Administration of justice

According to reports yesterday, July 5, 2011, about 2,000 persons from the Kahawatte area participated in a protest demanding the removal of the police working in the area. The reason behind this protest is the inability of the police to effectively investigate the murders of seven women who were killed in separate incidents. The people […]

Basil Fernando In my earlier short essay titled Replacing investigations with gossip, I tried to point to the absence of outrage against forced disappearances in Sri Lanka, which I ended by saying that there must be some cultural for such an attitude. In this second short essay I venture to look into what that cultural root […]

Dear friends,  Despite of our appeal, the Office of the Ombudsman also exonerated the policemen, who were responsible in filing a charge for “serious resistance and disobedience” on seven farmers and four minors, from liability for ignorance of the law. The charge that the police filed does not exist in the list of criminal offenses […]

Dear friends,  Mr. George Jayakody (55) of No: 24, Kundalagama, Kundasale, Kandy is a businessman. In 2008 he wanted to sell his land he came to an agreement in the presence of a lawyer. The second party who happened to be the relative of a police officer reneged on the contract and instead of abiding […]

A Joint Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission and Advocacy Forum During the interactive dialogue of the Universal Periodic Review, continuous impunity for grave human rights violations had appeared as the major concern of the international community. Peer countries have recalled that continuous impunity undermines respect for the rule of law and hampers the […]

We reproduce below the translation of the affidavit written by Rizana Nafeek on January 30, 2007 which was published by the Asian Tribune today. This affidavit gives, for the first time, her version of events relating to the death of a four-month-old infant who she was bottle feeding. She was later charged with murdering the […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is from today publishing a series ofInvestigation Reports made by the Office of the Ombudsman on cases they have ruled as “closed and terminated” during the last five years. The AHRC is deeply concerned that the Ombudsman is arbitrarily using its power under the Ombudsman Act of 1989 to dismiss complaints on questionable grounds.  DETAILS OF TERMINATED CASES:  First […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward to you the following press release from Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong UNJUST A Documentary Film by Josefina Bergsten, followed by Q & A 8pm Tuesday June 7, 2011 At Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand Non-members 300 Baht, […]

Dear friends,  With regard to two cases that we have asked the Ombudsman to conduct investigations into one involved threats to the lives of an activist and his family. No investigation had been conducted in this case. They did investigate the second one which involved the torture of three activists but did not provide a […]

Dear All,  The Asian Human Rights Commission has earlier informed you about the attack on FMA Razzak instantiated by army officer, Major Mustafizur Rahman Bokul and his family, who attempted to gouge out Razzak’s eyes. The right leg and hand were broken with several bones suffered fractures. The police have not yet started a credible […]

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 […]

Basil Fernando  The attempted eye gouging incident in at Paikgachha village, where a human rights defender and journalist, FMA Razzak and his brother were attacked by a about 40 persons mobilized by a major in Bangladesh army, Mustafizur Rahman Bokul, is a painful experience to all. It is necessary to learn from this experience so […]

An Open Letter from the Asian Human Rights Commission to Prof. Mizanur Rahman, Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh Prof. Mizanur Rahman Chairman National Human Rights Commission 10th Floor, Gulfeshan Plaza 8, Journalist Selina Parvin Road Mogbazar, Dhaka BANGLADESH Fax: +88 02 8333219 Dear Professor Rahman, BANGLADESH: An Open Letter to the Chairperson of […]

