Statement

INDIA: Judge dodging investigation must quit

Statement | India | 19-01-2011

The Kerala High Court Advocates’ Association, in an extraordinary general body meeting held yesterday, resolved to request the Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India to undertake an investigation about the charges of corruption alleged against the former Chief Justice of India, Mr. K. G. Balakrishnan and the members of his family. The resolution […]

SRI LANKA: Young Tamil complainant in a bribery case against a police officer faces attempts on his life and is in hiding

Devarathnam Yogendra ( 28 ) is the complainant in a bribery case against IP Wijesuriya of the Hatton Police Station, who has been indicted on a charge of obtaining bribes. This charge has been filed on the basis of a complaint made by Yogendra on November 6, 2010 and it is alleged that the police […]

PAKISTAN: Failure to take action against fundamentalists makes a mockery of the law

A YouTube presentation recently found on the internet shows Mumtaz Quadri, the assassin of the slain governor, Salman Taseer, singing in the custody of the police during his interrogation. The officers are seen standing by and sitting next to him, enjoying the performance. Quadri was reciting ‘Naat’, a poem in praise of the Prophet Mohammad, […]

EGYPT/PAKISTAN: A vote for sanity in Egypt — a lesson for Pakistan

The act of solidarity by Egyptian Muslims towards Egyptian Copts is a glowing example for countries and communities around the world. And it must be particularly noted that Pakistan could be one of the main beneficiaries of this attitude. As Egyptian Copts prepared to attend mass at churches across the country, thousands of Muslims, including […]

PAKISTAN: Outrageous killing of a Supreme Court Judge’s parents requires a strong response

The parents of Justice Javed Iqbal, a judge of the Supreme Court were killed on Tuesday night in a well guarded area of Lahore. Justice Javed Iqbal is heading a three-member bench which is hearing the cases of disappearances of thousands of missing persons in Pakistan. On Monday, January 10, the day before the killings, […]

SRI LANKA: Further correspondence on unjustified listing in a Canada-based website

We reproduce below a reply received from the Webmaster (who has refused identify himself) relating to the correspondence which we have published earlier, which does not answer any of the questions posed earlier by the Asian Human Rights Commission and Mr. Fernando himself. Mr. Fernando has therefore responded to this reply as follows. The email […]

PAKISTAN: Instability and growing religious fascism is the result of the government’s manipulation in the assassination of Salman Taseer

No action has been taken against the high ranking police officials responsible for hiring the killer of Salman Taseer and for allowing him to be a part of the assassinated governor’s security detail. Similarly, no questions have so far been raised amongst the killer’s colleagues, including the high police officials, about how they listened to […]

SRI LANKA: Demand from the Webmaster — place.names@yahoo.com for revealing the details of the ‘Colombo Editor’

With reference to the earlier statement relating to a publication by A WHO’S WHO OF SOME LTTE ACTIVISTS, OPPONENTS etc., PAST AND PRESENT the AHRC has written to the webmaster to reveal the author of the fabricated material. For further information on this issue please see: SRI LANKA: AHRC tells the Canada-based Sri Lankan intellectual […]

PAKISTAN: Appeasement policy towards religious intolerance leads to murder of a governor

The nation has suffered a great loss due to this tragic murder. A voice of sanity has been silenced. This has happened at a time when the kind of political leadership provided by Salman Taseer is most needed. He stood for basic values which are essential for the stability of Pakistan. His shocking death should […]

SRI LANKA: Dr. Chandre Dharma-Wardana admits to the publication of false and defamatory material and a death list

Yesterday we published an open letter relating to false and defamatory material which also amounted to the publication of a death list. Kindly see : SRI LANKA: AHRC tells the Canada-based Sri Lankan intellectual to stop distribution of false and defamatory material and a death list, at: http://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrc-news/AHRC-OLT-001-2011. We have subsequently received replies from Dr. […]

SRI LANKA: New Year Wish List – 2011

We hope that wishing for a happy new year in Sri Lanka is not just mere wishful thinking. We wish: 1. That Rizana Nafeek, facing a death sentence in Saudi Arabia, will be released as soon as possible. This wish can become true only if the Sri Lankan government makes all the diplomatic efforts to […]

SRI LANKA: A whistle-blower who exposed the leakage of a question paper at Sri Lanka Law College forced into hiding

A law student at the Sri Lanka Law College learned that one of the question papers for the final exams had been leaked. He learned this when one of his fellow students came to another and explained the question that would come up in the exam to be held that day. The student who knew […]

PAKISTAN: Sharia Court Launches Major Challenge to Protection of Women Act

On 22 December 2010, after three years and four petitions, the Federal Shariat Court (FSC) of Pakistan declared several critical clauses of the Protection of Women (Criminal Laws Amendment) Act of 2006 unconstitutional. In place of this act that created protections for women, the FSC supports the reinstatement of the Hudood Ordinances VII of 1979, […]

PHILIPPINES: Case analysis–Supreme Court’s ruling on Vizconde and Abadilla cases are contradictory

Supreme Court (SC) affirms conviction of the accused in Abadilla murder but acquits accused in Vizconde Massacre on similar jurisprudence The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to draw the attention of the Supreme Court (SC) of the Philippines to its recent decision on two well-known cases tried in the lower courts; the conviction in […]

INDIA: Stop talking and start acting

The 83rd Plenary Session of the Indian National Congress (INC), held in New Delhi has declared that eradicating corruption would be a priority for the INC and thus for the national government, formed under the banner of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and led by the INC. The President as well as other leaders of […]

SAUDI ARABIA/SRI LANKA: The appeal to the Saudi King to pardon Rizana Nafeek is still pending

While many rumours circulate about the suspension of the death sentence of Rizana Nafeek, the young Sri Lankan maid condemned to death for the alleged murder of an infant under her care in Saudi Arabia, there has been no official change in her case. President Rajapaksa has officially requested the Saudi King for a pardon […]

INDIA: Use of torture to extract confession, anyone surprised?

Statement | India | 17-12-2010

The latest news by the WikiLeaks claims that India has systematically used torture to extract confessions and has allowed its armed forces to resort to brutal human rights abuses like extrajudicial executions and disappearances to instil fear, and thus control the population in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The report asserts that the International […]

SAUDI ARABIA/SRI LANKA: Petitions to save Rizana Nafeek signed in Kandy, Nawalapitiya and Kundasale

Sri Lankans of all faiths came together in Kandy, Nawalapitiya and Kundasale to sign petitions for the pardoning of Rizana Nafeek, the young Sri Lankan Muslim girl now in a Saudi Jail, condemned to death for the alleged murder of an infant under her care. Rizana was only 17-years-old when she went to work in […]

INDIA: Can there be a partially honest judiciary?

The simmering debate between three senior judges in India, involving the suspect in a criminal case and a former Union Minister from Tamilnadu state, Mr. A. Raja, and his alleged attempt to influence the court to obtain bail for the suspect with the assistance of the former Chairperson of the Tamilnadu and Pondicherry Bar Council, […]

PHILIPPINES: Withdrawal of charges against the Morong 43 must not prevent them from prosecuting their torturers

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is deeply concerned about the possible implications of President Benigno Aquino III’s order of December 10, 2010 to the Department of Justice (DoJ) instructing them to withdraw the charges against the Morong 43. The accused were 43 individuals, including doctors, nurses, grassroots community health workers. They were illegally arrested […]