Statement

Based largely on a series of drawings by Nepali artist Sushil Thapa, Modus Operandi TORTURE exposes the true horror of what takes place in police stations around Asia. Thapa, in collaboration with the CVICT in Nepal, interviewed a number of police torture survivors and based these illustrations on their gruesome accounts of what they experienced at the […]

Ms. Perveen Rehman (56), worked for the betterment of the poor and neglected When a small lady weighing hardly 60 kilograms working for the betterment of poor slum-dwellers, and amongst the under-privileged in poorer residential areas, is viewed as a dire threat to the Taliban and the local administration, the sanity of these institutions, and […]

The annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General to the Human Rights Council has been issued on February 11, 2013. Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on advice and technical assistance for […]

When the case regarding the torture of Chamila Bandara Jayaratne came before the Supreme Court yesterday (March 11) the lawyer appearing for the respondent police officers, Mr. Manohara de Silva, mislead the court by stating that leave to proceed had not been granted by the Supreme Court in this case. In fact, leave to proceed […]

Sections 295 and 295A of the Pakistan Penal Code do not differentiate between Islam and Christianity These are just two of the photos, among many, taken during the attack on Joseph Colony, a Christian residential area in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province. The pictures tell the real story of the attack by Muslims extremists […]

(Photo courtesy of the Daily Express) The small incident of a quarrel between three Christian and Muslim friends during a drinking session (of alcohol) turned into the ransacking, looting and burning of 180 Christian houses in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province. The fighting between the friends happened on Tuesday, March 5 but after three […]

The US sponsored resolution against neighbouring Sri Lanka has become a discussion point in India. Debates in the parliament and in the media are about whether India should support or oppose the resolution. Government of India has not decided yet, though some politicians, including the main opposition party, the BJP, have been demanding that India […]

A Golden Opportunity to abolish self-contradictory Franchise System and Restore true Justice and Democracy in Pakistan The world has strongly and repeatedly drawn the attention of Pakistan to its self-contradictory franchise system which denies the Ahmadi Muslims the fundamental right to vote.( Click here to read our previous statement on the issue) The Supreme Court of […]

Every year, this day represents a suitable occasion to remember the battles fought and the recognition gained, but above all it is a moment of reflection concerning all those achievements not yet acquired. This year in particular, the fifty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women has been scheduled between March 4th and 15th at […]

The tribunal on war crimes established in March 2010 has pushed Bangladesh to extreme violence. Since 28 February, the events have taken a violent turn in which almost 100 persons including women, children and police officers have lost life. Several hundreds more are injured, and properties destroyed of which no body in the country has […]

A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women Statistics apart, India is not a safe place for women to live. The recent unfortunate incidents of rape reported from the national capital and from other parts of the country have only brought the gruesome reality to the fore. Gender rights groups, the […]

A court in Manipur yesterday has ordered the detention of Ms. Irom Sharmila Chanu, better known as the iron lady of Manipur. Detention is nothing new to this woman, most humble yet so bold, that she has so far successfully challenged the iron fist of the senselessness Indian state and its Manipuri counterpart, the Government […]

A video depicting ill-treatment and excessive use of force by police officers has recently been released to the public. In the video, several men who were suspected of being terrorists were lying down on the grass with their hands bound while the police officers asked them questions. One of the suspects was shot in his leg while […]

Swarnavahini reported a raid on a house maintained at a high rise building in Maligawatta by a mob led by a Buddhist monk, Galabodathe Yanasiri, the secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena (The Buddhist Power Army). Galabodathe Yanasiri claimed that a person residing there was keeping false deeds, fake ticket books and passing himself off […]

Sri Lanka is now before the United Nations Human Rights Council at a time when the Council is to discuss in what ways Sri Lanka can improve the human rights situation of its people. The overall mind set with which the government is approaching the Council can be summed up with the phrase, “Catch us […]

Two senior journalists were killed during the short span of 48 hours. As is usual, enquiry committees have been formed by the authorities to investigate the killings and the motives behind the incidents. However, as committees have been formed in the past for the same reason which have not shown any results there is not […]

After hearing the accusations of covert and overt support for sectarian terrorism and the terrorists the state institutions, like the judiciary and the army are trying to clarify their positions. There is of course, the involvement of the civilian set up that, after a total of 32 years of collision between the army and the […]

At the Bar Association election this year, Mr. Upul Jayasooriya was elected with an overwhelming majority. He won by a margin of over 1,471 votes while the persons who came in second and third received 330 and 77 votes. It was well known that one of the candidates was openly promoted by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. […]

The Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court has claimed that 1,500 missing persons were recovered and sent home as a result of the steps taken by the judiciary while a further 1,000 missing persons had been traced and were found to be in the custody of the security forces. They can now meet with […]

Mangala Samy Pungonda, the mother of Wengadasalam Sudeshkar yesterday, February 19, appealed for the final sum of Rs. 600,000/= (approximately US$ 5,000) for the saving of her son’s life from execution in Doha, Qatar. She thanked those who have already contributed to the raising of the sum of Rs. 3.5 Million and said that about […]