Statement

With the change in Army command on November 27, a crackdown against the people in Balochistan started. A prominent lawyer, Mr. Haider KB son of Khuda Bux age 33, resident of Koshkalat, was arrested by plain clothed persons riding in a non registered two door jeep. The police stations in Quetta, capital of Balochistan province, […]

Yesterday, in our statement titled murders and extra judicial killings we commented on the killing of a police constable and his wife followed by what clearly appeared to be extra judicial killings of three persons who were alleged suspects of the said crime. The inquiries into the murder of the police constable and his wife, […]

On November 22, a suspect in the killing of a police constable and his wife was himself killed after arrest. The suspect was a 30-year-old former instructor of the Commando Battalion of the army. It is alleged that he was taken to identify some weapons and when he attempted to attack the police with one […]

Nine journalists suffered the worse kind of suppression with assassinations and attacks ( Graphic Courtesy: pakistanfoemonitor.org ) With the successive governments the reality of freedom of expression grows thinner and thinner as the right guaranteed by the Constitution of Pakistan is further constricted. Apart from blatant interference by the government, freedom of expression is also being […]

The month of October witnessed a significant decline in violence-related casualties bringing some relief to the terror-ridden people of the country. However, the issues related to security and peace remained the most common topics of attention for the people and media alike.  To tackle terrorism and heinous crimes in the country, the President promulgated the […]

This statement is released to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, 25 November Ms. Padmini, a traffic warden, has accused local police, investigating her complaint of sexual harassment, of intimidation in order to protect the interest of the offender. The officer’s contention is that, while she was on traffic duty, […]

Before reaching Karachi a car tried to ram the walkers on three occasions and the marchers are receiving death threat messages on their cell phones The Long March for the Baloch missing persons has entered its 27th day after completing 690 KMs. It will reach its intended destination at the Karachi Press Club, Karachi, the capital […]

Nepal has successfully conducted the second Constituent Assembly elections on 19 November 2013 with estimated 70 percent voter turnout. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) would like to congratulate voters, the Election Commission, national and international observers, security agencies, media, and civil society for their active participation in election management. The exciting participation of Nepali […]

The threats posed to the life of Ms. Nimalka Fenando, a well-known trade unionist, political activist and a human rights defender, by the commercial channel of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation on November 4, 2013 is yet another example of the stark and blatant abuse of the State Media to intimidate, harass and humiliate a […]

On August 22 the Asian Human Rights Commission issued an urgent appeal, PAKISTAN: A student leader was extrajudicial killed in a fake encounter conducted the intelligence agencies. We have now come into possession of a video produced by the police which was leaked to the AHRC which attempts to prove that Mr. Afzal Panhwar was killed […]

The announcement by the de facto chief justice, Mohan Pieris, to introduce regulations in order to limit the maximum age to practice as a lawyer to 70 and to impose further regulations for the renewal of the licenses of lawyers every two years, comes as no surprise. The government’s aim is to bring the military […]

Many participants have suffered bruised and blistered feet but have not been provided with any medical treatment…..their bleeding wounds have been wrapped with nothing more than pieces of cloth The 730-kilometers Long March of the family members of the disappeared persons from Balochistan has covered more than 600 kilometers and entered its 20th day. The Long […]

The following is a statement by participants of the 2nd Conference of Asian Parliamentarians and Human Rights Defenders, 11-13 November, Hong Kong, organised by the Asian Alliance Against Torture and Ill-Treatment: Parliamentarians and human rights defenders from Sri Lanka, India, Burma, Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines, Canada, Hong Kong, and Denmark have attended a meeting to […]

As we begin this second meeting let us start with a short reflection on the overall aims of the project to promote the Convention Against Torture (“CAT”) and our progress in working to prevent torture in Asia. In this regard, there have been some historically important achievements this year in the Asian region. The adoption […]

On November 1, 2010, Andaman Mokiding Binago was arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in a lodging house in Davao City. The NBI claimed that he and the actual accused, Danny Mokiding y Mohamad are one and the same person and charged him with murder charges for allegedly bombing a lottery stall in January 10, 2007 killing […]

Nine years after the brutal murder of Faraz Ahmed Naveed on November 8, 2004 his family still awaits justice. No progress has been made in the investigation. The first report was made by the police officer who attended the scene of the incident and stated that Faraz’ body had a bullet wound in his back […]

According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), “Child labor refers to the employment of children in any work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful”. Child labor has been a persistent problem throughout the South Asia, for […]

‘I never justified the use of torture nor, as far as I am aware, did my superior, Secretary of State Powell,’ said, a former official of the Bush Jr. Administration in an interview with Nilantha Ilangamuwa, editor of Torture: Asian and Global Perspectives. The interview will appear in the coming issue of the magazine which will […]

“It has been documented on several occasions: soldiers deployed by the UN end up torturing the civil population they are supposed to protect and help”. This face has been pointed in a research paper written by, Dr. Claus Kold, a senior researcher at the Denmark-based Danish Institute Against Torture (DIGNITY). He goes on to say, […]

(We reproduce below two poems written by Basil Fernando) No tears for departed Attorney Generals Why I have no tears for departed Attorney Generals: Do we feel sorry for ones extinguishing the light Leaving everything in the dark? Is there any crime worse than Killing the soul of a nation? Is not justice the soul […]