Press Release

(Hong Kong, October 19, 2011) At around 3pm today the security forces surrounding the Third Papuan People’s Congress in Indonesia opened fire and dispersed the event. Possible casualties are not known as of now. Several persons are reported to have been arrested, including Forkorus Yaboisembut and Edison Waromi, indigenous political leaders. The AHRC has received […]

(Hong Kong, Jayapura, October 19, 2011) About 100 TNI soldiers and several members of the mobile brigade of the police (BRIMOB) are reported to have approached closer to the location where the Third Papuan People’s Congress in Jayapura, Papua is currently being held. The organisers fear that the mass violence frequently perpetrated by the armed […]

(Hong Kong, October 14, 2011) This report is entitled the Alternative report to the committee against torture in connection with the third periodic report of Sri Lanka. The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), Hong Kong, REDRESS Trust London, Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims (RCT), Denmark and Action des chrétiens pour l’abolition de la torture (ACAT France) […]

(Hong Kong, October 12, 2011) The Asian Human Rights Commission today welcomed and strongly endorsed a call by a United Nations expert for the amendment of Thailand’s criminal law so that it cannot be used to silence legitimate public debate. The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, Frank La Rue, on Monday called on […]

(Hong Kong, October 6, 2011) The killers of thousands of persons during the “war on drugs” conducted in Thailand from 2003 to 2005 continue to enjoy impunity for their crimes over six years on, a relative of one teenage victim of extrajudicial killing said at the United Nations (UN) in Geneva on Monday.  Mrs. Pikul […]

(Hong Kong, September 21, 2011)  This book can now be obtained as a Kindle eBook which is available at: http://www.amazon.com/Gyges-Ring-Constitution-Lanka-ebook/dp/B005OC2U0C/  The print version can be ordered here: http://www.humanrights.asia/resources/books/gyges-ring-the-1978-constitution-of-sri-lanka This book is the most comprehensive study of the 1978 Constitution to-date. It is a contribution to the study of constitutional law and criminal law in Sri Lanka as […]

(Hong Kong, September 19, 2011) The Asian Human Rights Commission announces the publication of a new book, Gyges’ Ring — The 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka by Basil Fernando. This book is a joint publication of the Asian Human Rights Commission, Hong Kong and the Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims, Denmark.  This book […]

(Hong Kong, September 9, 2011)  The Asian Human Rights Commission in a previous Open Letter to the Inspector General of Police and Urgent Appeal brought to the attention of the authorities a series of threats to Diyaththara Kalutara Kalusayakkarage Sajith Shehan Fernando of Ja-Ela. We are now issuing a YouTube presentation in which Shehan and […]

(Hong Kong, August 10, 2011)  The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes to announce that a report on the situation of the human rights defenders of Balochistan has been uploaded on our website.  This report was compiled by Ms. Angelika Pathak, a London-based researcher who previously worked for Amnesty International as their Pakistan researcher. According to Ms. Pathak […]

(Hong Kong, July 5, 2011) The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) regrets of its forwarding of an article concerning India through our mailing list server, dated 5 July, 2011, titled “July 4 in Kerala, one of the blackest days in history“.  The AHRC wishes to inform all its partners and well-wishers that it does not […]

(Hong Kong, June 29, 2011) The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Cross Cultural Foundation that Mr. Sudeerueman Maleh, one of those who alleged that he was tortured by police in the case of stealing weapons in 2004 has been criminally counter-charged by the police on the charge of making a […]

(Hong Kong, June 28, 2011) A police spokesman commenting on the report on torture issued by the Asian Human Rights Commission last week stated that there had been a weakening of the policing system during the prolonged conflict with the LTTE where the priority was given to anti-terrorism. Answering questions from the BBC Sinhala Service […]

On the occasion of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, Pictures by the Wayside and the Asian Human Rights Commission, present explaining why torture remains a key problem in Asia. The 15 minute video explains why torture is one of the most difficult human rights issues to address, why the continued use […]

(Hong Kong, June17, 2011)  The Asian Human Rights Commission which has documented over 1500 cases of torture and ill treatment by the Sri Lankan police has now compiled a report of 323 cases. In this presentation Mr. Basil Fernando, the Director of Policy and Programmes explains the causes of police torture in Sri Lanka and […]

(Hong Kong, June 15, 2011)  CALL FOR APPLICATIONS  Hong Kong, 23-25 September 2011  REDRESS and the Asian Human Rights Commission are delighted to issue this call for applications to participate in a regional expert meeting which forms part of the action “Reparation for Torture: Global Sharing of Expertise” supported by the EU European Instrument for […]

(Hong Kong, June 11, 2011) This is a discussion on the serious crisis of law in Sri Lanka. 33 years of the promulgation of the present Constitution, what is legal and what is not has been obliterated in Sri Lanka. As an illustration of the crisis of law, three incidents are discussed:  • The killing […]

(Hong Kong, June 10, 2011) The people of Pakistan were stunned when they watched the video showing Rangers personnel killing a young man in cold blood in a public place during the night of 8 June 2011. Passers-by gathered around the scene and made videos of the incident. The videos were then supplied to different […]

Five hundred days after the disappearance of journalist and cartoonist, Prageeth Eknaligoda, the family and friends of Prageeth as well as media organizations and human rights organizations took to the streets to demand for inquiries into his disappearance. A serious transformation has taken place in the criminal justice system of Sri Lanka. Under the present […]

(Hong Kong, June 3, 2011) On May 30, 2011 the Sri Lankan police used live ammunition on a group of demonstrating workers. As a result a 22-year-old man has died and about 200 people were injured. The incident shocked Sri Lankan society and there is an ongoing public debate on this issue. In this lecture […]

(Hong Kong, May 27, 2011)  Societies are silenced by the use of violence by the state. This has gone on for centuries in many countries. Such silencing ended in North America and Western Europe by the end of the 19th century, but that is not the case in many other countries. Those who try to […]