIVICUS
EXPLORE

Vague provisions will criminalize peaceful exercise of human rights and have a detrimental impact on human rights defenders.

Mary Lawlor
U.N Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders
EXPLORE

This lamentable outcome on Jemboy’s case shows how the Philippine justice system continues to fail the victims of police killings and brutality in the country in pursuing full accountability of perpetrators.

Cristina Palabay
Secretary General, KARAPATAN (Alliance for the Advancement of People's Rights)
EXPLORE

[China] must respect human rights & freedom of expression and include Tibetans in the development & implementation of water and land management policies.

Uzra Zeya
U.S. Undersecretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights and Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues
EXPLORE

The probe is needed so the upcoming government is legitimate.

Hermawi Taslim
Secretary General, Partai NasDem, the biggest political party in Indonesia
EXPLORE

All evidence indicates that Chiang Kai-shek was responsible for 228, but his giant statue is still housed in a memorial hall - that's just rubbing it in for us family members.

Peter Pan (潘信行)
Son of one of the victims of the 228 Incident in Taiwan, an anti-Kuomintang government uprising in 1947 that led to a brutal crackdown
EXPLORE

I don’t have the data, but if people weren’t impoverished, they wouldn’t be asking for help. I am not talking about luxurious goods but about basic needs.

William Cheah
Kembara Kitchen, a social enterprise in Malaysia
EXPLORE

Hosting them is a valuable experience for the city.... [W]e would like citizens ... to learn the tragedy of war and understand the importance of settling disputes through peaceful means, not by force.

Tetsuya Yamamoto
Chief education official, Awaji Island, in western Japan
EXPLORE

We firmly continue to stand against the use of the death penalty and I think the public nature of these executions is particularly heinous.

Stéphane Dujarric
Spokesperson for U.N. Secretary General
EXPLORE

[Bangladesh] needs workable relations with the junta for the sake of border security cooperation and negotiations over the Rohingya.

Michael Kugelman
South Asia director, Wilson Center, a Washington-based think tank
EXPLORE

The leak provides some of the most concrete details seen publicly to date, revealing the maturing nature of China’s cyber-espionage ecosystem.

SentinelLabs
A cybersecurity firm
EXPLORE

The Health Ministry sees the resignations of junior doctors as a collective action and issued return-to-work orders to punish them. Doctors didn’t know that South Korea was a dictatorship capable of exercising excessive abuse of laws.

Joo Soo-ho
Former president. Korean Medical Association
EXPLORE

Some young people don’t dare to leave their house anymore. They’re even afraid of crossing roads.

Unnamed resident in Mandalay, Myanmar
EXPLORE

Leaving is not my choice. I am unable to work and have been unfairly accused of prejudicing the interests of the state. It has become clear that I cannot keep living in India.

Vanessa Dougnac
French journalist
EXPLORE

Commencing an appeal would only delay the possibility of adequate and supervised medical care, after five years of inhumane treatment and abject medical neglect.

Family of Yang Hengjun
China-born Australian citizen and pro-democracy writer, who was recently slapped with a suspended death sentence on espionage charges
EXPLORE

We’ve been receiving a massive number of applications from Myanmar people in our job openings, mainly Gen Z and millennials telling us they need to leave [as soon as possible]. It’s heartbreaking.

Emilie Palamy Pradichit
Founder, Manushya Foundation (a human rights organization in Bangkok)
EXPLORE

I have spent nights here praying - and everything is gone. If we do not protect our history, then who will?

Rana Safvi
Historian and author
EXPLORE

When you enter a household, work hours, and get wages, you are already a domestic worker. They have the right to receive protection as migrant workers...

Judha Nugraha
Director, Indonesian Citizen Protection
EXPLORE

I felt heartbroken as my son was tortured and killed. I was so angry at first that I wanted to take revenge but we could do nothing but grieve.

Myint Zaw
EXPLORE

The arrest of a journalist strikes at the heart of democracy, revealing the fragility of Thailand’s commitment to freedom of speech and press freedom.

David Diaz-Jogeix
Senior Director of Programmes, ARTICLE 19
EXPLORE

I will readily become a fighter for social movements, a warrior for the pro-democracy movement, and a martyr for democracy and human rights.

Koo Sze-yiu
78, Veteran Hong Kong activist
EXPLORE

Today’s diplomatic complicity in the catastrophic human rights and humanitarian crisis in Gaza is the culmination of years of erosion of the international rule of law and global human rights system.

Agnès Callamard
Secretary General, Amnesty International
EXPLORE

We are here for the long haul. A month, six months, a year, it does not matter, we will only retreat when we win this battle.

Mela Singh
70, Indian farmer
EXPLORE

This report clearly identifies appalling risks that climate and environmental journalists face because of the stories they pursue.

Frane Maroević
Executive Director, International Press Institute (IPI)
EXPLORE

Women Press Freedom is alarmed by the incessant trolling and abuse being hurled at journalists by political parties in Pakistan ... following the country’s 10th general elections on February 8.

Coalition for Women in Journalism
EXPLORE

The junta’s atrocity crimes are a daily occurrence. (International Criminal Court) member states should urgently refer the situation to the Court and send a message to the junta that these attacks are unacceptable.

John Quinley
Director, Fortify Rights
EXPLORE

(T)he ethical and moral breaches by Jokowi show that he is against a critical public voice.

Aksi Gejayan Memanggil
Student movement in Yogyakarta, Indonesia
EXPLORE

One of the best ways to rebuild children’s lives and restore a sense of normalcy is to get them back to school and learning, so that they can play with their friends, learn and heal.

