Statement

Further to our statement issued on 22 March 2005, regarding the death sentence handed down to a Sri Lankan migrant worker sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) can now report that the matter has received considerable publicity and has been raised by an Honourable Member in parliament.  In a press statement […]

“The Government of Sri Lanka, taking serious note of recent allegations regarding torture while in police custody, has introduced short and long-term preventive mechanisms to address the issue, in line with the recommendations of treaty bodies.  The Government of Sri Lanka condemns torture without any reservation.  The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka has also […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 23, 2005 AS-32-2005 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission Anticipating Thailand’s missing-persons centre  The announcement last week by Thailand’s new justice minister Suwat Liptapanlop that a missing-persons centre will be established under the Forensic Science Institute deserves strong public support. The growing number of alleged disappearances in Thailand is […]

Mrs. Geetha Udugama, the wife of Mr. Edirisinghe, who is facing a death sentence in Saudi Arabia, strongly condemns the attitudes taken by many Sri Lankan authorities to her desperate plea regarding the fate of her husband. She says that for the last six months she has been making visits to many influential institutions and […]

Fear continues to grip members of Sri Lanka’s judicial system, media and key witnesses in criminal cases – and rightly so. In only the last few days, a state counsel has revealed that death threats have been made against him due to his involvement in a particular case. Similarly, a torture victim of a well-known […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 15, 2005 AS-28-2005 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission An awakening to the delays in Sri Lanka’s adjudication process The Asian Human Rights Commission notes a slight awakening in the Sri Lanka legislature to the delays in the adjudication process in the country. Such delays virtually negate the very […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is concerned about another case of a torture complainant being threatened, similar to that of Gerald Perera. Mr. Nimal Silva Gunaratne, a victim of brutal torture, has complained to the Sri Lankan authorities including the Inspector General of Police, the Attorney General and the Human Rights Commission (HRC) that […]

In exonerating the three generals identified as having been primarily responsible for the killing of at least 85 persons in Narathiwat province on October 25 of last year, the Thai army commander-in-chief General Pravit Wongsuwan made a surprisingly frank admission. “There is no disciplinary penalty for those holding the rank of general,” he is reported […]

The government of King Gyanendra in Nepal, who took absolute power on February 1, is now mobilising military-backed mobs to engage in extreme acts of violence on the pretext of fighting Maoists. The army-orchestrated burning of hundreds of homes and lynching of about 30 alleged Maoists in Kapilvastu district are methods of control all too […]

While the murder case of Judge Ambepitiya–who was killed two days before Gerald Perera was shot–is already fixed for trial at bar, it may take 5-7 years–or even more–before Gerald’s case is even begun to be heard at the high court. Despite Gerald being a witness waiting to give evidence in a criminal case when […]

Reports of highly orchestrated violence by mobs encouraged and supported by the military and ministers of the government appointed after the February 1 coup in Nepal are now arriving from Kapilabastu District in the south of the country.  According to the reports, up to 700 homes have been burned and 30 people lynched on suspicion […]

“Sri Lanka is now at the threshold of a major disaster”, said the Deputy Solicitor General, (DSG) Palitha Fernando.  Speaking at a conference organised by the Sri Lankan Medical Association, Mr Fernando said that more than 80 % of those accused of murder were discharged as witnesses were unwilling to appear out of fear of […]

The February 1 coup in Nepal has brought the country under the control of the military, with no law controlling its actions. The number of persons under arrest–those under house arrest as well as those held in military camps–is increasing. The fear of arrest has led large numbers of democrats, human rights workers and those […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) strongly condemns the crackdown on migrant workers begun on the dawn of 1 March 2005 by the Malaysian authorities.  AHRC in a statement issued on 1 February 2005 called on the Malaysian government to permanently halt this inhuman treatment of migrant workers.  There were similar calls from a large […]

In a February 7 order, the District Administration Office Nepalgunj in Nepal instructed members of the media to falsify news in favour of the government, which since February 1 has been under the absolute power of the king. The order follows a February 3 notice from the Ministry of Information and Communication to the effect […]

Nineteen years old, Lalith Rajapakse was arrested by two police officers, Sub-Inspector Peiris and Police Constable Wijeratne in April 2002. He was severely assaulted and slipped into a coma while at the Kandana Police Station. After his family’s intervention, he was taken to the Ragama Hospital, from where he was transferred to the Central Hospital […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission congratulates Mr. Desmond Fernando on the occasion of being elected as the president of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka.  Mr. Fernando’s election has come at a very crucial time when the rule of law in the country has suffered an exceptional collapse, the independence of the judiciary has been […]

In a coordinated move, the governments of the United States and European Union have recalled their ambassadors to Nepal for talks over the rapidly worsening situation there. Announcing the recall, US State Department spokesperson Richard Boucher said that “The United States is deeply troubled by developments in Nepal. The dismissal today of its multi-party government, […]

The abrogation of the Nepali democracy through the 2005 February 1 coup d’ètat by the king who took absolute power upon himself, is continuing with harsher repression being exercised over all democrats, human rights workers and the media.  Arrests are continuing and the whereabouts of the arrestees are often unknown.  Even the families of leading […]

The establishment of the ‘People¡¦s Committee for the Establishment of the Rule of Law Again’ by a group of concerned people is a welcome move. At the very inception of such well-intentioned work however, it must be asked whether this is not a belated move. If such a question does not precede the work, all […]