Statement

Owing to a mountainous topography, many parts of Nepal are inaccessible during monsoon season; travelling to those more accessible can also be perilous at this time due to landslides. The problems that monsoons bring are more severe this year in aftermath of the devastating earthquake on April 25, and its destructive aftershock on May 12, […]

Burma got a new government in 2010, after decades of military dictatorship. The change, by general election and under a new constitution, converted Burma from a military to a semi-military government. Some things changed, but most have remained the same.  Torture is still part and parcel of the way the military and law enforcement agencies […]

Pakistan ratified the United Nations Convention Against torture in 2010, but to date no concrete steps have been taken to enact a law. A draft Anti Torture Bill that purports to curb torture is a mere eyewash to dodge pressure from the international community. In Pakistan, the justice system is riddled with gaping problems related […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has over the past 15 years documented close to 3,000 cases of torture from Asia. Most of these cases are reported through AHRC’s Urgent Appeals Programme by partner organisations working in Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, China, Philippines, and Thailand. Having documented and closely followed […]

Throughout the world, June 26 is marked as international day in support of torture victims. In Pakistan, the Asian Human Right Commission has played an active role in mobilizing civil society with support from many partner organisations. Several activities have been planned to commemorate the day and raise awareness amongst the masses about the implications […]

The government of Nepal ratified the Convention Against Torture (CAT) in 1991, and passed the Torture Compensation Act (TCA) in 1996. The TCA, however, does not criminalize torture and focuses on compensation if police officers are found guilty of practicing torture. The TCA treats torture merely as a civil offence, which thereby encourages officers to […]

June 26 is observed as the International Day in support of the victims of torture. Unfortunately, in Thailand, the day will be eclipsed by the military regime that is in power since May 2014, when it overthrew the last elected government. The National Council for Peace and Order that is in power is military machinery. […]

It has been 17 years since Indonesia ratified the Convention against Tortureand Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment, and promulgated Law No. 5 of 1998. However, the Convention has yet to be enforced in the domestic legal system. Indonesia still doesn’t have a national law that criminalizes torture and allows for prosecution of acts of torture […]

That torture is endemic to Bangladesh is not news to the human rights community, or to the millions of citizens who directly and indirectly suffer at the hands of law enforcement personnel. The enactment of the “Torture and Custodial Death (Prohibition) Act, 2013”, i.e. Act No. 50 of 2013, is acknowledgement of the widespread practice […]

June 26 is observed as the international day in support of victims of torture. Torture is a crime under international law, just as is slavery and genocide. When committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack, torture also qualifies as a crime against humanity. Torture […]

On 23 June 2015, the Negombo High Court judge M.Z. Razeen found Sub Inspector Suresh Gunaratne and one of his assistants guilty of murdering Gerald Mervin Perera in November 2004. The two policemen have been sentenced to death. Another case of torture is pending against the same Sub Inspector and several other police officers who […]

In the latest blow to social security schemes that are preventing millions of Indians from being pushed to starvation, the Indian government has decided to phase out the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (Food Scheme for the Last Person). The scheme, meant for the poorest of the poor, covers around 20 million people, with most beneficiaries belonging […]

Image Courtesy:www.rabwah.net Religious persecution has engulfed Pakistan. The orthodox clergy that took root in late 1970s has now brainwashed the current generation, promising heavenly rewards for following fanatical interpretations of Islam. Barring few Sunni sects, all religious groups suffer discrimination in Pakistan. Of these, the Ahmadis are amongst the most persecuted; the Pakistan Constitution and […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to inform you that Ganga Maya Adhikari, wife of late Nanda Prasad Adhikari, has filed a Right to Information (RTI) application. Ganga Maya, who has resumed her hunger strike in Bir Hospital, seeking justice for the murder of her son Krishna Prasad Adhikari who was allegedly murdered by […]

Amidst claims and counter claims related to the recent militant attack on the Indian Army, as well as a retaliatory strike against militant groups by the Indian Army, lives have been lost in Manipur. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) condemns the use of force with impunity by state and non-state actors in Manipur that […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is dismayed by the attempt of the government of Nepal to outsource policing functions to a paramilitary organization. Rather than reform the police, something the nation and its people sorely need, the attempt to allow the Armed Police Force (APF) to take over policing functions and issue arrest warrants […]

Poor and unhygienic conditions in Tharawaddy Prison has resulted in students and their supporters detained there for over 3 months to be afflicted by diseases and ailments. During the brutal crackdown on 10 May 2015, students and their supporters protesting against the National Education Bill were injured, but no medical treatment has been provided to […]

Aftab Bahadur Masih was executed in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail early this morning despite requests from rights groups and church leaders to halt the execution, terming his conviction as flawed. He was 15-year-old at the time of the commission of the alleged crime, a fact not disputed by the police or the courts. Aftab had […]

Aftab Bahadur Masih is expected to be executed tomorrow, 10 June 2015. He has now been on death row for over 22 years. The Asian Human Rights Commission is reproducing a translation of a letter Aftab wrote recently from his prison cell in Kot Lakhpat, Lahore. The letter has been translated from Urdu by Reprieve, an […]

Ganga Maya Adhikari, who staged a 360-day hunger strike last year demanding action against the murderers of her son Krishna Prasad, has given a new 10-day ultimatum to the government to address her demands. Since Friday, 5 June 2015, she has only been taking juice and water, heightening her protest against the continuing injustice. Speaking […]