Alice Akunga
UNICEF representative to Nepal
EXPLORE

People with disabilities are said to face twice the risk of direct death by tsunami or collapsed homes. The outcome of the latest survey is serious.

Katsunori Fujii
Chairperson, Executive Board, Japan Council on Disability
EXPLORE

Failure to protect key contributors to the economy, as SMEs account for 52% of GDP and 45% of employment, could have dire consequences, potentially leading to economic collapse.

Tania Abeysundara
Business owner in Sri Lanka
EXPLORE

What we need is uniformity in sharing equal opportunities when it comes to education, employment and overall development.

Muhammad Arif
Chairman, Centre for Harmony and Peace, Uttar Pradesh, India
EXPLORE

There is a need to rewind and reconsider the existing states’ jurisdiction on Islamic law.

Nik Ahmad Kamal Nik Mahmod
Law Professor, Taylor University
EXPLORE

Economic challenges are so serious, grave, and the solutions so very painful that I am unsure how anyone who comes to power will steady the ship.

Abbas Nasir
Aljazeera Columnist and Former Executive Editor, BBC Asia Pacific Region
EXPLORE

Given the lingering pressures of the cost of living... we hope that we can take some proactive action, especially in the Budget, to support workers.

Ng Chee Meng
Secretary-General, National Trade Unions Congress (Singapore)
EXPLORE

Residents who refused to receive the photo were forced to take them, saying it was an order from the Party.

Unnamed resident
North Hamgyong, North Korea
EXPLORE

He learned that I am an activist, so he said to me, ‘You are in Thailand, so you can do whatever you like, but you should think about your relatives in Vietnam.'

Lu A Da
Head, Hmong Human Rights Coalition
EXPLORE

Nobody is converted or asked to become Christian. But still, police arrested our people.

Father Donald D’Souza
Chancellor and Spokesperson, Lucknow Diocese in India
EXPLORE

I would urge others who have become disabled in this revolution to keep fighting! We are going to achieve the goal we all want.

Khu Me Reh
Karenni Nationalities Defense Force in Myanmar
EXPLORE

He is punished by the Chinese government for his criticism of human rights abuses in China and his advocacy for universal values such as human rights, democracy and rule of law.

Feng Chongyi
Australian Scholar
EXPLORE

The Vietnamese government views the simple act of prayer as a direct threat to their power and legitimacy. No person should fear jail for exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief.

Mervyn Thomas
Founder and President, Central Highlands Evangelical Church of Christ (CSW)
EXPLORE

We've noticed an increase in neonatal deaths due to factors such as prematurity, low birth weight, intrauterine growth restriction, infections, and perinatal asphyxia.

Dr. Jahangir Alam
Director, Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute, and Secretary-General, Bangladesh Paediatric Association
EXPLORE

The attack is not an isolated act but the result of a coordinated online campaign of misinformation, disinformation and hate speech.

United Nations Refugee Agency
EXPLORE

Civil society in India has been defunded and several have been jailed.... It is also a signal to civil society: you can talk on water conversation or solar panels in villages but do not speak for human rights or rights of minorities.

Apoorvanand
Professor of Hindi Literature, University of Delhi
EXPLORE

I hope, after my visit, the government authorities will look into those cases, review the case and dismiss the charges. Or, bring them to trial rapidly with full due process so that it can be decided whether or not they are guilty.

Irene Khan
U.N. Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion,
EXPLORE

There is still time for the international community – ASEAN, the U.N., our neighbours and other nations – to stand with us on the right side of history.

Duwa Lahsi La
Acting President, Myanmar National Unity Government
EXPLORE

Why have you come here? Why have you brought your vehicles here? This is our ancestral land. We graze our livestock here.

Unnamed herder
Union Territory of Ladakh, India
EXPLORE

This is potentially the most dangerous moment for human rights in Hong Kong since the introduction of the National Security Law in 2020. The new proposed Article 23 legislation could further entrench repression in the city.

Chan Chak-ming
Amnesty International
EXPLORE

Over the past three years, Thailand has witnessed rising demands for monarchy reform. The constitutional court has essentially disallowed that momentum to grow further.

Sunai Phasuk
Asia Division Senior Researcher, Human Rights Watch
EXPLORE

Every single civil and political right, whether it be freedom of expression, right to public assembly, or freedom of association, is being systematically violated by the Vietnamese government.

Phil Robertson
Deputy Asia Director, Human Rights Watch (HRW)

As the Constitution states that legislators are obligated to protect people's basic rights, we believe that the lawmakers' dereliction of duty has violated the Constitution.

Huang Hsin-wen (黃馨雯)
Lawyer, Environmental Rights Foundation

They have weapons, but we have the courage to continue our struggle against atrocities and injustices.

Mahrang Baloch
Activist
EXPLORE

Until our politics puts a stop to hatred for the other side and misguided language that disseminates that hatred to the public, there’s a strong chance that unfortunate incidents like this one will continue to occur.

Yun Jae-ok
Member, South Korea Parliament
EXPLORE

Everyone in my family is suffering from cold-related ailments. We have spent the whole winter outdoors and under a tent.

Keshar Bahadur Rawat
Resident of Ward 1, Bheri Municipality, Jajarkot, Kamali Province, Nepal
EXPLORE

The challenge now is to make sure these policies and strategies take hold in the field. That task falls to prefectures and municipalities, which must implement them.

