Statement

Concerning the case of Ms. Bhuje Naik who died of starvation and sickness on 31 December 2009, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received a letter dated 25 February from the Department of Revenue and Disaster Management of the government of Orissa. The letter is available here. Mr. S. Bhuyan, the Joint Secretary to the […]

Marife ‘Neneng’ Montano: a mentor and a mother By Pepe Panglao It was ten years ago when I first met Marife Montano or ‘Neneng’ as she was known to her friends. Neneng was one of the 32 journalists killed in the Maguindanao massacre. In paying tribute to her, I won’t repeat the countless and numerous […]

Chandradasa was a young man living in an urban area making a living through various kinds of odd jobs. He was engaged in various kinds of buying and selling, such as the selling of vegetables and fish. He also worked in small commissions of trade. He was very well liked within his community; he was […]

The whole of Pakistan watched through many television channels the public beating and torture of seven accused persons by the police officials in district Chiniot, Punjab province. The victims were striped naked in public by the station head officer (SHO) and four other officials, three were in plain clothes, of Bhawana police station and beaten […]

Yet another case involving a Nepali peacekeeper against which a civilian charge is pending in Nepal raises serious concerns about the recruitment process to the United Nations Peacekeeping missions. This new case clearly show that the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) did not draw the lessons from the repatriation of Major Basnet, an […]

The former commander of the Sri Lankan army, retired general Sarath Fonseka is today under military detention in much the same way that tens of thousands of Sri Lankans from the south, north and east in detention facilities in the recent decades. More than ever, the inability of the courts to intervene effectively to protect […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission has received conflicting information about Mr. Ehsan Arjemandi, a Norwegian citizen. The Federal Interior minister previously announced that had been extradited to Iran on September 6, 2009 where he was wanted on several charges, however, it is now believed that he is still being held in custody in Pakistan. Mr. […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AHRC-STM-035-2010 February 27, 2010 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission INDIA: The government claims that the country has the world’s least corrupt police force! A press release issued by the Indian government on 24 February claims that corruption among police officers is extremely low in the country. According to the […]

SRI LANKA: Diary of Terror — Part 14, February 23, 2010  Sri Lankan Human Rights Watch Amy officers raping a nine year old girl; can the new army commander maintain army discipline? (February 23, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) A nine-year-old girl studying in the 5th Grade was raped by soldiers attached to the Digiliwatiya Camp at […]

In the Bar Council elections held this week the lawyers voted overwhelmingly against a candidate who was openly promoted by the government. Shibly Aziz won the election with a majority of 450 votes against Mr. Palitha Kumarasinghe PC. For over a long period the legal profession in Sri Lanka has been under serious attack. There […]

U.S. President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit Indonesia, the place of his childhood, in March. It is important that the President does not waste this opportunity and uses his good relations with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to raise the issue of religious tolerance in Indonesia. Late last year Obama stated that “Indonesia is important… as […]

Sebuah pernyataan dari Asian Human Rights Commission Presiden Amerika Serikat Barack Obama dijadwalkan akan mengunjungi Indonesia, tempat di mana ia menghabiskan masa kecilnya, pada bulan Maret tahun ini. Penting bagi Obama untuk tidak menyia-nyiakan kesempatan ini dan memanfaatkan hubungan baiknya dengan Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono untuk mengangkat isu mengenai toleransi umat beragama di Indonesia. Pada […]

The case of police torture reported from Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh state on 17 February must be a shame for the entire country. The video of sexual harassment and torture of a Dalit woman by Police Sub-Inspector, Mr. Kailasnath Dubey, in the presence of another woman officer in full public view was televised across the country. As usual, […]

Since the Witness and Victim Protection Law was enacted in 2006, little progress has been made regarding witness and victim protection because of a lack of political will. Therefore, the judicial system still lacks fairness and human rights violations continue to go unpunished. It took five years for the House of Representatives and the Justice […]

A Wife’s Challenge SRI LANKA HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH (February 13, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) If there was coup attempt arrest me also, Sarath Fonseka’s wife, Anoma, challenged the authorities. Speaking to the media, the arrested common candidate’s wife said that if a coup plot had been hatched at the hotel in which Sarath Fonseka and […]

Even some analysts supporting the president have stated that the arrest of the common candidate for the opposition, Sarath Fonseka, was unwise. They have said that this action will create unfavourable impressions of the president. The glory earned by the president¡¦s electoral majority may be slighted by such actions. Others have gone on to say […]

Working Group on Justice for Peace 002/2010 16 February 2010 Public Statement A call for a halt in the use of GT200  The Working Group on Justice for Peace (WGJP) has been calling for the Thai government to conduct an independent test of the GT200 bomb detector since we believe it is not a scientific […]

The Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapakse, has begun his second term in office. The system of governance in which he works is one that falls clearly outside constitutionalism. The basic principle under which the existing ‘Constitution of Sri Lanka’ works is that the head of the state is above the law. Once the head of […]

In recent weeks the government of Sri Lanka has engaged in alarming attempts to repress the avenues of the political participation of the opposition and the entire population in general. One of the most popular politicians to emerge in recent times, the former military commander General Sarath Fonseka, was arrested by the military and is […]

The Attorney General ignores the recommendation of the National Commission for Human Rights while victims commemorate the 21st anniversary of the atrocities. (photo: survivors of the Talangsari massacre calling for justice, source: KontraS) The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) and the Commission for Disappearances and Victims of Violence (KontraS) are disappointed about the continuing delays […]