Administration of justice

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) would like to share with you the constitutional petition filed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan Mr. Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry in the Supreme Court on April 25, 2007. In the petition, Justice Chaudhry is challenging his humiliation by the president of Pakistan and his detention during […]

A legal professional is not above the law. A solicitor in Hong Kong was sentenced to imprisonment recently. It was alleged that the solicitor’s client who had lodged a complaint about a stockbroker had been persuaded by the solicitor to withdraw the charges as the solicitor was allegedly involved with the stockbroker. A rather similar […]

Shocking details are emerging about the manner in which the Chief Justice, Iftikhar Chaudry, was requested to resign from his post, and how when he refused he was physically restrained form leaving the President’s Camp Office for several hours and finally as to how a reference was cooked up and filed in order to prevent […]

In the midst of the judicial crisis the government has opened yet another front in the hopes of exercising damage control in an attack on a television station that has been airing open discussions on the latest developments with regard to the political situation and also the judicial crisis. For the past several weeks the […]

Over two and a half years have passed since Kietisak Thitboonkrong was found tortured to death and dumped in a rural area of northeastern Thailand. Investigations by the National Human Rights Commission and others have pointed the finger of guilt straight at the Kalasin district police, in whose custody he was last seen a few […]

The grave problems regarding the lack of credible investigations into human rights violations in Sri Lanka continues as the government makes threats to expel foreign diplomats who call for such inquiries as persons meddling in the internal affairs of the country. Whether the government itself has caused such violations is not the issue. The key […]

[NOTICE: The AHRC have developed a new automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of some of the Cambodian authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to those people. Fax numbers and postal addresses of the Cambodian authorities are attached below […]

Monoranjan Ghosh, a resident of Gopalpur village in South 24 Parganas District of West Bengal, was threatened by a money-extorting gang at least half a dozen times. Monoranjan was assaulted several times and had to be hospitalised once. His family and the entire village were threatened by the members of the gang. On each occasion, […]

On April 9 the King of Thailand called upon a new group of superior judges to ensure that they “maintain justice”. The King pointed out that more than ever public confidence in the judiciary depends upon them. They are vital to the peace and survival of the country, he said; their task is not easy, […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has obtained detailed information about a trial in Thailand that has been going on for 14 years. The trial of four men for allegedly planning to kill the former Supreme Court president has gone on since 1993 even though the police have not presented material evidence against […]

The last few weeks have seen the use of the powers of the Attorney General’s Department to freeze the accounts of a person associated with a leading newspaper which turned hostile to the government. Also during the last few days a former minister who had been vocal against the regime, which he served, accusing it […]

The admission by the Chief of Police in Sri Lanka that the police, army and the army deserters are responsible for abductions and killings of civilians is a bold move. However, for the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) this is no news since the AHRC has been in the past calling for intervention and warning […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the appeal of eight men over their wrongful and illegal conviction for treason in Burma has been postponed to February 22. Meanwhile, one of the defendants is reported to be sick in prison. In this update we also bring you further information on […]

Why is it that judges in Pakistan seem completely unable to apply the fundamental legal principle of habeas corpus and order police or military officers to produce detained or arrested persons in court? In the latest hearing on persons alleged to have disappeared after being detained by state officers, the Sindh High Court on January […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received detailed documentation on the appeal against conviction for treason of eight men in Burma. The accused, including Hkun Htun Oo, the chairperson of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, a registered political party, have lodged special appeals in the Supreme Court against life imprisonment on […]

On January 16 the government gazette of Bangladesh announced that the interim president, Professor Iazuddin Ahmed, signed into law the separation of the country’s subordinate judiciary from the executive. This extremely important action was taken, after many years of delays, in accordance with an order from the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court six days […]

[NOTICE: The AHRC have developed a new automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of some of the Cambodian authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to those people. Fax numbers and postal addresses of the Cambodian authorities are […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you about the prolonged detention of two farmers in Davao Oriental province, the Philippines. Both of them have been detained for almost three years without any progress in their case because the prosecution witnesses failed to appear in court on six occasions. One of […]

The Gerard Perera murder case came for further hearing on December 1, 2006 before the Negombo High Court.  This case is being heard by a judge specially appointed to hear the case as another case relating to the torture of Gerard Perera is being heard before the permanent High Court judge of Negombo. When the […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AS-275-2006 November 06, 2006   A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission   INDONESIA: Refusal to cooperate with United Nations human rights mechanisms in investigation of Munir’s death     The wife of celebrated human rights defender Munir Said Thalib, who was poisoned and died on September 7, 2004 under highly […]