The Mainichi
EXPLORE

It serves as a continuation of ethnic genocide, systematically dismantling Uyghur culture through this approach.

Ilshat Hesen Kokbore
Vice Chairman, Executive Committee, World Uyghur Congress
EXPLORE

(A) lot of education still needs to be done with (Malaysia's) government agencies themselves to adopt human rights as a framework for their work.

Ryan Chua
Programme Director, Pusat KOMAS (a human rights group in Malaysia)
EXPLORE

In addition to jeopardizing democratic values, vague and overly restrictive legislation can hinder investment and the development of a digital economy, undermining the economic growth that Sri Lanka needs.

Julie Chung
U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka
EXPLORE

We urge the authorities to release [Vietnamese political prisoner Nguyen Thuy Hanh] so that she can receive full and immediate access to proper medical care.

Josef Benedict
Campaigner, CIVICUS
EXPLORE

Saving lives and rescuing those in distress at sea is a humanitarian imperative and a longstanding duty under international maritime law.

United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees
EXPLORE

There you will die once; here you die daily, every moment.

Ashok Rohilla
Indian cechanic in India
EXPLORE

When the buying of illegally imported animals stops, the smuggling will cease.

National Parks Board and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority
EXPLORE

[The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan] stands in solidarity with the ongoing Baloch camp led by women against enforced disappearances that has faced persistent harrassment from local law enforcement, as well as dismissal from government authorities.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
EXPLORE

China has long ranked as one of the world’s worst jailers of journalists. Censorship makes the exact number of journalists jailed there notoriously difficult to determine.

The Committee to Protect Journalists
EXPLORE

Twenty years later, we continue to search for the real killer and those behind the killings to bring them to justice.

Rong Chhun
Cambodian union leader and activist
EXPLORE

Airshed management needs a regional plan. But 2024 is an election year in India and Pakistan, and government-to-government cooperation hasn’t reached that level.

Abid Suleri
Analyst, Sustainable Development Policy Institute (an Islamabad-based nonprofit)
EXPLORE

This dangerous and brazen case of terror-tagging poses a direct threat to the life of Ka Daning, his family, and other peasant leaders and members of the KMP [Peasant Movement of the Philippines] and the progressive peasant movement.

Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (Peasant Movement of the Philippines)
EXPLORE

In my opinion, the shooting is not a terrorist incident, but this is a sign that the water has broken its banks and people cannot stand the oppression.

Alur Y Min
An evangelical church preacher and a member of Vietnam's ethnic group Ede, who's now living as a refugee in Thailand
EXPLORE

(T)hose responsible should be held accountable, and the honor of the 159 victims who lived faithfully every day should be restored. I hope that the religious community will pay attention and be with us until the end.

Lee Jeong-min
Chairperson, Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families Association
EXPLORE

(I)t is more politically important to have the IPCM [Independent Press Council Myanmar] because... we can promote media freedom more independently....

Tin Tin Nyo
Managing Director, Burma News International
EXPLORE

This case will set a precedent for those who love this country and want to fight for justice in the country to hold protests.

Panthep Puapongpan
Member, People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD)
EXPLORE

[Ilham Tohti's] life sentence demonstrates [China’s] efforts to silence those brave enough to speak out against the government’s discriminatory practices and other human rights abuses, which include genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

U.S. State Department
EXPLORE

Lack of awareness, incorrect traditions, the dominance of religious leaders and fatwas, poverty, and families’ desperation – all contribute to forcing girls into forced and underage marriages.

Taranum Saeedi
Women’s rights activist
EXPLORE

We protested because the compensation was inadequate…. The rights [of citizens] have been violated [by people] who have power and wealth to oppress villagers.

Sith
Farmer from Preah Vhear province, Cambodia
EXPLORE

The draft outlines an overbearing system of self-regulation … that can allow the government to exercise a great degree of control on these bodies … therefore create an overarching censorship framework.

Editors Guild of India
EXPLORE

We do not want humanitarian aid to stop should our intervention stop… I hope for more international community support for these MLCs (Migrant Learning Centers) because they rely on donors.

Rika Yorozu
Executive Officer and Regional Programme Coordinator, UNESCO
EXPLORE

A fixed parliamentary term can also ensure the continuous implementation of reform agendas and policies without disruption.

Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said
Minister in the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reforms)
EXPLORE

While drug use presents a serious challenge to society, a heavy-handed law enforcement approach is not the solution.

Spokesperson
U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights
EXPLORE

In a strategic effort to legitimize its colonization of the Uyghur region, the Chinese Communist Party carefully organizes propagandist visits for diplomats, journalists and religious scholars.

Claudia Bennett
Legal and Program Officer, Human Rights Foundation
EXPLORE

Cambodia’s self-characterization as a democratic government does not reflect the reality.

Human Rights Watch
EXPLORE

My only hope is that my parents can enjoy a dignified, peaceful, and serene old age – until our next life when and where we may finally meet.

Simon Cheng
U.K.-based activist wanted by Hong Kong's national security police
EXPLORE

We express our serious concern over the allegations of judicial harassment, office raids, targeted financial sanctions, asset freezing and other administrative sanctions against religious groups, Indigenous Peoples and organizations.

Six U.N. Special Rapporteurs
EXPLORE

No one can say what the law is at present because the military council has ignored laws and regulations.

Unnamed Burmese lawyer
EXPLORE

We are often forced to shut shops due to curfews and shutdowns even after months of violence.

