Administration of justice

PAKISTAN: The brother of a rape victim has been found murdered three months after his arrest

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information that the body of a young man has been found three months after his arrest in the midst of a campaign for legal redress for his sister, who was gang raped in 2007. Sabir Soomro supported his teenage sister throughout a badly and unprofessionally tried […]

THAILAND: Calls for observing the preliminary hearing on the case of Imam Yapa Kaseng

The Provincial Court of Narathiwat set the preliminary hearing on the case of Imam Yapha Kaseng at 09.00am on 2 September 2010 To determine if the case of the alleged torture to death of the Imam while under official custody is actionable or not On 18 June 2010, the Provincial Court of Narathiwat scheduled the […]

INDIA: Groundbreaking court cases on maternal mortality

In a historic decision the Delhi High Court ordered compensation for violation of constitutional and reproductive rights of two impoverished women. The judgment will have immense health policy implications in India, where a maternal death occurs every five minutes. In the case of Laxmi Mandal vs Deen Dayal Hari Nager Hospital & Ors W.P. 8853/2008 […]

UPDATE (Sri Lanka): A magistrate neglects an exhumation request for six months in a case of suspicious death

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission is extremely concerned that, more than eight months since the mysterious death of a 24-year-old woman, no investigation has been opened, and requests to exhume the body for a post mortem have not been entertained. The young woman’s underprivileged mother has repeatedly appealed to the authorities to have […]

UPDATE (Sri Lanka): Progress is made in a case of judicial and police corruption

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission is pleased to report strong progress in the complaint of a road accident victim, whose case was wilfully mishandled by police and a judge. The judge allowed himself to be misled by police officers and when the victim complained, he closed the case. This is now being thoroughly […]

ASIA: Women’s views on prevention of torture — Interview 8

An interview conducted by the Asian Human Rights Commission. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the AHRC. Sri Lanka — A woman speaks out against bad policing and torture Sister M. Pradeepa, 34, is from Trincomalee and works at the Ampitiya Convent in Kandy where she is involved with various projects involving […]

INDIA: Country celebrates the 61st day of successful oppression in Manipur

Statement | India | 11-06-2010

Today, the Union Home Ministry, the Chief Ministers of Manipur and Nagaland and a handful of Naga and Meitei nationalists are celebrating the 61st day of their successful enforcement of an indefinite economic blockade organised against the ordinary people living in Manipur state. In tribute to the strenuous effort of the All Naga Students Association […]

SRI LANKA: A man is badly beaten by Kolonna police officers but denied a judicial remedy

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received a detailed report from a victim of torture on a string of violent violations committed by Kolonna police, both in the police station and a nearby hospital. His case comprehensively illustrates the lack of discipline or accountability in many areas of the policing system in […]

SRI LANKA: Panadura North Police mislead the judiciary and detain a man for forty days

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about an arbitrary arrest, faulty police procedure and fabricated charges by the Panadura North police. The case highlights the way in which a person with a criminal conviction, once in the sight of police, can become a convenient target for fabricated charges in other […]

INDONESIA: Where questions can lead to convictions

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following article from The Jakarta Post. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- An article from Elaine Pearson (HRW) published in The Jakarta Post forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission INDONESIA: Where questions can lead to convictions Elaine Pearson, The Jakarta Post, June 5, 2010 […]

INDIA: Bhopal judgment symbolises decayed justice in a deficient democracy

Statement | India | 08-06-2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AHRC-STM-096-2010 June 8, 2010 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission INDIA: Bhopal judgment symbolises decayed justice in a deficient democracy The recent judgment delivered by a court in the Bhopal Gas disaster case convicting all the seven accused could have been a welcome one and could have gone a long […]

INDIA: Police extort money from a victim of domestic violence in Assam

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that police officers in Silchar Police Station, Assam allegedly harassed and threatened a victim of domestic violence in order to extort money from her, and neglected the investigation of her case. The victim’s father-in-law is a senior member of the District Bar Association and […]

PAKISTAN: A couple is death marked by a jirga court chaired by a policeman

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information that a couple have been declared ‘Karo-Kari’ and sentenced to death by an illegal tribal court, but cannot get protection or redress from the Pakistan authorities. The tribal court was allegedly chaired by the bride’s uncle, a policeman, and includes her father, who is also […]

UPDATE (Burma): Details of more fabricated cases brought against five persons

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) previously issued an appeal on the case of Dr. Wint Thu and eight others who in December 2009 were given long jail terms for alleged offences against the state. They were reportedly tortured into giving confessions that the police used in court. In this update we bring […]

PAKISTAN: Journalist found dead after revealing tribal marriage customs

May 14, 2010. Reporters Without Borders voiced its dismay today after journalist Ghulam Rasool Birhamani was found dead in Sindh province in the south-east of the country on 10 May 2010.  Several journalists in the region told the worldwide press freedom organisation that they believed his death could have been linked to an article he […]

PHILIPPINES: Negros and its people through my eyes–inequality before the law (Part 4)

Danilo Reyes The story of two elderly farmers, Marilyn Lanotes, of Hacienda Tres Hermanos and Uldarico Nalipay, of Hacienda Manuela, both in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental, are just two of the many examples that can illustrate the inequality before the law between farmers and landowners and how the application of the law is abused to […]

SRI LANKA: A group of officers brutally assault a visitor to Polpithigama police station

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that another case of police brutality in Sri Lanka has yet to be investigated by the authorities. It involves the beating of a man by a large group of officers at Polpithigama police station when he tried to visit his cousins after their arrest. The […]

BURMA: Court refuses to hear journalist’s appeal against long prison sentence

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to inform you of another raft of charges against a journalist in Burma who was sentenced to a long prison sentence and whose appeal against imprisonment has so far been unsuccessful. Young journalist Ma Hla Hla Win appealed at the end of April against her 27-year […]

SRI LANKA: A man is beaten by Panadura police but denied a judicial remedy

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about an illegal arrest and assault by Panadura North police. A man was dragged from his house early in the morning without being shown a warrant or informed of the complaint against him and was beaten unconscious. Although the hospital arranged for a report […]

SRI LANKA: A man is shot dead by Trincomalee police during a botched arrest

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is deeply concerned about the conduct of Trincomalee police officers following a police shooting. The victim was allegedly shot at his home during a botched arrest attempt and died in hospital shortly after. According to witnesses police did not follow police any form of procedure, delayed the […]