Statement

In August 1999, five men, known as the “Abadilla Five”, received the death sentence by a Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Quezon City, Manila for the murder of an influential police colonel, Rolando Abadilla. The five men were arrested, charged and convicted three years later for the murder of Abadilla in June 1996. After they […]

As there is some discussion at the moment on the mandate of Louis Arbour as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, we are reproducing below her mandate according to the resolution of the General Assembly at its 85th Plenary Meeting adopted on 20th December 1993. “Having considered the recommendation contained in paragraph 18 […]

A recommendation made by the Chairperson of the Presidential Transition Team to bring the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) under the immediate control of the President threatens the independence of this commission. This commission was established in 2001 with the consensus in Korea to prevent the repetition of the human rights violations that […]

The killing of a Catholic priest, Jesus Reynaldo Roda of Tawi Tawi and a judge, Roberto Navidad of Calbayog City illustrates how miserable the lives of citizens have become in a cruel environment on the brink of lawlessness. Father Reynaldo was shot on Tuesday while praying in a chapel by gunmen who were trying to […]

On 13 January 2008 at around 11:30 pm a lawmaker named Chin Kim Sreng, 70, from the ruling party, was brutally beaten on the head in front of his house in Boeung Kang Kang commune, Chamcar Mon district, Phnom Penh. Chin was knocked unconscious in the attack which caused open wounds to his head. He […]

On January 9, the Court of Appeals (CA) reportedly heard the petition for writ of amparo filed by Cleofas Sanchez, mother of disappeared victim Nicolas, who, together with his cousin, Heherson Medina, disappeared on 17 September 2006. The writ is a newly adopted rule by the Supreme Court which provides judicial remedies to persons whose life, liberty […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  AHRC-STM-013-2008 January 14, 2008 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission PAKISTAN: Boycott of courts by lawyers enters 75th day and the government’s attacks on judges intensify The detained Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mr. Iftekhar Choudhry was served a notice from the government on January 12, 2008, to vacate the official […]

Last week when the JVP announced the consensus of the several minority parties to nominate their candidate, to the Constitutional Council, former Auditor General, Mr S.C. Mayadunne, a public officer of unimpeachable integrity, some naively believe that the Constitutional Council debate should be over. However, a new quarrel has been initiated by the JHU which […]

Already within the first month of this year two legislators have been assassinated. One was a minister in the government and the suspected killers are the LTTE, the other was a Tamil Member of Parliament, who was also a member of the opposition United National Party and the party leaders have accused the government of […]

A bomb exploded in Lahore, the capital city of Punjab province, on January 10, killing more than 30 persons and injuring 70, mostly policemen, outside the Lahore High Court building where lawyers had planned a protest rally. On the directives of different Bar Associations lawyers are holding their weekly protests against the sacking of the […]

In a functioning criminal justice system, offenders of a crime are given an appropriate punishment following prompt and effective judicial proceedings. In the Philippines, however, it is commonly expected that perpetrators of the worst forms of human rights abuses, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearance and torture will be exonerated and freed after being charged in court. […]

After the enormous reaction to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister and a popular politician, the Musharraf government has registered more than 3,000 cases against more than 500,000 people in one province of Sindh alone. The government has started arresting and threatening them with arrests in cases of fire, murder, looting and […]

At the height of the escalating incidents of the murder of activists, there was strong condemnation, both within and outside the country that forced the government to do something to stop the killing. Now that the number of killings has declined, condemnation has also decreased and discussion into finding reasonable remedies and redress for the […]

While expressions of despair manifest themselves in many countries in the Asian region, all that the governments of these countries offer to those who express their despair is the guillotine. Ruthless repression by way of causing forced disappearances, assassinations, torture and the destruction of property are the only responses of these governments to expressions of […]

The case of Rizana Nafeek, a young girl from Sri Lanka who went to Saudi Arabia as a domestic helper when a 17 year-old teenager, and who was within a very short time accused of the murder of a infant under her charge, has been pending before the Dawadami High Court. Rizana’s defense has always […]

In December 2007, a bishop and three priests of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (Philippine Independent Church or PIC) once again have been threatened that they will be killed and have been the subjects of overt surveillance. They were warned about undertaking their social activities and ministry, or they would be murdered like their colleagues. Within […]

On 31 December 2007 an online news agency — BD News24.com — of Bangladesh published a report with the title ‘DMP commissioner blames failure of police on political pressure’. The report said unwarranted influence and pressure from outside, jeopardised the freedom of the police administration. The report further said that the main cause of harassment […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AHRC-STM-003-2008 January 03, 2007 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission SRI LANKA: Sri Lanka’s further plunge into lawlessness The year 2008 began, for Sri Lanka with the assassination of the Tamil opposition UNP Member of Parliament, T. Maheshwaran. Just a few days earlier a government minister, Mervin Silva forcibly entered […]

The two daughters of Ms. Asma Jehangir, a well known lawyer, human rights activist and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of religion or belief, were assaulted and illegally held for several hours along with their friends by armed persons of the Pakistan Muslim League Q (PML-Q); they were beaten severely […]

The year 2008 began, for Sri Lanka with the assassination of the Tamil opposition UNP Member of Parliament, T. Maheshwaran. Just a few days earlier a government minister, Mervyn Silva forcibly entered the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation) premises with about ten other persons and allegedly assaulted a news manager in retaliation […]