Helena Kshetri
Fruit Vendor in India
EXPLORE

I never thought I would see in my lifetime a ban on the cruel dog meat industry in South Korea, but this historic win for animals is testament to the passion and determination of our animal protection movement.

JungAh Chae
Executive Director, Humane Society International Korea
EXPLORE

Beijing is signalling that it can violate Taiwanese airspace at will and challenge its sovereignty.

Raymond Kuo
Director, Taiwan Policy Initiative at Rand Corp.
EXPLORE

Afghanistan endured its worst drought in 30 years last year... something which has kept levels of food insecurity in Afghanistan among the highest in the world.

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
EXPLORE

In such an environment, it is better to boycott the election. The election did not go as we were assured. Even complaining to the police did not help

Mokabbir Khan
Member of Parliament representing Sylhet 2 (Bishwanath-Osmaninagar) constituency and a candidate of Gono Forum (People's Forum) in Bangladesh
EXPLORE

He just simply wants justice for himself and others who are the victims.

Soc Synet
Wife of Cambodian government critic and agricultural expert, Ny Nak
EXPLORE

Rather than a president who is devoted to running the country and prioritizing state affairs, Yoon looks more like a husband doing everything in his power to protect his wife.

The Hankyoreh
EXPLORE

This staggering workload takes a toll on their personal lives, well-being, and ability to provide quality education.

Justine Itugot
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Cerebro, an edtech company dedicated to empowering teachers and enhancing education
EXPLORE

War is madness, it is always a defeat for humanity.

Pope Francis
EXPLORE

This act is extremely troubling in updating a colonial-era instrument concerning telecommunications in India.

Raman Jit Singh Chima
Asia Policy Director and Senior International Counsel, Access Now
EXPLORE

A junior-high school student being murdered on campus indicates that there is a big hole in the campus safety net.

Chang Che-wei (張哲維)
National Alliance of Presidents of Parents’ Associations (Taiwan)
EXPLORE

This election is a charade. It’s a mockery of our democracy – whatever is left of it.

Shahidul Alam
Rights Activist, Bangladesh
EXPLORE

People are desperate to leave the country as they have lost hope that they can substantially improve their living standards staying in this country [Nepal].

Hari Roka
Political economy analyst in Nepal
EXPLORE

We have the freedom to organize weddings, but they are only recognized by our families, not the state. Without the marriage law, discrimination against LGBT people would continue.

Souy Sitha
72-year-old Cambodian, who has been in a same-sex marriage since 1975
EXPLORE

Just because we're unseen and unheard, it doesn't mean that there's no discrimination. In addition to social stigma and prejudice, we are not granted equal rights in government policies and the state welfare system.

Kim Min-jeong
30-year-old bisexual
EXPLORE

I have been punished for a crime that I haven't committed. If you want to call it justice, you can.

Muhammad Yunus
Bangladeshi Nobel Peace Laureate and Founder of Grameen Bank, a microcredit institution
EXPLORE

The deadly figures from this year illustrate how badly we need an international binding instrument forcing states to adopt key mechanisms to protect journalists’ safety and independence.

Anthony Bellanger
General Secretary, International Federation of Journalists
EXPLORE

Judicial documents carry the goal of the rule of law … it is an essential part of justice to disclose the facts of a case, the results of the judgment and the corresponding reasons.

Lao Dongyan
China Policy Critic and Law Professor, Tsinghua University in Beijing
EXPLORE

Since Vietnam's prisons provide virtually no health services to start with, Le Huu Minh Tuan should be immediately and unconditionally released....

Phil Robertson
Deputy Director, Human Rights Watch Asia
EXPLORE

Khudi Bari has saved us. We did not leave... we slept on the upper floor. I hope we will never have to flee our homes thanks to this house.

Abu Sayeed
40-year-old farmer living in Char Shildaha, Bangladesh
EXPLORE

I am very disappointed, particularly in the significant increase in deaths among motorcyclists and the elderly, and those caused by gravel trucks and tour buses. We have to address the issue with local officials and propose solutions to problems such as fatigue driving.

Wang Kwo-tsai
Taiwan Minister of Transportation and Communications
EXPLORE

Increasingly, journalists in India face the threat of unlawful surveillance simply for doing their jobs.

Donncha Cearbhaill
Head, Amnesty International (AI) Security Lab,
EXPLORE

What's the difference between you and the uneducated, violent group? Your alma mater is a symbol of higher education. But your mentality is savage.

Herriy Cahyadi
Founder, Visi Searah Cendekia Foundation (a humanitarian NGO in Indonesia)
EXPLORE

We often suffer from asthma, fever and allergies while operating rickshaws on the streets. It is often very painful.

Rafiq Mondal
Driver in Dhaka, Bangladesh
EXPLORE

After that [earthquake], every night in the tent it has been getting colder and colder. It will soon start snowing, how will we survive?

Shanta Bahadur Budha
Resident, Barekot, a municipality in Jajarkot District, Karnali Province of Nepal
EXPLORE

But for many more positions marked ‘men-only’, women really had no way to apply.

Wang Lin
Author, Data analysis report by the Inspection Squad for Workplace Gender Discrimination, a non-government organization fighting gender discrimination in China
EXPLORE

When it comes to searching entertainment venues, police and drug officials may use suspicion as a reason to take photos of ID cards or personal documents of a suspect, which is an abuse of their human their human rights and personal liberty.

Rawitsara Piakhuntod
Human Rights Officer, Institute of HIV Research and Innovation in Thailand
EXPLORE

Millions of girls have been prevented from going to schools. This, along with harmful social norms and traditional practices, has exposed many girls to severe forms of violence and abusive behaviors, including honor killings ...

