Statement

The Board of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka made a decision to issue a circular prescribing a period of three months from the date of an incident for the receiving of petitions. Internal Circular No. 7, dated 20.6.2007, addressed to all directors, regional coordinators, legal officers and investigation officers, signed by D.J.B. De […]

A bomb blast in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, close to the venue where Chief Justice Iftehkar Chaudhry was scheduled to address lawyers, killed about 20 persons and injured more than 50, six of whom are in serious condition. Immediately following the blast the government announced that it had been a suicide bomb attack. However, […]

Want to buy a few women? Welcome to Rajasthan, a state in north India, known for its forts, palaces and of course the practise of Sati. Women are sold in open market by their parents in Rajasthan. In Dolpur for example women are sold on market days. The women market is just beside the cattle […]

The AHRC is happy to announce that the representative of the legal firm of Kateb Fahad Al-Shammari, Attorneys at Law has traveled to Dawadimi Jailhouse and was permitted by the Jail Administration to meet with Rizana Nafeek and escort her to a Notary Public and in order to issue a power of attorney in the […]

Mr. Charku Prasad Mukhya, the leader of the Ghasia tribe living in Raup village of Sonbadra district of Uttar Pradesh state can now hope that his peoples’ demands will be finally met by the state government. The state government sent its officers to Raup village on July 13, 2007 to promise the Ghasias that they […]

For a related article please see: http://www.ahrchk.net/statements/mainfile.php/2007statements/1108/ The plight of a teen aged girl facing the death sentence in Saudi Arabia, due to an incident that according to her happened while she was trying bottle feed an infant child of four months has received the sympathetic attention of the global media during the last week. Rizana […]

(We reproduce below a letter written to the editor of the Daily News of Sri Lanka pointing out the inaccurate and misleading information published in two articles on the case of Rizana Nafeek) For further information on the appeal kindly see: http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/mainfile.php/2006/2477/ http://www.ahrchk.net/pr/mainfile.php/2006mr/464/ http://www.ahrchk.net/pr/mainfile.php/2007mr/465/ http://www.ahrchk.net/statements/mainfile.php/2006statements/1113/ July 12, 2007 The Editor The Daily News The Associated […]

An effective witness protection law that is founded on a genuine attempt to cope with human rights violation is an integral part of a functioning criminal justice system. After years of negotiations, the Indonesian Law on Witnesses and Victims Protection was promulgated on August 11, 2006. Whether the law will help the country out of […]

The Sri Lankan government has not yet decided to pay the legal fees for the appeal from the death sentence of Rizana Nafeek while the deadline for the appeal is on July 16, 2007; nor has the government made any arrangements to facilitate the many offers of the payment of the legal fees by others. […]

The interim prime minister of Thailand, General Surayud Chulanont, has in recent days insisted that he will push ahead a raft of reforms to policing in Thailand. Two bills passed by his military-approved cabinet are to amend the 2004 Police Act and also allow for an independent complaints procedure on policing, something recommended to the […]

(UPDATE on Appeal – The Asian Human Rights Commission is encouraged by the initial response to this appeal. We encourage more persons to participate by writing their reflections and sending them in the manner set out below regarding this unfortunate, under aged girl Rizana Naffeek who is facing the death sentence for a mistake made […]

In recent days there have been reports that expose Thailand’s new draft constitution and the proposed referendum to bring it into force for the sham and fraud that they are. According to news articles, the country’s military-appointed assembly has already passed the draft Referendum Act through a first reading. If the short, imprecise act is […]

Naffeek Rizana is facing the death sentence in Saudi Arabia, allegedly for the strangulation of a four month old baby. Through close study of the case the Asian Human Rights Commission is satisfied that, in fact, what has taken place was the tragic death of a baby in the process of being fed by an […]

(The case of a teenage girl facing the death sentence in Saudi Arabia as the result of a tragedy being misunderstood as a crime) The Asian Human Rights Commission is writing this appeal to all the Muslim scholars in the world regarding the case that the AHRC believes deserves of all Muslim scholars. This is […]

A memorial service was held in Colombo on July 4, to remember the Red Cross Workers who were abducted from Colombo and killed just a month ago. One of the topics discussed by the participants at this ceremony was the promise given by President Mahinda Rajapakse to intensify the inquiries with a deadline for the […]

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has denied voting rights to 38 million people for the upcoming November 2007 elections. Most of the persons who have been are women.  In the previous elections, held in 2002, 71.86 million people were registered as voters. However, in contrast, the ECP has issued a list of only 56 […]

On June 16, 2007, Venerable Buddhist Clergy Director Nun Nget wrote a letter to Supreme Buddhist Patirarch Tep Vong to seek his approval for the defrocking of Venerable Tim Sakhorn, who was officially appointed head monk of North Phnom Den monastery, Phnom Den commune, Kirivong District, Takeo province, in May 2002. Ven. Nun Nget claimed […]

The Government of Kerala has initiated actions to setup a Police Complaints Authority in the state. The authority is expected to deal with complaints by and against the state police. The authority has been formed in accordance with the Kerala Police Act (Amendment) Ordinance, 2007 issued by the state government on February 12, 2007. The authority has […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is deeply concerned by the decision taken by the Government of Nepal on June 21, 2007 to form a ‘High Level Probe Commission on Disappeared Persons’ under the chairmanship of former-Supreme Court Justice Narendra Bahadur Neupane, as the establishment of this commission is in contradiction to the directives contained […]

Third session on the Charter on the rule of law: The elimination of court delays to enable effective prevention of gross human This meeting will be held in Hong Kong from 16 to 22 September, 2007 The AHRC announced the launching of discussions with a view to develop an Asian Charter on the Rule of […]