Statement

Pakistan is seeing the greatest political upheaval it has witnessed in its history as the people have given a clear verdict in defence of the judiciary. The position of the chief justice, ousted judges, and the lawyers’ movement has been vindicated by the people. In the years to come, the key question in Pakistan will […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AHRC-STM-044-2008 February 21, 2008 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission SRI LANKA: A fatal blow to Sri Lanka’s Bribery Commission While the 17th Amendment to the Constitution is being ridiculed by the government the reasons for the fear of the appointment of the Constitutional Council and the independent commissions has […]

In media reports of 20 February 2008 the commanding officer of a unit of Border Patrol Police officers accused of abducting and torturing dozens–possibly hundreds–of persons in Thailand has denied that he was responsible for their actions. Pol. Col. Somkiat Nuathong, commander of Task Force 42 based in Nakhon Si Thammarat, reportedly said that he […]

The voting for the general elections for the National and Provincial assemblies has been completed and the unofficial results show that the political parties who were against the Musharraf regime are now in a comfortable position to form a government. The most surprising outcome of the elections is the victory of secular and democratic forces […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AHRC-STM-041-2008 February 19, 2008 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission SRI LANKA: Lessons to be learned from Pakistan’s secular forces The authoritarianism of general Musharraf, who later became President Musharraf, backed by the world’s most powerful superpower the United States, has found itself being severely bashed by the Pakistani judiciary […]

In a flurry of mudslinging just days before the general elections President Pervez Musharraf has called former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry “the scum of the earth — a third-rate man — a corrupt man,” in an interview to Jemima Khan that was published in the Independent, London, on February 17. The President also hinted that the […]

Concerning the forthcoming eighth general election in Pakistan two questions remain unanswered — whether the election will be held on February 18, 2008 and whether it will be free and fair? The elections were scheduled to be held on January 08, but were postponed due to the assassination of Ms. Benazir Bhutto, the Chairperson of […]

On February 9, the new prime minister of Thailand made a number of startling statements before international television audiences that expose the huge impediments to protecting human rights in his country. In an interview broadcast on CNN, Samak Sundaravej claimed that only “one unlucky guy” was beaten to death in a brutal rightwing militia attack […]

In July 1996, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) concluded that it had found sufficient evidence to prosecute the 21 individuals, 15 of whom were police officers, involved in arresting and subsequently detaining the “Abadilla Five”. In their resolution, the CHR obtained medical evidence and testimonies detailing torture of the victims while in police custody […]

The detention of Mr. Iftekhar Choudhry, the deposed Chief Justice of Pakistan, has now run into its 100th day and during his detention all the members of his family, including his school-going children have not been allowed to go outside, even to the lawn of the house. There are 15 policemen stationed inside the property […]

From all around Sri Lanka there are constant reports of widespread thieving in the country, particularly around suburban town centres. This has gone so far as to affect even the dressing habits of women traveling in buses or three-wheelers. Although it has been customary among women to wear gold chains or other valuables, now on […]

Although the Independence Day has passed all the people of Sri Lanka, Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and others alike are more worried than ever about the future of independence, meaning the future of democracy in the country. Clearly everyone wants a new nation and all are fed up with the style of the one that exists. […]

On January 29, Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte was quoted by Davao Today, a local online news blog, saying he “does not care” about the report of Professor Philip Alston, special rapporteur of the United Nation on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions. Professor Alston’s report mentioned the killing of about 553 people—including minors—from 1998 to […]

Three prominent lawyers who spearheaded the movement of lawyers, were again arrested and detained for a further month under the maintenance of Public Order Ordinance (MPO). Mr. Aitzaz Ahsan, President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Mr. Ali Ahmed Kurd, former vice president of the Pakistan Bar Council and Mr. Justice (retired) Tariq Mahmood, former […]

In recent weeks, a couple of criminal cases involving police officers in Thailand have caught the media headlines there. In the first, three men were found shot dead in Ayutthaya Province, just north of Bangkok, apparently after they had been arrested by the police. The three, Akkharapol “Bank” Sampao, 22; Mongkol Yatra, 20, and Nakhon […]

The reports coming out of Pakistan state that a group of 100 ex-military personnel including former generals, admirals, air marshals and other retired officers are calling for the resignation of President Musharraf with immediate effect. These former senior officers of the armed forces have formed an organization with the name of ‘Ex Servicemen’s Society’ with […]

Soeharto breathed his last in the quiet confines of Pertamina Hospital in South Jakarta in stark contrast to the hundreds of thousands that were compelled to breathe their last in agony in prisons, caves, rivers or places of detention during his rule. There were cases of victims being shot or the heads chopped off at […]

In March 2006, the legal counsel for two of the five prisoners known as the Abadilla Fivesubmitted a complaint to the United Nations Human Rights Committee under the Optional Protocol of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). In their complaint, they cited that the Philippine government had violated its obligation under the ICCPR, […]

A panel of five Supreme Court judges made the unanimous verdict of Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto being guilty of premeditated murder of the prominent human rights defender Munir Thalib and was sentenced to twenty years of imprisonment.  In 2005 a lower court convicted Polycarpus of the killing of Munir. This was later overturned by the Supreme […]

President Musharraf, while talking to a gathering of 800 Pakistanis in London, has asked the overseas Pakistanis to “put one, two or three punches” to Pakistani journalists who are destroying the country’s image outside the country. Mr. Musharraf was annoyed by a senior Pakistani journalist, Mr. Zia Uddin, a correspondent of the Daily Dawn who […]