Administration of justice

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes to inform you the need for the Indian Government to provide witness protection in all trials related to the Gujarat pogrom.   Over 2,000 Indian citizens were killed in Gujarat in the weeks and months following 28 February 2002.  It is not known how many women and girls were […]

The Officer-in-Charge of the Jaffna office of the Human Rights Commission (HRC) of Sri Lanka and a UN volunteer were assaulted yesterday, September 27, 2004, as they were engaged in inquiring about a complaint of torture at the Jaffna Police Station. In an interview to the Sinhala Service of the BBC, Sandeshaya, the HRC officer […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a man named Heeralu Mohottalalage Punchi Banda (39) was illegally arrested and tortured by the Sub Inspector (S.I.) Dhammika Bandara of Samanalaweva Police Post in Balangoda on 26 August 2004. Due to brutal torture, the victim still suffers from severe pain on his […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is gravely concerned of 14-year-old Dalit girl, Saraswati Bishwakarma and her mother Shirkumari Bishwakarma, who were sentenced to life imprisonment (20 years’ imprisonment in Nepal) for murder which they did not commit. The girl is the only witness of the murder of Deepa Gurung who was her […]

In a statement of September 6, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has asked, “What can be done when there are not enough criminal investigators in Sri Lanka?” A concomitant question is, what is the cost of crime control and torture prevention? What crime control and torture prevention require is not rhetoric but investment. The […]

On Monday, September 6, Supinya Klangnarong will go to court on a charge of criminal defamation arising from an interview printed in the Thai Post newspaper last year; three of its editors are also subject to legal action. In the interview, Supinya pointed out how the profits of media conglomerate Shin Corp have increased enormously […]

  Dear friends, It has come to the attention of the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) that while the Calcutta High Court granted leave on 28 July 2004 to prosecute police officers allegedly responsible for the forced disappearance of Bhikari Paswan in 1993, Bhikari’s father, a chief witness in the case, who had struggled for […]

Dear friends The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is seeking your urgent intervention regarding torture victim, J.V. Saman Priyankara, who was arrested at his house by ten police officers on 7 July 2004. Due to the brutal assault by the police officers, Priyankara seems to have partially lost his hearing. Although higher authorities in the […]

Dear friends The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is gravely concerned that 29 year old Mageswaran a/I Ramasamy was found hanging in the toilet of the Petaling Jaya Police Headquarters, where he had allegedly gone to file a police report. The police have been quick to state that this is a case of suicide and […]

In October 2003, 17-year-old Mousumi Ari was murdered by her in-laws. Whereas the role of the state personnel should have been to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators, in fact they did exactly the opposite, as one of the accused, the father-in-law of the victim, was attached to the investigating police station. When police from Kakdwip […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a 30-year-old woman named Ms. Hidayat was allegedly killed by her husband, Mr. Momin Ali Mahar in Dal village, Lakhi Ghulam Shah Town, Shikarpur District, Sindh Province, Pakistan on 29 February 2004. The case was registered at the Chak Police Station. However, a human […]

Dear Friends The Anwar Appeal The oral judgments of the Court of Appeal dismissing Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim¡¯s and Sukma Darmawan¡¯s appeals against the decisions of High Court Judge Arifin Jaka¡¯s decision of August 8, 2000 come as no surprise. They once again reflect the state of the independence, impartiality and integrity of the Malaysian […]

SUMMARY While presenting his petition before the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka, Mr. Anthony Michael Fernando was convicted and imprisoned under contempt of court. His fundamental right to a fair trial was violated as one of the respondents to Mr. Fernando’s claim sat in judgment on him, thereby undermining international norms of judicial objectivity. Furthermore, […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has carefully studied the complaint of torture made by Anthony Michael Emmanuel Fernando on 16 February 2003 and the previous contempt of court case against him. We reproduce below the full judgement (Ref: S.C.(F/F) No. 55/2003 or 6 February 2003) of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka on the […]

Dear Friends, The following is a forwarded appeal from Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDF) regarding a shooting incident in the city of Panabo on Mindanao Island in the Philippines on Jan. 6, 2003. This incident resulted in six people being seriously wounded with one of the victims dying in the hospital after seven […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updates regarding the imprisonment of Dr. Chee Soon Juan, Secretary-General of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) and Chair of the 18-nation Alliance for Reform and Democracy in Asia (ARDA). Dr. Chee is being abused in a Singapore prison during his 5-week sentence (now at the end of […]

Dear Friends  Following is an update with some progress on the case of Mr. Lalith Rajapakse, a torture victim in Sri Lanka. We are not requesting any further action at this stage, but we may request this in the near future is there is no positive action for his state of health and the prosecution […]

Urgent medical help needed for torture victim  SRI LANKA – Torture by police, impunity, denial of proper rehabilitation  ——————————————————————–  Latest update available: Court orders Release Of Lalith Rajapakse  A young torture victim from a poor family is fighting for his life in Sri Lanka. We are asking you to write today to the Sri Lankan authorities […]

10 years impunity for Convent well murder of young nun INDIA – Impunity for murder ——————————————————————– There is an astounding case regarding a decade of justice denied in Kerala state of India. The 21 year-old body of Sr. Abhaya was found at the bottom of a Convent well in 1992. The Church authorities claimed that […]

We are forwarding an appeal from Eviction Watch and the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC) for your further action to protect Indonesian human rights defenders. After the second attack on UPC by the FBR (Betawi Brotherhood Forum) which caused many of you to write protest letters, 7 of the attackers have been arrested.