Statement

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 […]

Prosecution in the Philippines  http://www.article2.org/mainfile.php/0701/307/ When the five senior public prosecutors, including the chief of the Office of the Chief State Prosecutor (OCSP), were placed on an indefinite leave on 11 January 2009 to comply with orders from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, it rather exposed the frailties and confirmed the widely acknowledged lack of independence of […]

Large crowds gathered to attend the funeral of the well-known journalist and editor, Lasantha Wickramatunga and protest against his assassination. Many participants wore black arm bands and scarves and in many other ways demonstrated their anger at this assassination and other similar incidents that have taken place in the country. At the funeral, speaker after […]

Ms. Zarina Marri, a 23-year-old schoolteacher from Balochistan province, was arrested in late 2005, and has been held incommunicado in an army torture cell at Karachi, the capital of Sindh province. She has been repeatedly raped by the military officers and is being used as a sex slave, to induce arrested nationalist activists to sign […]

The assassination of Lasantha Wickramatunga, a veteran investigative journalist and the editor of the Sunday Leader, who has exposed corruption and abuse of power by the Rajapakse regime, has sparked the most widespread protest in recent times. Despite of the government’s extensive attempts to disclaim responsibility accusing fingers have been pointed at the government from […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission, which two days ago raised the alarm on the possibility of more political assassinations in Sri Lanka is saddened by the confirmation of this within less than 48 hours by the assassination of Lasantha Wickramatunga, a prominent journalist. The AHRC once more calls on the local and international community to […]

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is a political party that has contested elections harnessing the Dalit votes. The BSP’s woman leader, Ms. Mayawati, a dalit herself, has been claiming that her party and the Uttar Pradesh state government she leads, is actively involved in trying to meliorate the living condition of the Dalit community.  The […]

The enquiry into the murder of four traders at Khalid Bin Waleed road, PECHS of Karachi-Sindh province has revealed ‘criminal negligence’ on the part of the police officers. The murder happened on the intervening night of 30 and 31 December 2008, which the police had thus far claimed as an incident of ‘encounter killing’.  The […]