Statement

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to express its deep concern at the latest developments in the establishment of transitional justice institutions in Nepal. On 19 April 2012, the major political parties of Nepal have agreed to merge the initially proposed Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission of investigation into disappearances into one […]

The Court case in relation to the disappearance of Journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda was taken up for hearing at the Appeals Court in Colombo on April 24. The hearing opened as the attorney appearing for Mr. Eknaligoda’s wife, Sandhya, explained the proceedings of the case held at the Magistrate Court in Homagama on March 26. Sandhya’s […]

Enforced disappearance has become a matter of everyday life, as torture is inevitable in the hands of the law enforcement agencies. Both disappearance and torture are the by-products of the ‘rule of coerciveness’ in absence of the ‘rule of law’ in Bangladesh. It is a matter of grave concern that the incidents of disappearance are […]

The harassment of Ms. Sandya Ekneligoda by the government’s supporters in Geneva and by the Attorney General’s department, for joining the UN Human Rights Council Mrs. Sandya Ekneligoda was one of the speakers during a side event held on 19th March 2012 during the 19th sessions of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The […]

Reading the speech of the prime minister and that of the home minister of India, one could easily get carried away by the thought that they are not in fact referring to India, but to some other country in the world. Both ministers were addressing the chief ministers of the country in a conference organised […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission, as well as other human rights organisations have kept up a constant vigil on Lalith Kumar Weeraju and Kugan Murugan who were abducted on December 10, 2011 while engaged in putting up posters for the Human Rights Day. There had been no news about them since. However, some media channels […]

The presidential reference made under article 143 (1) of the constitution to the Supreme Court has to be viewed with extreme suspicion. The ostensible excuse for the reference are the 2G licences that the court has declared null and void and thus not to be acted upon. However the remit of the reference, the text […]

Abductions are seen by many as the most important problem that requires to be solved. The recent abductions of Mr. Gunaratnam and Ms. Attigala, merely highlighted the long standing problem. The concern about the absence of political will on the part of the government has been there for a long period of time. While Mr […]

Referring to the reactions of the government of West Bengal to demands of public causes and justice under the leadership of Ms. Mamata Banerjee, as paranoid, would be in fact an understatement. The state government led by the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) that was elected to power – reflecting the people’s wish for change, […]

The Indian Central Reserve Police Force has set up the world’s first all-women pipe band. In the undercover interviews conducted by The Tehelka with police officers in Delhi, the officers claim that rape is an offense committed by the victim who lure the violator into sex with the victim. The officers opined that but for some rare cases, amounting […]

An abduction drama ended yesterday exposing so vividly the government’s involvement, not only in this particular incident but also in many of the abductions that have been taking place in Sri Lanka during the last six months. The number of these abductions has been around 60. The government has failed to investigate any of these […]

Some of the harshest weather conditions in the world may be experienced on the Siachen Glaciers and it is this very location that two of the bitterest enemies of the region maintain bases. The Siachen Glaciers are the highest glaciers on earth and some of the bases are situated at over 6,000 metres. A result […]

The statement by Gujarat’s Director General of Police (Acting), Mr. Chittaranjan Singh, immediately after the conviction in the Ode riot case, ‘that the conviction is a lesson for the critics of the state police as well as the state’s judiciary’, is disgusting, to say the least. A statement will not absolve the police and the […]

In one of the most shameful episodes ever to be revealed the Sri Lankan government’s involvement in the ‘abduction industry’ was exposed last night (April 9) when the government took action to deport Premakumar Gunarathnam alias Ratnayake Mudiyanselage Dayalal who was abducted on April 6, 2012. This abduction brought immediately reactions from the Frontline Socialist […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) condemns the recent ruthless, barbaric, and torturous murder of Mr Abdul Qudoos Ahmad, a school teacher, Ahmadi religious group of Islam. The AHRC calls on the Pakistan government to immediately bring the perpetrators to justice. The level of ruthless barbarity seen in this murder is unacceptable and seldom. It […]

Mr. Premakumar Gunarathnam the leader of the JVP dissident group and Ms. Dimuthu Attigala a member of the same group are reported to be missing from yesterday night. According to a report, published today in the Daily Mirror, both have been arrested. However the grounds on which they were arrested or the location of the place of […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission has received the very sad news that a young student set himself on fire for want of a new school uniform in Shabquadar, Pakhunkha province. The tragic story is a reminder of the woeful lives of Pakistan’s many impoverished citizens. It highlights the challenges facing those that cling to the […]

From the history of the media in South Korea, the government of the military dictatorship controlled media as well as newspapers and instructed them as to what should be posted and broadcasted. There was one journalist who collected the instructions given by then government and revealed them with other journalists both in a magazine and […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes to express its concern toward the scrapping of the provision prohibiting amnesty for human rights violations in the Bills establishing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission of Inquiry on Disappearances. Principles along which lines the final version of the bill is to be drafted by the Ministry […]

The criminal justice system of Sri Lanka is in decline. Across the country numerous reports document that illegal arrests and detention continues to happen indiscriminately. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has issued several hundred urgent appeal cases over the past decade regarding illegal arrests and arbitrary detention in locations across the country. Most, if […]