Virginia Gamba
Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the U.N. for Children and Armed Conflict
EXPLORE

Most of the crimes that occur recently are for survival, and if people had enough to live, they would not have occurred in the first place.

Unnamed North Korean
EXPLORE

There is a deeply-rooted patriarchal mindset that is still very normal in India, and many people still see girls and women as burdens.

Sunil Jaglan
Indian activist campaigning against female feticide in the country
EXPLORE

Sarawak will be the first state to offer a free education program to its citizens. The state government undoubtedly considers this as a chance to give back to the community.

Dr Zaimuariffudin Shukri Nordin
Head of education, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak’s (UNIMAS) Faculty of Education, Language and Communication
EXPLORE

(E)fforts to broaden rights for LGBTI people don’t go nearly far enough to ensure equal rights guaranteed under international law. These bills set Thailand on a new path that could right those wrongs.

Chanatip Tatiyakaroonwong
Thailand Researcher, Amnesty International

All three candidates have released incredibly weak 2030 renewable energy targets, which are insufficient to address Taiwan’s renewable energy shortage.

Lena Chang (張皪心)
East Asia Climate and Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace
EXPLORE

The world has no excuse for neglecting a humanitarian crisis that repeats itself every year…. The international community has the power to solve this issue, but the will to do so is lacking.

Kyaw Win
Executive Director, Burma Human Rights Network
EXPLORE

China knows that an exodus of North Korean refugees would be massive and unstoppable once they realize China is safe to go to…. Border guards would be among the first to flee. That means the collapse of the border and the beginning of the end of the Kim Jong-un regime.

Kang Chol-hwan
North Korean defector-turned-activist and president of Seoul-based North Korea Strategy Center
EXPLORE

2024 will be disastrous on the lives and livelihood of the drivers and operators, and even commuters who have lost so many hours in productive work and income due to the absence of a viable mass public transport system.

Bayan Muna Partylist
EXPLORE

As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and on the occasion of International Migrants' Day ... it is more necessary than ever to remind States of their legal obligations to respect and implement cultural rights of migrant workers and members of their families. These rights are ... inherent in the dignity of all human persons.

United Nations Committee on Migrant Workers
EXPLORE

The trial is a travesty of justice. It may be Jimmy Lai who is in the dock, but it is press freedom and the rule of law that are on trial in Hong Kong.

Beh Lih Yi
Asia Program Coordinator, Committee to Protect Journalists
EXPLORE

In responding with force, the state has once again violated the protestors’ constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of peaceful assembly.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
EXPLORE

Host clubs operate like cults. It’s a vicious business model that is no different from human trafficking. Host clubs are not selling champagne – they’re selling women’s bodies.

Hidemori Gen
Founder, Nippon Kakekomidera (which translates as Japan refuge temple), a nonprofit helping troubled youth
EXPLORE

The release of woman human rights defender Neda Parwani and her husband is a positive development. She should not have been put in prison in the first place.

Amnesty International South Asia
EXPLORE

We have electricity bills that haven’t been paid for since August; the shelter hasn’t been receiving food since July, either.

Vicky Chandel
Caretaker, Homeless Shelter in Dandi Park, India
EXPLORE

Many political prisoners die in their 40s, mostly because of the severe torture they go through while in prison.

Ngawang Sangdrol
Former political prisoner
EXPLORE

Who is responsible for these kinds of abuses? Who are the actual people who are on the ground repressing the population and implementing these policies?

Peter Irwin
Associate Director for Research and Advocacy, Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP)
EXPLORE

Malaysia is one of only two countries globally that discriminate against men in passing their nationality to children born out of wedlock.

Maalini Ramalo
Development of Human Resources for Rural Areas, Director of Social Protection

As the Afghanistan people are in bad economic situation, this is the human, moral and social job of the international community to not leave Afghanistan people alone.

Abdul Zohoor Madabir
Afghan economic expert

To provide quality patient care, healthcare workers need to work in an environment where they feel safe and are not threatened or traumatised by incidents of abuse and harassment.

Ministry of Health in Singapore
EXPLORE

We've learned that many BNP [Bangladesh Nationalist Party] activists were tortured in police custody after they were arrested as part of the nationwide crackdown.

Kayser Kamal
Legal Chief, Bangladesh Nationalist Party
EXPLORE

We reported to the authorities when we came upon the forest crimes so that legal action could be taken on the perpetrators, but there was no investigation after that.

Srey Thy
Representative, Prey Lang Community Network
EXPLORE

During the first few months at the casino, we were seriously punished, tased, left standing in the sun all day, and sometimes deprived of food. We worked all day, non-stop with no break at all.

Unnamed Laoatian returnee and human trafficking victim
EXPLORE

Relocating the school is a good idea, but nearly the entire town is flooded. Where can we be relocated?

Eufemia Castro
Head, San Gabriel Elementary School, Macabebe, Pampanga Province, located northwest of Manila
EXPLORE

Many Afghan returnees are vulnerable, including women and children, who could lose their lives in a harsh winter if left without adequate shelter.

U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
EXPLORE

Our government has continued to try to restore the honor and dignity of the victims of wartime sexual slavery.

Unnamed official
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, South Korea
EXPLORE

The attacks on the media in Bangladesh, especially by leaders and members affiliated with political parties, are extremely alarming.

International Federation of Journalists
EXPLORE

The prosecution and detention of Bilal Mohammed and Yusufu Mieraili exemplify some of the disturbing features of Thailand’s criminal justice and penitentiary systems, which are too often rife with abuses and discrimination.

