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Presentation at the International Human Rights Colloquium at San Paulo organised by CONECTAS from 3rd to 8th November by: Basil Fernando Executive Director of the Asian Human Rights Commission This is quite a useful opportunity to look into the issue of social change from the perspective of human rights. The word social change implies the […]

Basil Fernando (A presentation for the International Seminar on Freedom from Torture – Challenges we face for the rehabilitation and prevention on the occasion on the 25th anniversary of the Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims (RCT), October 30, 2007) May I first of all congratulate the Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims […]

(A comment on the Indian Supreme Court judgement on the Best Bakery Case) –Basil Fernando, May 2007 …[B]ullshitters, although they represent themselves as being engaged simply in conveying information, are not engaged in that enterprise at all. Instead, and most essentially, they are fakers and phonies who are attempting by what they say to manipulate […]

The following was initially delivered as a talk given by Mr. John J. Clancey, Chairperson of the Asian Human Rights Commission to the priests of the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong on January 4, 2007 When Anthony Ismail first approached me about this talk he had a suggested topic of “The Law and Same Sex […]

The author whose name appears below take full responsibility for the views expressed in this paper.  They are not necessarily the views of the AHRC.  However, the AHRC considers that the point of view offered by the author is a valuable contribution to the issues relating to human rights within a particular country context.  The […]

By Basil Fernando This paper has been prepared to encourage discussion on the limits of the developments on the impact of adult franchise as a factor contributing to the present crisis in Sri Lanka Born in 1906 J.R. Jayawardene was already 41 years-of-age at the time of independence.  His formative years and the family background […]

This paper has been prepared in question and answer form to discuss how the status and the value of courts has diminished since the 1978 Constitution which is an authoritarian Constitution. The present degeneration of the court system makes the courts an obstacle to the rule of law and the enhancement of justice. However, this […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 10, 2006 AP-002-2006 A Paper by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) SRI LANKA: A commentary on the recent case of the prime minister’s fundamental rights violation Recently, a fundamental rights application was made to the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka by former prime minister and now president, Mahinda Rajapakse, in which […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 13, 2006 AP-001-2006 A Paper by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) SRI LANKA: Institutional reform: An alternative approach to the resolution of Sri Lanka’s continuing anarchy (A note: The Asian Human Rights Commission presents this paper for discussion for all those who are seriously concerned about the continuing anarchy in […]