Administration of justice

Under the Soeharto regime, which is known as the New Order Era, Indonesia issued Criminal Procedure Code Number 8 of 1981 (known as KUHAP). This Law was issued to replace the old Criminal Procedure legacy of the Dutch Colonial era, known as the Update Indonesia Regulation (RIB) or also called Het Herziene Indonesisch Reglement. After […]

India is facing a massive threat to the lives of its people as evidenced from the ever growing number of corpses that are being scattered everywhere in the country. The crematoriums cannot keep up with the huge number of these corpses and everyone is talking about someone or the other that was known to them […]

A Statement from Anfrel forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission The pro-democracy protests continued across the country while the Myanmar community outside of the country also conducted the protests in places such as London, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo and Seoul. The protests started again in Yangon last week just before the ASEAN summit after a […]

By Basil Fernando The recommendations by a Commission appointed by the President, recommending that a large number of criminal cases that have been filed in the Courts of Sri Lanka be withdrawn, is the deadliest blow that has been dealt with the administration of justice in Sri Lanka. If this recommendation is put into effect, […]

A Statement from the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission UN Human rights experts* expressed serious concern for the independence of Nepal’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) after the recent appointment of new members that they regard as being inconsistent with international standards. The experts […]

The Bangladesh Government continues using dis-proportionate lethal force and brutal crackdowns on dissidents. The authorities have been using the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the excuses for denying the rights of liberties and livelihoods to the people. The Bangladesh Government, in its signature style, chose to crackdown on protesters for staging two peaceful protests. They were aimed […]

A Statement from ANFREL forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Download the Full Statement Here The protests continued for the 12th week across the country despite the brutal crackdown. After a weeks- long absence, protesters returned to the streets in downtown Yangon ahead of the ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting. The media also reported that more than […]

An article from Dr. Vandana Shiva forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission We are happy Forwarding Connecting the Rights of Mother Earth to Human Rights and the Well Being of All Kindly see the link.

By Basil Fernando  Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith presided over the 21st of April commemoration with the participation of other religious leaders. Talking about the issue, he has said that the problem is not just about Catholics, but that it is about the whole country. According to him, he sees the problem of terrorism and extremism as […]

By Avinash Pandey With over 2 lakh (two hundred thousand) new daily cases for almost a week, India is reeling under a second and far more lethal wave of COVID19 pandemic. India reported a record 2.94 lakh cases, second largest daily jump anywhere in the world on Tuesday, April 20, 2021 with a record 2,000 […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) and its sister organization, the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), have long history of journey working with local human rights networks and organizations in Indonesia. In addition, the AHRC also has long experiences working with association of victims and family of victims of past human rights abuses such as […]

By Basil Fernando The Criminal Justice Commissions (CJC) Act, No. 14 of 1972, marked the beginning of the collapse of Sri Lanka’s criminal justice system. The process that started then, gradually expanded further and further, and today, the criminal justice system in Sri Lanka is virtually dysfunctional. What the CJC Act in fact did was […]

By Basil Fernando It is not for fun that the Government established processes for taking decisions and implementing them. It is the age old wisdom gained through various experiences throughout history that led to the establishment of these processes before making decisions and also for implementing and following up on them. The most underlying principle […]

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION – URGENT APPEALS PROGRAM Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-005-2021 April 16, 2021 ——————————————————————— INDONESIA: Journalist Brutally Attacked While Carrying Out Media Coverage ISSUES: Freedom of expression, freedom of the press, access to justice, fair trial, impunity —————————————- Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding violence against a […]

By Basil Fernando There are a number of entrenched beliefs which have become institutional doctrines within the policing system which contribute to the continuing practice of torture. No suspect will ever tell the truth. Therefore, it is better not to waste time asking questions before torturing the person. This is a practice almost invariably followed […]

By Basil Fernando “Police officer” refers mostly to persons working for the Sri Lanka Police Service. But in the context of custodial torture, it also includes others who at times are called upon to do Police-related duties such as conduct interrogations, similar to the military and other agencies. Another aspect, relevant to this discourse, generally […]

We, the four organizations—Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), Advocacy Forum, Lawyer’s Association for the Human Rights of Nepal’s Indigenous Peoples (LAHURNIP) and Terai Human Rights Defenders Alliance (THRDA)—would like to urge the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to timely respond to a letter sent by the Global Alliance for Global Alliance of National Human Rights […]

By Basil Fernando “Police officer” refers mostly to persons working for the Sri Lanka Police Service. But in the context of custodial torture, it also includes others who at times are called upon to do police-related duties such as conduct interrogations, similar to the military and other agencies. Another aspect, relevant to this discourse, generally speaking, […]

By Basil Fernando A brutal attack by Police Officers caught on a video tape has gone viral on social media. It has caused expressions of public dismay about the levels of violence that Sri Lankan Police practice. The video shows how a Police Officer jumps on the body of a fallen young driver and attacks […]

By Basil Fernando The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution “Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka” was adopted with 22 members of the council voting in favour of the resolution, 11 members voting against it and 14 members abstaining. The passing of the resolution marks the strongest action ever taken by the […]