Statement

Very recently three different communities living in three different provinces have organized occult ceremonies to seek help from supernatural forces to seek justice and protection from land grabbing. On the 31st January some 300 indigenous Phnong villagers living in Krongteh commune, Pichreada district, Mondolkiri province, organized an offering ceremony dedicated to the supernatural protectors of […]

Is there a relation between the residents of the Gaza strip and the Indians? Other than for the fact that the Government of India supports the Palestinian cause, there is no apparent connection between an ordinary Indian and a person living in Gaza. Yet, for the politicians in India like Mr. Prakash Karat, the Israeli […]

In a follow up development of the arrest of four teenagers and a man on blasphemy charge the representative of the Punjab provincial government, Mr. Syed Saqlain Shah, a member of the National Assembly, has instigated the people of the Layyah district, Punjab-Pakistan, to observe a protest day on February 17, the day on which […]

The alleged killers of a number of people, including a 70-year-old man, have been released from remand prison on the orders of another civilian. The man who arranged their release is the brother of a provincial minister, and the men themselves work for the minster’s political party. The investigation officer in the case was promoted […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission welcomes the statement made by ten UN experts on the 9th February, 2009 expressing deep concern at the suppression of criticism and unabated impunity.  In the first paragraph of the statement the experts express special concern on the following matters. The shrinking space for critical voices The fear of reprisals […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has closely followed with growing concern the increasing number of lese-majesty cases being filed against people from all walks of life in Thailand for written comments on the royal family. At present, dozens of persons are known to be facing charges or have already been convicted of the offence, […]

The federal government has imposed section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), in Islamabad, the federal capital of Pakistan, for a period of two months. This has been done in the face of possible processions and demonstrations by the lawyers in Islamabad. The order has been imposed with immediate effect.  According to the order, […]

Soldiers attached to the Frontier Constabulary (FC) of the Pakistan Army have attacked a wedding party on the night of February 3, killing 13 persons including the bride and groom, the wedding officiator (called nikah khawn) and six members of the same family. Twenty one (21) persons were also injured, the majority of them, women. […]

The 61st celebration of the Day of Independence of Sri Lanka takes place tomorrow amidst almost universal complaints within the country of the failures of governance at all levels. In 1931 Sri Lanka had the privilege of being one of the first countries outside developed democracies to have adult franchise. What could have been one […]

An 18-year-old girl, Ms R, of Pathan Mohalla, Mithiani, Tehsil and district Naushahro Feroz, Sindh province, trafficked to a family through marriage, has been raped by her father-in-law and other male members of his family for a period of almost one month. After she managed to escape, a Jirga (illegal court) was held and they ordered that […]

The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), a public relations department of the armed forces of Pakistan denied the allegations that Ms. Zarina Marri (23) was in a military torture cell and used as a sex slave to induce arrested nationalist activists to sign state concocted confessions. Please see the statement issued by AHRC about:  http://www.ahrchk.net/statements/mainfile.php/2009statements/1843/ […]

Five persons belonging to the Ahmadi sect of Islam, four of them children, have been arrested for desecrating the name of the last prophet of Islam (peace be upon him), and charged under a law that can only be met with the death penalty. The children were accused of writing the name of the Prophet […]

In order to diminish the number of unemployed persons and reactivate domestic economy, the president Mr. Lee Myung-bak has made a policy to booster construction work. At the moment, about 300 areas have been designated as the area of redevelopment or a so-called ‘New Town’. Youngsan 4-ga, Seoul is the area where a residential and […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission has received further details in the case of Ms. Zarina Marri, a 23-year-old schoolteacher from Balochistan province, who has been held incommunicado in an army torture cell at Karachi, the capital of Sindh province and used as a sex slave, please see our statement; http://www.ahrchk.net/statements/mainfile.php/2009statements/1843/ The officials of the education department […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission has received further details in the case of Ms. Zarina Marri, a 23-year-old schoolteacher from Balochistan province, who has been held incommunicado in an army torture cell at Karachi, the capital of Sindh province and used as a sex slave, please see our statement; http://www.ahrchk.net/statements/mainfile.php/2009statements/1843/ The officials of the education department […]

A letter has been written by six US ambassadors in their personal capacities to expressing their concern over the deterioration of the situation in the country and urged him to take steps to re-establish accountability and the rule of law, by ensuring investigations into assassinations and human rights abuses. The letter, according to the authors, […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  AHRC-STM-018-2009  January 21, 2009 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission SRI LANKA: Justice Mark Fernando – an appreciation Justice Mark Fernando, who became a Supreme Court judge in March 1988 and who served as a judge until his premature retirement in 2005, passed away on the 20th January, 2009. His long […]

The assassination of Lasantha Wickramatunga and his last powerful message has given rise to a discussion on the state of freedom of expression in Sri Lanka. A local group, Vikalpa, has published online a series of comments by journalists and others and several of these spokesmen have presented the gravity of the violations of freedom […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  AHRC-STM-016-2009  January 14, 2009 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission BANGLADESH: End the politically chosen ‘disposable’ attorney and prosecutorial system The Attorney General of Bangladesh, Mr Salahuddin Ahmed, resigned from his position on January 12, 2009. He was quoted in BD News24.com, a Bangladeshi wire news agency, as saying that […]

Munir Mengal, the managing director of a Balochi language television channel, was arrested by the state intelligence agencies on 4 April, 2006, at the Karachi International Airport and held in a military torture cell at Karachi, the capital of Sindh province for almost 16 months. He was severely tortured to confess to being an activist […]