Administration of justice

Dear friends, In 2001, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) reported on the death of Mr. Lasantha Jagath Kumara, who after five days of illegal detention and brutal torture at the hands of the Payagala police, finally succumbed to his injuries on 20 June 2000. After a long delay in investigations and a further delay […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 28, 2006 AS-051-2006 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) SRI LANKA: Fear syndrome may also extend to Auditor General’s department Reports following the attack by Sri Lanka’s Treasury Secretary on the Auditor General indicate there is a deliberate attempt to intimidate and undermine the Auditor General’s Department. On […]

[RE: UP-033-2006: SRI LANKA: Threats to 14-year-old boy and his family to withdraw complaint of brutal assault by teacher; UA-060-2006: SRI LANKA: Brutal assault on 14-year-old by his games teacher] ———————————– UP-056-2006: SRI LANKA: Fundamental rights application to proceed in case of brutal assault against a 14-year-old boy SRI LANKA: brutal assault of a minor; […]

An article in Friday’s Thai Day supplement to the International Herald Tribune quoted an officer of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) working on the case of abducted human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit as saying that “the case is proving very difficult” because “the DSI only took up the case late last year” (‘DSI condemned […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the failure to investigate the brutal assault on Rathnasiri Senadheera by Superintendent of Police Saliya, the former Officer In Charge(OIC) of the Horana police station (see further: UA-141-2004). On 29 September 2004, Mr. Senadheera visited his brother who was in custody at the […]

[RE: UA-216-2005: Soldiers kill nine farmers in Leyte, Visayas; UP-141-2005: Peasants were brutally massacred by soldiers; pregnant woman among the dead; UP-019-2006: PHILIPPINES: Possible irregularities in police investigation; survivor details brutal killings of peasants] ———————————– UP-053-2006: PHILIPPINES: Commission on Human Rights (CHR) set to file charges against soldiers allegedly involved in killing peasants in Leyte […]

While the incident of two Supreme Court judges resigning on the basis of matters of conscience is still very much a part of the public debate, the Auditor General of Sri Lanka has now also come under attack by the government.  The attacks have come in response to several critical reports published by the Auditor […]

The latest draft of Cambodia’s law on peaceful demonstrations is so restrictive, that if adopted, the Cambodian people will be unable to exercise their rights to demonstrate and express their opinion at all. This law is the latest move by the government to institutionalise restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly (see AS-038-2006 for further discussion). Such […]

[RE: UA-251-2005: PHILIPPINES: Brutal torture of a 25-year-old man over mistaken identity in General Santos City, Mindanao; UP-007-2006: PHILIPPINES: Investigation into the brutal torture of a man by mistaken identity begins] ———————————– UP-047-2006: PHILIPPINES: Torture victim denied treatment while police director exonerates his men’s acts as justifiable PHILIPPINES: Torture; denial of detainees’ rights to medical […]

[RE: UA-23-2002: Sign petition for attorney general to bring justice to May 1998 riot victims; UP-81-2005: Attorney General Refuses to investigate gross violations of human rights that were committed at Trisakti/Semanggi; UP-102-2005: House of Representatives must recommend the establishment of an ad-hoc human rights court on the Trisakti/Semanggi killings in its coming plenary session.] ———————————————————————- […]

In an attempt to fill Sri Lanka’s legal lacuna, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka has adopted a draft Contempt of Court Act to be submitted to the government this month, March 2005. The draft broadly incorporates principles embodied in the United Kingdom Contempt of Court Act (1981) and the Indian Contempt of Court Act […]

[RE: UA-164-2004: The family receives death threats for demanding an impartial inquiry into the death of Munir; UP-30-2005: Unveiling of suspect in Munir’s death may end further inquiries; UP-47-2005: State intelligence officers delay Munir investigation; UP-72-2005: Mandate of fact-finding team into Munir’s murder should be extended and made more effective; UP-83-2005: Police fail to follow […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the torture case of Chamara Nimantha who was brutally tortured and had fabricated charges laid against him by the police officers of the Poddala Police in Galle district on 1 August 2005 (See further: UA-182-2005). According to the information we have received, on […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed through staff of the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) that the trial of two police officers charged with rape in central Burma is being unduly delayed through various tactics used by the accused. Meanwhile, the victim of the attack, Ma Soe Soe, has continued […]

[RE: UA-107-2005: THAILAND: Police lodge defamation charges against forensic scientist over “5 bullet suicide” case; UP-135-2005: THAILAND: Defamation case dropped but police insist on “5 bullet suicide”] ———————————– UP-038-2006: THAILAND: Attacks on Director of Central Institute of Forensic Science over ‘5 bullet suicide’ case THAILAND: Extrajudicial killing; impunity; criminal defamation; challenges to the integrity of […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from a reliable source regarding the constant death threats made against and the harassment of a torture victim by his perpetrators due to his legal action against them in court. The victim is a police officer who was arbitrary detained and tortured by his […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Yoma 3 news service (Thailand) and other sources that two villagers in the Irrawaddy Delta region of Burma have been jailed after reporting to higher authorities that local officials had been extorting money from farmers. U Aye Min and U Win Nyunt […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding a torture victim S.A. Akila Chaturanga who was arbitrarily tortured by the Horana police on the allegation of stealing cattle on 22 December 2005 (See further: UA-006-2006). According to the latest information we have received, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka granted to […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you that protection offered to Thai Buddhist monk Phra Kitisak Kitisophon by the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) has been withdrawn even though the monk continues to receive death threats in relation to the earlier killing of monk Phra Supoj Suwagano (UA-112-2005), which has not […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission welcomes the landmark ruling by the Supreme Court of Nepal on Monday February 13, 2006, which declared the controversial Royal Commission for Corruption Control (RCCC) unconstitutional and ordered it to be scrapped immediately. This has paved the way for the release of ousted Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who had […]