Administration of justice

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed that a labour leader falsely charged for robbery entered a plea of ‘not guilty’ at the beginning of his trial on August 23, 2012. In order to clear his and those of other activists, he submitted himself to the court proceedings, knowing full well […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) recently brought you details of a case in which police conspired with the employer of a young girl who allegedly abused and murdered her to cover up the facts (AHRC-UAC-136-2012). In this Urgent Appeal, we wish to inform you of another case in which a young girl […]

The Chief Minister of West Bengal is once again in the news. This time the minister is critiqued for her comments on judicial corruption. However, if truth is the best defence, and if such a defence is bona fide, then in public interest none can blame the minister for her ‘expressing opinion.’ In fact, it […]

The Free Cocoy Tulawie Movement is happy to announce the Decision of the Supreme Court dated July 3, 2012 which GRANTED the Petition for Certiorari and Prohibition filed by Temogen “Cocoy” Tulawie et.al. against Governor Sakur Tan for declaring the Province of Sulu in a State of Emergency last March 31, 2009. Penned by Associate Justice […]

On 8 August, the Nepali newspaper The Himalayan Times reported from Myagdi district that the incumbent Attorney General of Nepal, Mukti Pradhan had denounced the current police investigation process of Nepal as a strong obstacle to the proper delivery of justice. He is quoted as having said that “Torture-based investigation is still in practice in Nepal”. He […]

By Altaf Hussain The mass exodus of minority Hindus from Pakistan particularly from Sindh, has stirred the lethargic and ignorant government authorities who otherwise had kept mum over the security concerns of the Hindu community. Significant number of families of Pakistan’s Hindu community particularly from Sindh, reportedly have started migrating to neighboring country, India, because […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) congratulates India and the people of this great country on the eve of the 65th anniversary of independence. Occasions like this are opportunity for the country and its people to reflect and introspect on the promises they made, both 65 years ago, when celebrating newfound freedom, and subsequently. The […]

The government is again planning to change the criminal justice mainframe of the country. Again, the ruse is that of justice to the people and national security. The proposal is open; its true purpose clandestine. If the 2007 report of the Committee on National Policy on Criminal Justice, chaired by Dr. N.R. Madhava Menon, is […]

A group of human rights lawyers and activists gathered for a two-day seminar on the Rule of Law and Criminal Justice in Dhulikhel, Nepal. This seminar was organized by Advocacy Forum and the Asian Human Rights Commission. Reviewing liberties, opportunities and income, the participants discussed a large number of issues relating to the recent developments […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has obtained information about the case of a child worker whose killing by her employer in the middle of Rangoon the police have covered up. Ten-year-old Ma Thin Thin Myat’s employers subjected her to constant abuse and forced her to work like a slave before one of […]

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following statement from the Law & Society Trust. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- A Statement from the Law & Society Trust forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission The Law & Society Trust views the reported attack on the Mannar court house by a […]

We are pleased to forward the full text and the audio of an interview with Mr. Basil Fernando of the Asian Human Rights Commission and ABC Kimberley about the meeting of the parliamentarians held in Hong Kong between July 21-24, 2012. You may listen to the audio recording of the interview here. The full text of […]

Speech given by Abbasi Nusrat Bano, a member of the Provincial Assembly, at the meeting of Asian Parliamentarians On Sunday afternoon, (July 22), Abbasi Nusrat Bano, a member of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh, delivered this speech to great applaus as part of the Meeting of Asian Parliamentarians in the Asian Alliance against Torture and […]

According to reports we have received, a group of criminals allegedly sponsored by a government minister, stoned the High Court and the Magistrate Court of Manner in a coordinated attack yesterday. A very tense situation is reported to be taking place in manner. According to information we have received, a mobile fishing hut was attacked […]

The attack on the Magistrate’s Court and the High Court in Mannar, allegedly instigated by a powerful government minister, has led to a resolve by law court judges and lawyers to boycott all courts today. The Asian Human Rights Commission welcomes this decision as a very important step in the fight back against the serious […]

Basil Fernando The interview of the Defense Secretary Mr. Gotabaya Rajapakse with the editor of the Sunday Leader on the airlifting of a dog deserves comment not because of anything surprising contained in the interview. Its importance lies in its banality. It reveals something that has come to be quite common and ordinary in the […]

The Government of Bangladesh plans to immediately arrest members of human rights organisations and activists suspected of providing information for the Human Rights Watch Report “Bangladesh: Torture, Deaths of Jailed Mutiny Suspects”. The Asian Human Rights Commission has learned from reliable sources that there are discussions among some quarters in the Bangladesh government of arresting […]

Dear friends, Yesterday, it was reported by the official state-run media that 22 political prisoners have been released under the President’s amnesty. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding on the case of bombing in Pegu town (UAU-023-2012), of which eight of the accused victims were released. Additionally, Than Zaw (UAC-227-2011), […]

Hong Kong, July 3, 2012 “For over a year, I was in hiding. My life was empty,” said Myrna Reblando as she shared her story to a group of local and international journalists in Hong Kong. Myrna Reblando, the widow of Alejandro “Bong” Reblando, a journalist murdered in the 2009 Maguindanao massacre, was one of […]

Basil Fernando In a previous article, SRI LANKA: The Supremacy of the national security apparatus, we discussed the issue of the Ministry of Defence being the most important institution in Sri Lanka, after the institution of the Executive President. This implies that the ministry is more important than the parliament and the judiciary within the new […]