Statement

While the world has had its attention turned rightly towards the Cyclone Nargis tragedy and the worst-ever response to a natural disaster by a government of modern times, the authorities in Burma have carried on with what they do best, prosecuting and imprisoning people who have been identified as leading the nationwide protests against the […]

The Inspector General of the Bangladesh Police, Mr. Noor Mohammad, was widely cited in the national dailies on 10 June 2008 following his comments in a press briefing held at Police Headquarters on 9 June 2008 regarding the ongoing en masse arbitrary arrests in the country. According to a report published in the Bhorer Kagoj, […]

On June 8, a peace advocate, a known broadcast journalist and her two cameramen were reported to have been abducted by an illegal armed group in the Sulu Archipelago, in the southern Philippines. However, days after they went missing, the police have already made premature conclusions, even before conducting a thorough investigation, which implies that […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  AHRC-STM-159-2008 June 10, 2008 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission PAKISTAN: Government should not use force against lawyer’s long march The government of Pakistan is taking steps to ensure that lawyer’s long march is unsuccessful by setting up barriers around the parliament house and all approach roads. The whole of […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has collected details of detention and torture centres in Pakistan, where missing persons are held for long periods of time in order to force them to confess their involvement in terrorist and sabotage activities. The information about the places of illegal detention was collected from the persons who were […]

Cambodia is making preparations for the general election to be held on 27 July 2008. Yet, well before the start of the official campaign period, which is due on 27 June, the 11 registered parties have already been busy. As in previous elections, the ruling Cambodian People’s Party or CPP is exploiting all the advantages […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  AHRC-STM-156-2008 June 4, 2008 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission BANGLADESH: UN Human Rights experts should intervene to stop en massearbitrary arrest The New Age, a national English daily in Bangladesh, reports today that  “(t)he government has so far detained about 12,000 people, including local leaders and activists of major political […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) strongly condemns the excessive force used by the police on peaceful demonstrators holding a candle light protest against the Korean government’s agreement to import American beef between the night of May 31st and the morning of June 2nd. We have received reports that dozens of protesters were severely injured […]

Mr. Abdul Wahab Baloch, a peace activist and Baloch nationalist, who was missing since his arrest on May 28, 2008, was released from the custody of the Secret Intelligence Agency of the Pakistan army where he was severely tortured in different locations. Mr. Wahab Baloch was arrested after holding a peaceful demonstration at the Karachi […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) congratulates the people of Nepal on its transition into a Secular, Federal Democratic Republic. The declaration made on 28 May 2008 by the Constituent Assembly of Nepal is a remarkable milestone in Nepal’s history and is the success of democracy and democratic values. Transformation of a state from monarchy […]

(This statement is an urgent call for intervention to save the who is pursuing complaints against the police at the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka and the High Court of Negombo and who had a successful case before the United Nations HRC regarding the delay to investigate and to try the case. The earlier instance […]

For many years now land grabbing has been a serious issue in Cambodia, when the rich and powerful, through illicit means acquire land belonging to weaker and poorer people. In the month of May 2008 this issue came noticeably to the forefront in the approach to the general election to be held on 27 July […]

The Prothom Alo, a vernacular national daily newspaper of Bangladesh, reports in its 27 May’s online edition that a person was held in detention for 14 years in the Bagerhat District Jail without trial. Quoting the jail officials and the detained, the newspaper reports that the Mothbaria police of the Pirojpur district arrested Mr. Md. Moslem Bishwas […]

A High Court Bench of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh has suggested the counsel of a litigant seek bail from Allah (God), in frustration at the limits of its power under Emergency Rule. Since the State of Emergency was declared in January 2007 the High Court has been barred from entertaining bail petitions. This conclusion, […]

It has only been in power for two months, but already Pakistan’s new government has broken a election promise: to reinstate the deposed Chief Justice and other judges within 30 days. That deadline has passed. Instead, the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has introduced a diluted constitutional package, and is making vague claims that after […]

The President of Bangladesh Prof. Iazuddin Ahmed has appointed Justice Mr. M M Ruhul Amin as the 16th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh to replace the outgoing Chief Justice, Mr. Mohammad Ruhul Amin. The appointment was officially announced yesterday (25 May 2008). The local media of Bangladesh, quoting the senior lawyers of […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  AHRC-STM-146-2008 May 26, 2008 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission SOUTH KOREA: Massive arrest of protesters is imminent Since the government of South Korea agreed with the United States of America to import beef on April 17, the people of the South Korea have expressed their deep concerns about the agreement […]

A High Court Division Bench of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh declared that the country’s Election Commission has violated constitutional provision regarding holding general election within 90 days since the parliament had been dissolved. The High Court Bench comprising Justice Mohammad Abdur Rashid and Justice Md. Ashfaqul Islam passed this verdict on 22 May 2008 […]

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, which consists of the Appellate Division and the High Court Division, has held that no court in the country has a jurisdiction to entertain bail petitions on crimes registered under the Emergency Powers Rules 2007. The judgement was delivered by the Appellate Division overruling a previous […]

(The Sri Lankan government lost its bid to retain its seat in the UN Human Rights Council yesterday, May 21, as it came under intense criticism from many quarters on its human rights record. This statement examines the implications of this issue for the future). The defeat of Sri Lanka to retain a seat in […]