COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Over the past week, five Tamil reporters have been arrested by Sri Lankan police for receiving money from Tamil Tiger rebels.

However, after investigation into these allegations, Reporters Without Borders found that the reporters actually received the money from a German organization and Tamil exiles with no connection to the Tamil Tigers.  The money was going to be used by the reporters to help Tamil students and fund an outreach website in Sri Lanka.

Reporters Without Borders condemns the fact that these reporters were beaten during the first few days of detention, and demands that Sri Lankan authorities explain why they are still being held.

For more information, please see:

Reporters Without Borders – Tamil journalists arrested and beaten by police acting on wrong information – 12 March 2008

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan- President Pervez Musharraf announced today on state-run television that the newly-elected parliament will meet on March 17th.  The opposition coalition government (see Impunity Watch article here) has been putting pressure on the President to convene the parliament since it was elected on February 18th.

When the President declared a state of emergency and suspended the constitution on November 3rd, he also detained judiciary leaders including Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry.  Lawyers have been protesting Musharraf and these detentions ever since, and at a recent rally in Rawalpindi they again called for the President’s resignation.  At this rally, Aitzaz Ahsan, the leader of the lawyers movement in Pakistan, said: “Our struggle is to make Pakistan a state where the judiciary is independent, and what Musharraf did to the chief justice is an example of how under him no judge is ever independent.”  The lawyers have also come out saying that the parliamentary elections are not enough proof that Musharraf is dedicated to democracy.  They have planned a week of anti-Musharraf demonstrations, called Black Flag Week after the arm bands protesters have been wearing.

The coalition government between the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz was confirmed this Sunday.  When they convene on March 17th, the coalition and their other allies will not comprise the two-thirds majority necessary to impeach Musharraf, however they will have enough parliamentary votes to undermine his authority if they so choose.

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Date set for Pakistan parliament – 11 March 2008

New York Times – Lawyers Rally Against Musharraf Government – 8 March 2008

Impunity Watch – BRIEF: Tear Gas Fired on Lawyers in Pakistan Monday – 4 March 2008

Impunity Watch – BRIEF: Pressure on Musharraf to Convene Parliament – 27 February 2008

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan- President Pervez Musharraf announced today on state-run television that the newly-elected parliament will meet on March 17th.  The opposition coalition government (see Impunity Watch article here) has been putting pressure on the President to convene the parliament since it was elected on February 18th.

When the President declared a state of emergency and suspended the constitution on November 3rd, he also detained judiciary leaders including Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry.  Lawyers have been protesting Musharraf and these detentions ever since, and at a recent rally in Rawalpindi they again called for the President’s resignation.  At this rally, Aitzaz Ahsan, the leader of the lawyers movement in Pakistan, said: “Our struggle is to make Pakistan a state where the judiciary is independent, and what Musharraf did to the chief justice is an example of how under him no judge is ever independent.”  The lawyers have also come out saying that the parliamentary elections are not enough proof that Musharraf is dedicated to democracy.  They have planned a week of anti-Musharraf demonstrations, called Black Flag Week after the arm bands protesters have been wearing.

The coalition government between the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz was confirmed this Sunday.  When they convene on March 17th, the coalition and their other allies will not comprise the two-thirds majority necessary to impeach Musharraf, however they will have enough parliamentary votes to undermine his authority if they so choose.

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Date set for Pakistan parliament – 11 March 2008

New York Times – Lawyers Rally Against Musharraf Government – 8 March 2008

Impunity Watch – BRIEF: Tear Gas Fired on Lawyers in Pakistan Monday – 4 March 2008

Impunity Watch – BRIEF: Pressure on Musharraf to Convene Parliament – 27 February 2008

By Kristy Tridhavee
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Asia

BEIJING, China – Chinese prosecutors have decided to try Hu Jia, a prominent dissident, on subversion charges. Also, Chinese authorities have recently released Teng Biao, a human rights lawyer, after detaining him for two days.

Hu Jia is an advocate for AIDS sufferers and Tibetan-autonomy. Hu Jia was detained in early December for “inciting subversion of state power.” Hu Jia was under house arrest prior to his December-arrest for nearly a year. He chronicled his experience in essays on the internet and videos. He also often spoke with foreign reporters.

Many local and international groups have called for his release; however, prosecutors said they had accepted the police’s case and would bring him to court. Subversion charges are typical for dissidents that are heavily critical of the Communist party, and a conviction may lead to several years in prison.

Teng Biao is a human rights lawyer and part-time professor. A few days ago, he was detained by Chinese authorities while on his way home to his family. Witnesses said he was dragged into a car with two men in the parking lot of his apartment building.

Forty-one hours after his detainment, Teng Biao was released. In statements, he reported that he was not physically harmed but was intensively questioned at an unknown location. He also stated that he was sternly warned about recent internet articles he authored. However, Teng Biao refused to discuss the incident further because officers had cautioned him against speaking out.

In an essay Hu Jia and Ten Biao together wrote an essay denouncing the Communist ruling party. The two dissidents wrote: “Is China improving its human rights record? When you come to the Olympic Games in Beijing, you will see skyscrapers, spacious streets, modern stadiums and enthusiastic people. Please be aware that the Olympic Games will be held in a country where there are no elections, no freedom of religion, no independent courts, no independent trade unions; where demonstrations and strikes are prohibited.”

For more information, please see

Impunity Watch – BRIEF: Chinese Human Rights Lawyer Reported Missing – 7 March 2008

The Jurist – China Rights Activist to Stand Trial on Subversion Charges – 8 March 2008

NY Times – Chinese Lawyer Says He Was Detained and Warned on Activism – 9 March 2008

Reuters – China Dissident Hu Jia to Stand Trial: Lawyer – 8 March 2008

BANGKOK, Thailand – On March 12, 2004 Somchai Neelappaijit was kidnapped while in his car and has not been seen since. Somchai Neelappaijit, a chairman of Thailand’s Muslim Lawyers Association and vice-chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the Lawyers Council of Thailand, had just begun a lawsuit alleging widespread police torture of Muslims in the southern border provinces.

One month after his disappearance, five Thai police officers were arrested and charged only with coercion and gang robbery. They could not be charged with murder because Somchai Neelappaijit’s body could not be found, and they could not be charged with kidnapping because Thai criminal code only specifies kidnapping for ransom. After a highly criticized trial, only one police officer was convicted of coercion. However, he later was released after successfully filing an appeal.

Little has occurred in the Somchai Neelappaijit’s case since the trial. However, Human Rights Watch [HRW] urges the new Thai government to take steps to ensure the guilty officers are brought to justice. Brad Adams, Asia director at HRW, said, “Somchai’s case is a clear test for the new Thai government. Successive governments have engaged in a cover-up to hide the identities of the authors of this heinous crime. Four years later, no steps have been taken to hold these officials accountable.” Adams added, “Muslims in southernThailand have told us that the government’s failure to solve ‘disappearances’ leaves them with the perception that justice for them is disappearing as well,”

For more information, please see:

Human Rights Watch – Thailand : End Official Cover-Up in Lawyer’s “Disappearance” – 11 March 2008

United Press International Asia – No Justice for Disappeared Thai Lawyer – 6 March 2008