Statement

Former presidents of Sri Lanka, JR Jayawardene, R Premadasa and C Kumaratunga are well known for their authoritarian operation of the executive presidency, therein crippling the country’s most vital public authorities. Jayawardene and Premadasa aimed for direct control over all public authorities. Kumaratunga, who came to power with promises of change, continued this tradition even […]

The past two weeks saw Hong Kong become a theatre in which the conflict between free trade and human rights played out very visibly, with broadcast and other media conveying the interventions of all those involved in this conflict: namely, those inside the World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial conference, and those outside on the streets.  […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 19, 2005 AS-130-2005 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) Philippines: Tribute to Sister Marianni The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) joins all those voicing their deep appreciation of the life Sister Marianni Dimaranan, who passed away at the age of 81-years on December 16, 2005, after spending a […]

The brutality and inhuman treatment of the protestors against the World Trade Organisation (WTO) by the Hong Kong police comes as a shock and must immediately be stopped. On December 17, 2005 unarmed protesters attempted to enter the Hong Kong Convention Centre, where the WTO ministerial conference is being held. The response of the police […]

The authorities in Nepal have once again illustrated their complete disregard for human rights, by arresting over 130 activists taking part in peaceful demonstrations on International Human Rights Day, December 10th, 2005. Thankfully, all of the protestors, who were engaged in a peaceful march in favour of the restoration of peace and democracy, have now […]

Serious doubts and suspicions have arisen about the investigation into the attempted arson of the Human Rights Commission (HRC) of Sri Lanka offices in Colombo, on October 11, 2005. Despite significant local and international pressure, two months after the arson attempt no one has yet been arrested or brought to court for this serious crime […]

On 5 December 2005, activist Cathy Alcantara was killed by unidentified armed men in Abucay, Bataan province, Luzon, Philippines. Alcantara, a mother of two children and the wife of a farmer’s organiser, died of a fatal gunshot wound while on her way to hospital after having attended the Luzon-wide farmers’ conference of the Pambansang Katipunan […]

International Human Rights Day on December 10 should be a moment in Asia to reflect soberly as to why on this continent, where more than half of the world’s population live, basic human rights are denied to most people. Although there are complex factors that contribute to this denial of people’s rights, one factor stands […]

On December 5, the BBC Sinhala service reported the Attorney General of Sri Lanka as having said last Monday that urging the Supreme Court to alter a ruling is tantamount to undermining the independence of the judiciary. He reportedly said this with regards to the case of Nallaratnam Sinharasa, who has sought the Supreme Court […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 2, 2005 AS-123-2005 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission THAILAND: DSI must promptly and assertively answer the question “Where is Somchai?” December 1 was the last day in the trial hearings at the Bangkok Criminal Court over the alleged abduction and subsequent disappearance of human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit […]

The starvation deaths and malnutrition affecting thousands of villagers residing on the banks of the Padma River in Jalangi, Murshidabad has for the first time been accepted by the local administration. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) welcomes the admission by Superintendent of Police, Murshidabad, Mr Neeraj Kumar Singh, that at least 300 of the […]

In recent weeks, there have been numerous protests by Korean farmers against the government’s liberalization policies. These have been dealt with by riot police in a brutal and violent manner, causing severe injuries. One farmer has even died due to the seriousness of his injuries: 43-year-old Jeon Young-Cheol died on November 24, 2005 after being […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 24, 2005 AS-120-2005 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) PHILIPPINES: Government’s failure to legislate on torture is a betrayal of Filipinos’ constitutional rights The enactment of an enabling law to punish the perpetrators of acts of torture in the Philippines is long overdue. The government’s failure to enact […]

First anniversary of the assassination of Gerald Perera; On November 21 2004, Gerald Perera was assassinated while riding on a bus at noon. He was an employee at the Colombo Harbour who was pursuing a case against several officers of the Wattala Police Station for torturing him.  One of the accused against whom he was […]

More and more international institutions and laws have in recent years been aimed at eliminating the widespread abductions by state agents and their proxies. Forced disappearance is now rightly considered one of the most heinous crimes under international law: on September 23, 2005, the U.N. Commission on Human Rights adopted a new global treaty. The […]

More than a decade after India’s ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), children throughout the country continue to suffer from hunger, disease, exploitation and discrimination. At present, several hundred children suffer from night blindness in Murshidabad district, Jalangi, West Bengal. Having lost their land due to erosion caused by […]

 including the appointment without delay of Constitutional Council members and NPC Commissioners The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) notes the commitments made on the 11th of November 2005 by the Sri Lankan delegation to the (CAT), during its 35th session. During discussions related to the consideration of Sri Lanka’s second periodic report to the CAT, […]

While a high-level delegation from the Nepalese Government has been busy defending Nepal’s record on torture before the United Nation’s Committee Against Torture during its 35th session, developments concerning a case illustrate the brutal nature of torture and the widespread impunity in the country that the delegation in Geneva have been at pains to deny. […]

The issue of attempted arson to one of the buildings of the Human Rights Commission (HRC) of Sri Lanka came to be discussed at the 35th Session of the UN Committee against Torture (the Committee) during 10 and 11 of November 2005, in Geneva, Switzerland.  The Sri Lankan Government Delegation (the Delegation) stated to the […]

An estimated 25,000 people are being evicted from their homes in Gobindpur Railway Colony, West Bengal, India beginning today, November 10. The eviction follows a court order passed on 9 September 2005 by the Calcutta High Court, in response to a petition filed by the Ganatantrik Nagrik Committee, a local organization ostensibly working for the […]