Adilur Rahman Khan
Secretary-General, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
EXPLORE

The prosecutors’ raid on a media company CEO's residence over charges of defamation, which are not included in the scope of their direct investigation authority… is the sort of action that we might witness during the dictatorship.

People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy
A Seoul-based NGO
EXPLORE

The new standalone tobacco law is necessary but stops short of being bold for the sake of public health.

Loh Foon Fong
Senior Freelance Health Journalist, Malaysia
EXPLORE

South Korea cannot save these people on its own. Help is needed from everyone who is concerned about what will happen to these people when they get back to North Korea.

Kim Sang-woo
South Korean Congress for New Politics and Board Member, Kim Dae-jung Peace Foundation
EXPLORE

Honor killing in Pakistan is an abhorrent ... practice that has no place in our modern society. We must unite as a collective force against this grave violation of human dignity.

Malaika Raza
General Secretary (Human Rights wing), Pakistan People’s Party
EXPLORE

The problem will still be the same. This law will be used by officials who felt offended; the officials will get extra protection by this law.

Citra Referendum
Jakarta Legal Aid Institute
EXPLORE

Trafficking in persons is a serious human rights violation, and the government has a responsibility to prevent such crimes, punish perpetrators, and provide protection and assistance to victims.

National Human Rights Commission of Korea
EXPLORE

Important lessons of the Holocaust ... and the lessons of Cambodia, Rwanda, the former Yugoslavia, and others – made it absolutely clear that p reventing genocide, and bringing its perpetrators to account before all humanity, is essential to the work of advancing human rights.

Volker Türk
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights
EXPLORE

Concerted efforts must be made to prevent the recurrence of such violent incidents and to safeguard the fundamental right to worship without fear of anyone.

Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo
President, Caritas Philippines (the social action arm of the Catholic Church in the Philippines)
EXPLORE

I don’t want to be forced to do anything any more, and I don’t want to be forced to go to mainland China any more.

Agnes Chow
Hong Kong activist who was one of the nine people arrested in 2020 under the new national security law and released on bail under conditions,
EXPLORE

While completely disappointing, the Prosecutor’s decision underscores the urgent need for a truly international effort to prosecute the crimes unfolding in Myanmar

Matthew Smith
Chief Executive Officer, Fortify Rights
EXPLORE

Journalists must be able to do their work without fearing for their safety.

Iris Hsu
China Representative, Committee to Protect Journalists
EXPLORE

The Chinese government may use as many strategies as they want, but they cannot succeed in erasing the faith and loyalty that Tibetans have for His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Pema Gyal
Researcher, Tibet Watch London
EXPLORE

This is a huge insult to our lolas (grandmothers). And that’s what they (grandmothers) are also thinking, that what happened before may (be repeated).

Clydelle Jorgio
Philippine youth volunteer, Lila Pilipina (an organization of Filipino comfort women who were used as sex slaves by the Japanese army during World War II)
EXPLORE

The IFJ condemns the violent assault of Md Nahid Hasan, and calls for a swift and thorough investigation into the incident. The rise in attacks on journalists and media workers by the BCL [Bangladesh Chhatra League] and other political groups is deeply alarming...

International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
EXPLORE

If the flood will cut us off, we will miss the nature of this village, our neighbors and relatives.

Tehzeeb Jamil
15, a resident of Hassanabad village, in Hunza Valley in Gilgit-Baltistan region (dubbed the land of glaciers), in northern Pakistan
EXPLORE

Brokers take the Rohingya refugees in small boats going between the maritime boundaries of Bangladesh and Myanmar. Then they take the refugees to larger vessels far out to the sea.

Unnamed Rohingya refugee in Bangladesh
EXPLORE

What he and his colleagues at The Kashmir Walla actually did was to report widely and honestly about events in Kashmir, where journalists operate in an increasingly oppressive and hostile atmosphere.

Mark Sappenfield
Editor, The Christian Science Monitor
EXPLORE

Despite sustained international and national pressure and countless campaigns, the families of the murdered civilians still await full justice....

International Federation of Journalists
EXPLORE

By taking control of the Broadcasting Council, the military regime eliminates one of the last obstacles to its complete control over the media.

Cédric Alviani
Asia-Pacific Bureau Director, Reporters Without Borders
EXPLORE

It was a special feeling when I could make something delicious, but my legs and back ache now, and understanding the revised law is difficult. I just can't do it anymore.

Unnamed 85-year-old daikon pickle farme from Sannai district in Yokote, Akita Prefecture, Japan
EXPLORE

(T)he so-called ‘war on drugs’ has militarized drug control efforts.. alongside evidence of multiple and serious human rights violations in some cases.

Volker Türk
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights
EXPLORE

With over six million people already internally displaced throughout the country, Afghans returning from Pakistan face a precarious, uncertain future.

International Organization for Migration
EXPLORE

I don't know if government agencies care about these people as much as the support center does.

Yang Mo-min
50, Naturalized citizen from Bangladesh, who works as a counselor at the Uijeongbu Support Center for Foreign Workers, in the city of Uijeongbu in northern Gyeonggi Province, South Korea
EXPLORE

The reported incident apparently indicates that the authorities, who are the lawful guardians of the inmates in their custody, have failed to protect the juveniles.

National Human Rights Commission India
On the reported sexual abuse of two juveniles by fellow wards in a child protection home in Mukherjee Nagar in northern Delhi
EXPLORE

The Executive Yuan must take action on the issue which should include improving work conditions, increasing salaries, clarifying legal responsibilities...

