Administration of justice

INDIA: Father dies after ten years of waiting for justice for his son

  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 […]

MALAYSIA: Person found hanging in police station toilet

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 […]

UPDATE (Sri Lanka): Priyankara brutally assaulted and arrested with no access to lawyers

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 […]

INDIA: A human body preserved like a fish and a rotten criminal justice system in West Bengal

Statement | India | 01-04-2004

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 […]

PAKISTAN: A young woman killed by her husband on the pretext of honour killing

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 […]

MALAYSIA: The Anwar Appeal

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 […]

SRI LANKA: A human rights defender denied of fundamental right to a fair hearing and tortured

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, […]

SRI LANKA: Regarding the torture and contempt of court case of Anthony Michael Fernando

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 […]

PHILIPPINES: Six farmers shot – one fatally – by shooting incident with alleged police involvement

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 […]

UPDATE (SINGAPORE): Mistreatment of imprisoned Singaporean opposition leader

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 […]

UPDATE (SRI LANKA): Court orders Release Of Lalith Rajapakse

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 […]

SRI LANKA: Urgent medical help needed for torture victim

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 […]

INDIA: 10 years impunity for Convent well murder of young nun

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 […]

UPDATE (INDONESIA): Head of Militia is Presidential Advisor

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. 

INDIA: A case of gang rape and sexual exploitation against Dalit minor girl

A case of gang rape and sexual exploitation against Dalit minor girl INDIA: Caste based discrimination – a distinct case of racial discrimination on the basis of work and descent; right to life & fair trial and justice; abduction, gang-rape and sexual exploitation against Dalit minor girl ———————————————————– We are shocked to learn that a […]

INDONESIA: Bandung activists were tortured, face unfair trial

AHRC welcomes the recent capture by the Indonesian police of Tommy Suharto – fugitive son of Gen. Suharto, accused of crimes ranging from corruption and graft to bombings and the assassination of a judge. However, we have serious doubts about the ability of the criminal justice system to proceed effectively, as the system is fundamentally flawed. Time and time again the influential elite and members of military and police charged with horrendous human rights crimes are not prosecuted or let off with ridiculously light sentences; while the poorer sections calling for decent wages and conditions, land for peasants or self-determination for indigenous peoples are harshly punished for raising their voices. 

UPDATE: The Thirteenth Open Letter on the Issues Regarding Fr. Pallath’s Case

We would like to send you a copy of the 13th open letter sent by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) to the Jesuit superior general in Rome regarding Fr. Pallath’s case.

We would like to send you a copy of the 13th open letter sent by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) to the Jesuit superior general in Rome regarding Fr. Pallath’s case.

We would like to send you a copy of the 13th open letter sent by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) to the Jesuit superior general in Rome regarding Fr. Pallath’s case.

Bangladesh: Nirendranath Adhikari Released After 7 Years in Jail Without Trial

Introduction Nirandra Nath Odhikari, 25, had been put in jail for seven years without being tried by court in Bangladesh after he was arrested allegedly for murdering his grandmother. 15 January 1998 Asian Human Rights Commission, upon receiving the information from local groups,released an Urgent Appeal[AHRC UA980115] and brought his case to the attention of […]

south Korea: SUH Joon-Sik’s Trial Postponed

SUH Joon-sik, 49, the director Sarangbang human rights group, has been charged for screening a film called Red Hunt duing a human rights film festival. The authorities have claimed that the screening \”constituted a violation of the National Security Law (NSL).\” The film documents the mass killings on Cheju Island in 1948. Suh Jun-sik is […]

PHILIPPINES: Twenty six workers and union leaders illegally dismissed in Negros

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is forwarding to you an appeal about the illegal dismissal of 26 workers and union leaders of a retail company when union leaders successfully won the election replacing officers allegedly appointed by the company in Negros. The newly elected officers were supposed to represent the rank and […]