Statement

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 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 […]

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 […]

In the streets of Metro Manila, it is common to see photographs or posters of missing persons posted on walls and electricity poles, with details of the missing person and how to contact the relatives looking for them. These families have taken it upon themselves to look for their loved ones, in the absence of […]

After the case of Mr. Kim Jong-Ik, a victim of illegal surveillance by the Prime Minister’s Office and exposure by a former official of the Office (for details: AHRC-STM-066-2012), more illegal surveillance material conducted by the Office has been reported to the public. The contents of illegal surveillance exposed by the new trade union of the […]

Due to increasing international concerns over corruption, well established systems in the developed countries often become a model for other countries to adopt. Meanwhile, much research has been made to look into the failure of eradication of corruption by nongovernmental organisations such as Transparency International. One recent research was done by the Political and Economic […]

The Fisherfolk community in Pakistan is considered the poorest of the poor, dwelling in slum settlements along the 1129 kilometres coastline with no basic amenities. A high level of poverty prevails in all the capital assets and makes a sustainable livelihood for the fishermen in Pakistan extremely difficult. Human poverty, social poverty, financial poverty and […]

The Fisherfolk community in Pakistan is considered the poorest of the poor, dwelling in slum settlements along the 1129 kilometres coastline with no basic amenities. A high level of poverty prevails in all the capital assets and makes a sustainable livelihood for the fishermen in Pakistan extremely difficult. Human poverty, social poverty, financial poverty and […]

Bangladesh celebrates the 42nd year of its independence at the moment while the nation is found to be still debating over the truths of its history related to the war of independence. The country has witnessed manipulation of public institutions, even judiciary, on the part of the successive governments, to distort historical facts in favour of […]

Two cases in Burma’s courts that recently have attracted some public attention reveal aspects of a legal system being cynically manipulated, aspects that afford strong guarantees for the continuation of authoritarian practices and mentalities, large and small, after the by-elections this April. In February the Rangoon Western District Court gave its verdict in the case […]