Fan Sun-lu (范巽綠)
Member, Control Yuan
EXPLORE

Australian officials should publicly and clearly call on the Lao government to respect freedom of expression and association, and end the cruel practice of forcibly disappearing its critics.

Daniela Gavshon
Australia Director, Human Rights Watch
EXPLORE

Amidst rapidly changing circumstances on the ground, it is imperative that all parties strictly respect international human rights law and international humanitarian law, particularly to protect civilians.

Jeremy Laurence
Spokesperson, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights
EXPLORE

We see problems in the country and fight for change, and to gain freedom and equality. That is not an offence. I do not have to plead guilty, and this is not an admission of guilt even if I have to be punished.

Anon Nampa
Human Rights Lawyer in Thailand
EXPLORE

We won't be able to go back; we won't be able to report on the ground, and that really limits you as a journalist in a huge way.

Shibani Mahtani
Co-Author, "Among the Braves," a recently published book on the protest movement in Hong Kong
EXPLORE

Ongoing mass political arrests, enforced disappearance, extrajudicial killings, and torture of political opponents and critics make the Bangladesh government’s commitments to ‘protecting human rights for all’ meaningless.

Julia Bleckner
Senior Asia Researcher, Human Rights Watch
EXPLORE

Recently, there has been an increase in the number of criminal incidents in this region [the Golden Triangle], including the kidnapping and imprisonment of our [South Korean] nationals to force them to commit illegal acts in exchange for lucrative rewards.

Spokesperson
South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs
EXPLORE

Cambodian authorities cruelly uprooted families who have lived in Angkor for several generations, forcing them to live hand to mouth at ill-prepared relocation sites.

Montse Ferrer
Interim Deputy Regional Director for Research, Amnesty International
EXPLORE

We expect much out of the robot now that labor is in such short supply.

Takeshi Yoshida
Head, Takamiya No Aisai Farm
EXPLORE

The need for legal aid in the country is very large because people really need help from lawyers, especially in cases of land grabbing and disputes. There are many disputes, complaints and denunciations.

Vo An Don
Activist lawyer who left Vietnam to seek political asylum in the United States
EXPLORE

The HRCP is especially alarmed by rights violations against vulnerable groups.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
EXPLORE

If the children are not being educated or are not skilled enough, there’s going to be intergenerational poverty.

Manoj Dhar
Founder, Integrated Brilliant Education Limited (IBEL)
EXPLORE

Women described fainting, being hospitalized with dehydration, or being otherwise sickened by heat while pregnant.... Some women described exhausted despair while hand-fanning hot and uncomfortable babies hour after hour without electricity to run a fan.

Skye Wheeler
Women's Rights Division Senior Researcher, Human Rights Watch
EXPLORE

The new place is also too far away from the city, markets, and schools… There is no land to farm. It’s just a house in which we can sleep. We can’t do anything else.

Unnamed resident
Na Teuy resettlement village, Luang Namtha Province, Laos
EXPLORE

There is no place for such cruelty and oppression in a territory that claims to uphold the rule of law and respect the right to freedom of expression.

Catholic Church Leaders
EXPLORE

It was a time when we witnessed the depth of human suffering and the height of human compassion... [where I found] countless acts of kindness.

Alren Beronio
Photographer from Eastern Samar in the Eastern Visayas region, Philippines
EXPLORE

Parents often endure physical and psychological stress when caring for premature babies, with some of them struggling to pay medical bills. Government-funded subsidies would be a great help to first-time parents with premature infants.

Huang Hsiung-fang (黃秀芳)
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator in Taiwan
EXPLORE

This week, we learned that a source of funding that we had been counting on was no longer going to come through, and we have had to make the difficult decision to close down.

Jeremy Goldkorn
Editor-in-Chief, The China Project, one of the few independently funded English-language publications covering China for Western audiences
EXPLORE

The health repercussions of air pollution in cities are extensive and multifaceted. These bustling urban areas, besieged by elevated air pollution levels, confront a spectrum of health issues that affect people of all age groups.

Abdul Waheed Bhutto
Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Dawood University of Engineering and Technology, in Karachi, Pakistan
EXPLORE

The parties to the conflict & the international community face an immediate & fundamental responsibility: Stop this inhuman collective suffering & dramatically expand humanitarian aid.

António Guterres
U.N. Secretary-General
EXPLORE

(W)e must recognize and treasure the presence, identity, tradition, and culture of Indigenous peoples in the Asian Church. The ministries should include them in all kinds of services, not only as beneficiaries but also providers of services

Sister Magdalen Bui
Missionary Nun, Good Shepherd, Vietnam
EXPLORE

If doctors are unconditionally exempted from criminal punishment, that will threaten patients' safety.

Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice
A civil society group in South Korea
EXPLORE

The Indian authorities have weaponized laws to crack down on the human rights work by HRDs [human rights defenders], activists, and non-profit organizations in the country.

Aakar Patel
Chairperson, Amnesty International India
EXPLORE

The decision... is bad news for Awyu Indigenous People, who are struggling to defend their customary land.

Coalition to Save Papuan Customary Forests
EXPLORE

We hope victims will feel safe and can consult without hesitation.

Ayuko Kato
Minister of State for Policies Related to Children
EXPLORE

We make expensive clothes; they get sold at higher prices abroad.They make good money. But we don't get a wage in accordance with that. Why can't they pay us a higher wage, if they can sell the clothes at higher prices?

