Human rights

The emergency has been caused by a lack of adequate facilities and the extensive use of preventive detention pending trial. There are at least 40,000 prisoners on the island in facilities with a total capacity of only 10,500 places. In some prisons, the actual capacity is exceeded by 400%.

For the first time, Islamic law is being used in this Malaysian state to initiate criminal proceedings. The “offence” is punishable by a fine of hundreds of euros and up to two years in prison. Under Islamic law, gender is determined at birth. A similar case involved transgender Nur Sajat, who fled to Australia in 2021.

The bishop of Kalookan and president of the Bishops’ Conference spoke about the fate of thousands of people who died during the Duterte years, whose fates have remained under investigation for years, with no answers for their families, this despite an inquiry by the Philippine Congress. To close this dark chapter, an independent body is needed to ensure that courage overcomes fear and accountability prevails over impunity.

Reports from the Busan summit are only about trade deals. While the trial of Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung (imprisoned for more than 1,500 days for Tiananmen vigils) is further postponed in Hong Kong, another independent newspaper is closing in Macau, and Radio Free Asia has come to a complete halt, stifled by cuts in US government funding. Is there still room for the fight for freedom in the era of transactional negotiations?

Sebastien Lai spoke to AsiaNews about his father’s ordeal. The 78-year-old Catholic businessman, who fought for democracy in Hong Kong, has been in prison since 2020. Given his poor health as a diabetic, “the fear for his life is very real.” Too many diabetics “have died in that situation in Hong Kong prisons.” The former media owner “is in solitary confinement,” denied the right to attend Mass. US President Donald Trump said that he would speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping about his case and get him released. His mother’s meeting with Pope Leo XIV gave her strength.

President Masoud Pezeshkian has signed the law, which has already come into force. For its promoters, it is a response to the leaks of confidential information during the “12-day war” with Israel (and the United States). Critics respond that the government has only targeted ordinary people, without punishing senior officials or those responsible. In the background is the serious economic crisis the country is going through.

Human Rights Watch is calling for a new investigation into the disappearance of the supporter of the opposition government-in-exile who went missing in Ampang (Malaysia). The advocacy group also warns of the risk of a possible transnational crackdown by Myanmar’s military junta. The activist fled in 2015 and was living under the protection of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Zhang Wenpeng, 32, has been in prison since September 2024, allegedly for offering advice to a person accused of corruption in Sanya. He was reportedly kept in chains for seven days and is not allowed to meet freely with his lawyer. In February 2023, he signed a petition calling for the abolition of the offence of ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’ used against dissidents and for which he himself has now been charged.

Receiving in audience the Aid to the Church in Need International, the pontiff cited Pope Francis who, in his last message to the world, stressed the link between this fundamental right and peace. For Leo, “we do not abandon our persecuted brothers and sisters.” Even small and vulnerable communities can be bearers of brotherhood, showing “that a different world is possible”.

China continues to violate the rights and abuse Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the western region. Victims' families are silenced and threatened. Those waiting for the return of a relative from detention centres tell their stories. For Brooks, Amnesty’s China Director, “lives have been destroyed, families separated, and communities dismantled by the Chinese authorities’ continuing cruelty.”

In recent days, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, visited the island. Meetings were held with religious leaders, politicians and civil society figures. The issue of internal ‘accountability’ and the creation of an independent prosecutor to shed light on past abuses. The story of over a hundred Rohingya adrift off the north coast.

The report was presented in Geneva by the World Organisation Against Torture. There were 2,739 deaths in prison in 2024, an increase on the previous year. New Delhi has never ratified the UN Convention against these horrific practices. Emblematic of impunity is the story of two Christian traders from Tamil Nadu who died in prison in 2020 after being arrested for violating the lockdown during Covid: their family has still not obtained justice.