2011年5月9日，亞洲人權委員會、亞洲專訊資料研究中心、亞太學生及青年協會、香港記者協會、Interfaith Cooperation Forum、香港融樂會及世界基督徒學生同盟聯合向孟加拉駐香港領事館遞交公開信表示關注孟加拉人權捍衛者及記者拉扎克先生（FMA Razzak）受到嚴重襲擊及被企圖弄盲雙目的事件。  請願團體關注拉扎克先生（FMA Razzak）在孟加拉庫爾納地區遇到嚴重襲擊。根據亞洲人權委員會收到的消息，在2011年4月29日，拉扎克先生和弟弟受到一班凶徒的襲擊後嚴重受傷。據稱凶徒是受到穆斯塔菲茲.拉赫曼.寶庫爾少校（Major Mustafizur Rahman Bokul）的指使，企圖弄盲拉扎克先生雙目，他們用手指及硬物挖雙目，導致出血。拉扎克先生家人引領警察找到劫持地點，將兩名受害者送往醫院。  目前，拉扎克先生在醫院接受治療。由於事件受到公眾高度關注，孟加拉衛生及家庭部長哈取爾醫生（Dr. AFM Rahul Haque）於5月3日探訪拉扎克先生。現時拉扎克先生的狀況十分嚴重，手腳骨折，雙目嚴重受傷，可能永久盲目。另外，拉扎克先生家人的處境也十分危險。  最新發展是當地警察收到拉扎克先生家人的投訴後逮捕四名人士。然而，主要犯事者仍逍遙法外，特別是穆斯塔菲茲.拉赫曼.寶庫爾少校（Major Mustafizur Rahman Bokul）還保持軍中職務。  請願團體代表向孟加拉駐香港領事館遞交公開信，並與領事阿曼德先生(Ashud Ahmed)會面。公開信要求孟加拉政府將以下事情列為首要工作：  1．向拉扎克先生提供最好的醫療照顧，費用由國家支付，直至完全或達至最好的康復。  2．立刻暫停穆斯塔菲茲.拉赫曼.寶庫爾少校（Major Mustafizur Rahman Bokul）的職務，待此案進行全面的偵查。  3．確保進行認真的刑事偵查，以逮捕及檢控所有犯事者。  4．在整個偵查及往後審訊期間，向拉扎克先生及其家人給予完全的保護以至居住及其他方面的需要，並確保他們獲得全面的補償，保證他們日後的安全。  亞洲人權委員會政策及項目發展主任巴西爾. 費爾南多（Basil Fernando）表示：“這是十分殘暴的襲擊，顯示孟加拉軍人侵犯人權的問題相當嚴重，孟加拉政府必須採取果斷行動，展開認真及全面的刑事偵查，使犯事者受到法律的制裁。孟加拉政府應該利用今次事件明確表示不容許軍人侵犯人權的行為。”  巴西爾. 費爾南多（Basil Fernando）還呼吁：“保護受害者及其他證人的安全至關重要，這影響到偵查及檢控能否成功。孟加拉當局應立刻暫停穆斯塔菲茲.拉赫曼.寶庫爾少校（Major Mustafizur Rahman Bokul）的職務，並採取有效措施保護受害者及其他證人。  可於以下鏈接找到詳細資料：  http://www.humanrights.asia/campaigns/attack-on-fma-razzak   http://www.humanrights.asia/news/urgent-appeals/AHRC-UAU-023-2011   http://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrc-news/AHRC-STM-058-2011   查詢可致電852-26986339或 發電郵至media@ahrc.asia.

(Hong Kong, May 9, 2011) On 9 May 2011, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), Asia Monitor Resource Centre, Asia Pacific Students and Youth Association, Hong Kong Journalists Association, Interfaith Cooperation Forum, Unison – Hong Kong, World Student Christian Federation jointly made a petition to the Consulate General of Bangladesh in Hong Kong to express […]

Dear friends,  Further to our appeal, the Ombudsman also ceased its intervention into the disappearance and torture of a farmer, Ambrosio Derejeno. He was last seen alive in the custody of a paramilitary unit. In our letter of appeal to the Ombudsman, the AHRC expressed concern to the exclusion of two military colonels who are […]

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 […]

WORLD: An appeal for assistance for FMA Razzak (Hong Kong, May 6, 2011) The Asian Human Rights Commission has launched an appeal for financial support for medical, legal and security expenses for human rights defender, Mr. FMA Razzak of Bangladesh. We reproduce below this appeal which was issued yesterday. Payment may be made online; please […]

(Hong Kong, May 5, 2011) The inhabitants of Paikgachha have again held a rally demanding the arrest of Mustafizur Rahman Bokul, a major in the Bangladesh army, and his aides for gouging the eyes of human rights defender FMA Razzak and his brother Bodiuzzaman Bodiar. The rally was held at the zero point of Paikgachha […]

(Hong Kong, May 4, 2011) Hundreds of men, women and children at Paikgachha have taken to streets demanding arrest of eye-gouger Mustafizur Rahman Bokul, a major in the Bangladesh army, and his aides for gouging eyes of human rights defender FMA Razzak and his brother Bodiuzzaman Bodiar. They spontaneously participated in a procession in protest […]