Nasima
Garment worker in Bangladesh
EXPLORE

Where is democracy? [We are] people [just] walking on the streets who speak their mind but they outlaw us and the authorities are resorting to violence and unethical behavior.

Ream SreyMech Rathana
Environmental Activist
EXPLORE

Bangladesh should be ashamed of its treatment of women.

Syed Mohammad Saikh Imtiaz
Professor, Women and Gender Studies, Dhaka University
EXPLORE

This latest attack on independent media in Myanmar is representative of the junta’s systematic campaign against dissent.

Myanmar Journalists Network
EXPLORE

The Hong Kong Government’s increasing belligerent and authoritarian behaviour which includes the recent targeting of Australian citizens and Hong Kong activists with arrest warrants and bounties, reflect why it is wholly unsuited to join RCEP.

Kevin Andrews
Former Defense Minister and Former Member of Parliament in Australia
EXPLORE

House rents have also spiked. The only thing that has not increased is salaries.

Al Kamran
Union Leader in Ashulia, Bangladesh
EXPLORE

Delhi is facing the worst pollution levels of this season and the situation is unlikely to improve for the next few days.

Senior Official
Ministry of Earth Sciences, India
EXPLORE

We just want to know the fundamental reasons why on Oct. 29, 2022, thousands of people fell, 159 of them died and thousands of others were injured or ended up living with trauma.

Families of the Victims of the Itaewon Crush in South Korea
EXPLORE

Police and armed ruling party cadres attacked our peaceful rally.

Zahir Uddin Swapan
Spokesman, Bangladesh Nationalist Party
EXPLORE

Air pollution in Pakistan and across South Asia is a grave concern, significantly reducing life expectancy and adversely impact­ing the overall quality of life.

Shamsha Nadil
Karachi (Pakistan) resident
EXPLORE

If the authorities focus their energy on the matter, two years is definitely sufficient … They don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

Jerome Yau Ming-lock
Co-founder, Hong Kong Marriage Equality
EXPLORE

We are afraid to drive to the farm; the trucks do not give us the space to drive… We are worried that trucks will hit our children when they go to school.

San Sun
Resident of Rik Reay commune in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
EXPLORE

It is extremely disappointing that I will have to delay changing gender because that was not allowed by the latest ruling.

Takakito Usui
A transgender man
EXPLORE

We are a Christian people whose pastors are being murdered and whose churches and faith-based schools are being destroyed in a systematic campaign by junta forces.

Salai Za Uk Ling
Deputy Executive Director, Chin Human Rights Organization, and one of the five Myanmar nationals who filed a landmark complaint against 10 members of his country's military junta in Philippine courts on Oct. 25, based on the principle of “universal jurisdiction” in international law for the prosecution of war crimes
EXPLORE

Our question is: How can Member States increase accountability for the ongoing abuses faced by vulnerable populations in Afghanistan?

David Johnson
Senior Adviser for South and Central Asia in the United States
EXPLORE

The presidential office and all the government officials who exercised tangible and intangible pressure on the sale process will be held judicially accountable.

Yoon Chang-hyun
Head, National Union of Media Workers
EXPLORE

We’re hoping that they don’t do the bidding of a government that is trying to withhold the funds of citizens who want to leave that city.

Katherine Leung
Policy Adviser for Canada, Hong Kong Watch
EXPLORE

Military courts do not meet the standards of fair trial, nor are such trials likely to be impartial or independent ... (I)t is imperative that civilian institutions are upheld and strengthened, not undermined, by the use of military courts.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
EXPLORE

I would definitely say it’s a whitewash. Look at this report, it is very shallow.

Tan Ei Ein
Landslide survivor in Malaysia
EXPLORE

The government has to do positive things for us if they want our vote. We vote, right? So we also have rights, we also have demands, we’re also human.

Siddhant Roy
Queer activist
EXPLORE

With the beginning of the war, a good number of faithful are participating in all religious activities and sharing with me their anxieties and fear daily.

Father Chrisantha Sri Lal Fernando
Who is serving the Sri Lankan Catholic community in Israel
EXPLORE

We are calling upon the government, civil society and public and private sector partners to commit, communicate and take collective action to better support mental health and promote the well-being of all children, adolescents and caregivers.

Will Parks
UNICEF Representative to Cambodia
EXPLORE

They’re already in prison and have already been arrested… So they continue to torture our comrades psychologically. This only shows the brutality of the military dictators

Shin Thant
Member, Monywa People’s Strike Committee
EXPLORE

The Taliban’s philosophy is nothing to do with Islam, it is a draconian subversive philosophy which is against different people and different communities and as we know against women and girls.

Lord Ahmad
United Kingdom Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia
EXPLORE

Actions must be taken to make sure that foreign workers are not discriminated (against) in the area beyond our legal framework.

Lee Joo-hwan
Member, South Korean People Power Party
EXPLORE

There is hopelessness for the queers in India.

Midi, 28
LGBT student in New Delhi
EXPLORE

The Sheikh Hasina regime has long established a pattern of silencing dissidents and the opposition using the judiciary that has been massively infiltrated with her political loyalists.

Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman
Consultant, Capital Punishment Justice Project
EXPLORE

We don’t want to move because this is our Malay way of life. If we leave, our identity will be lost.

Saerah
63, resident of Rempang island in Indonesia's Riau province
EXPLORE

There is no room for opposition, and things are likely to get more repressive in the education sector.

Vawongsir
Political cartoonist in Hong Kong
EXPLORE