Statement

We reproduce below a letter written to the Chairperson of the NHRC by the Asian Human Rights Commission complaining about their failure to investigate the complaint relating to the attack on FMA Razzak which took place on April 29, 2011. Prof. Mizanur Rahman Chairman National Human Rights Commission 10th Floor, Gulfeshan Plaza 8, Journalist Selina […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission this morning issued two urgent statements of extreme concern for the situation of human rights defenders in Bangladesh, and in particular over the disappearance of a young human rights activist, Dipal Barua, yesterday, May 24. Dipal has been working for the last few weeks on the efforts for the life […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is deeply concerned by the Home Minister’s statement on Friday that his office is planning to withdraw cases filed against Maoist cadres from the time of the conflict. According to news report, the cases filed at the district level likely to be withdrawn may amount to 300 and may […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information from the family of Mr. Dipal Barua, a human rights activist that he has been missing since yesterday morning, May 24, 2011. He was last seen near his house at around 10:30 in the morning. His family has looked around all the places where he normally visits […]

The activists of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum and members of civil society was brutally baton charged and manhandled by the police in front of the Provincial Assembly building. Twelve protestors were injured including four women and eight men. The Forum had already informed the authorities some four days before that they would hold a sit-in […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission welcomes the 21 April introduction of the Truth and Commission Bill for consideration at the Legislature-Parliament in a long-awaited move to develop strong and effective transitional justice mechanisms. The introduction of the Bill comes after a five-year long wait for families of conflict victims who have seen the possibility of […]

A Joint Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission and the Center for Victims of Torture-Nepal As the case regarding the torture of Hom Bahadur Bagale will be heard in the Supreme Court of Nepal on 16 May, 2011, the Center for Victims of Torture-Nepal (CVICT) and the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) expect that […]

Bangladeshi national FMA Razzak is the President of the Human Rights Development Centre (HRDC) and Editor of the Pakkhik Gonomichhil in Paikgachha of Khulna district, Bangladesh. On April 29, 2011, Razzak and his younger brother, Mr. Bodiuzzaman Bodiar; brother-in-law, Mr. Bakkar, were attacked after having been kidnapped by the relatives of an army major, Mustafizur […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission calls upon all human rights organizations of the world to respond to a brutal attack on a well-known human rights defender in Bangladesh, FMA Razzak and his brother by an army officer and his family. The details of the assault are given below. So far, despite of complaints no inquiries […]

24 activists were among those who were extra judicially killed after their abduction by uniformed and plain clothe persons The extra judicial killings of the journalists, writers, human rights defenders, students and activists continue in the Balochistan area where law enforcement responsibilities were handed over to the Frontier Cop (FC) and the state intelligence agencies. […]

At a press conference in Thailand on 24 April 2011, Somsak Jeamteerasakul and several coalitions of academics, human rights activists, and journalists released statements calling for the protection of freedom of speech in Thailand. These statements were in response to a series of blatant threats made towards Somsak over comments that some people have considered […]

The popular movement against corruption in India, led by Mr. Anna Hazare and others, shares broadly, opinions of the average citizen concerning corruption. That, the reign of corruption in the country must be brought under control, if it cannot be immediately eliminated and that there are no adequate domestic legal and executing frameworks at the […]

“We cannot eat, we cannot sleep — we can only hope and that hope is fast dwindling so we pray that our loved ones will be returned to us.” On April 13, 2011 the three member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in the supervision of Justice Javaid Iqbal heard the cases of the […]

The UN panel commissioned to advise the UN Secretary General on several issues relating to the period covering the end of the war with the LTTE has now submitted its report. The content of the report has not yet been published. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called on the UN Secretary General to […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission has reported on the many threats to internet publications made recently. The latest was the arrest of the Lanka-E-News editor, Bennett Rupasinghe. Rupasinghe’s arrest brought numerous protests from local media organisations, locally and internationally and also human rights organisations. Despite of a police request to detain him further, the Magistrate […]

Despite corruption being rampant in the country, India still does not have an independent and credible functioning legislative and institutional framework to deal with corruption. In addition, there are several other issues like the reluctance and often inability of the investigators to undertake a proper and time-bound investigation, poor prosecution and enormous delays in the […]

A Joint Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission and (1) Madhya Pradesh Right to Food Campaign Support Group; (2) Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangthan; (3) Peedit Nirashrit Pension Bhogi Morch; (4) Sarokaar; (5) Baal Panchayat; (6) Nagrik Adhikar Manch; (7) Yuva Samvad; (8) Prasoon and (9) Vikas Samvad; human rights organisations working in […]

“We have not received any communication from our daughter,” said Muhammad Nafeek, the father of Rizana, the Sri Lankan domestic worker who has been sentenced to death by a Saudi Arabian court. Rizana went to Saudi Arabia as house maid via a foreign employment agency in Colombo six years before on the strength of a […]

The continuous persecution by the Sri Lankan government of the Lanka-E-News publication reached a new stage when its editor, Bennet Rupasinghe was arrested and detained yesterday. For many months now Lanka-E-News has been under severe attack and one of its reporters, Prageeth Eknaligoda has been missing for over one year now. His family has accused […]

Over the past four months, the Union Law Minister, Mr. M. Veerappa Moily, has been claiming that his ministry wishes to propose a law, on the ‘right’ to justice, which would guarantee justice to every citizen. While the minister’s wish is noble, the country lacks the means and administrative will to assure what the minister […]