Administration of justice

AHRC TV: Pakistan court places Hindu girls in protection and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 253

This week Just Asia begins with Pakistan, where two teenage Hindu girls were placed in a government shelter on Tuesday, after allegations of their forced conversion and marriages to Muslim men. The Islamabad High Court issued the protection order for the two sisters, saying it acted on a petition from them. Sindh police have so […]

ශ්‍රී ලංකා: කාලයට නොවුණොත් යුක්තිය ඉෂ්ට වෙන්නේම නැහැ

ETC | Sri Lanka | 25-03-2019

ජනාධිපති නීතිඥ ජේ.සී. වැලිඅමුණ තරිඳු උඩුවරගෙදර අධිකරණයේ නඩු ප‍්‍රමාද වෙන බව සමාජයේ ජනප‍්‍රිය මතයක් පවතිනවා. ඒත් ඒ ප‍්‍රමාදයට හේතු ග ැන බොහෝ අය සොයන්නේ නැහැ නේද? බාහිරව බැලූවාම පෙනෙන්නේ උසාවියේ නඩු කල් යන එක විතරයි. සමහරු නීතිඥවරුන්ට බනිනවා. සමහරු විනිශ්චයකරුවන්ට බනිනවා. කොහොම ගත්තත් මේක ජාතික ප‍්‍රශ්නයක්. අධිකරණය විසින් නියමිත කාලයට යුක්තිය ඉෂ්ට කරන්නේ නැතිනම්, බොහෝවිට […]

INDIA: Ending discrimination and populism is a must to eliminate racial discrimination

Article | India | 23-03-2019

By Dr. Divya Padmanabhan March 21 marks the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination worldwide. The day was first observed in 1966, and continues to be observed annually since then. The theme for this year is ‘Mitigating and countering rising nationalist populism and extreme supremacist ideologies’. While many countries are fighting […]

CAMBODIA: Continuous repression of opposition political parties

Cambodian courts have recently issued arrest warrants for top Cambodian politicians living in exile, as they began preparations to return to Cambodia. Among those for whom warrants have been issued are Sam Rainsy, founder of the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), Mu Sochua and Eng Chhay Eang, as well as five others. While […]

AHRC TV: Message of solidarity for New Zealand shootings and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 252

This week Just Asia begins with a message of solidarity for the victims of the Christchurch shootings in New Zealand. In a cowardly act of terrorism, a lone gunman shot people attending Friday prayers at two mosques, with the death toll reaching 50. The Asian Human Rights Commission in its statement, noted that Prime Minister […]

नेपाल: अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय जातीय विभेद उन्मूलन दिवसको सन्दर्भमा “जातीय विभेदः न्यायका लागि पहल” हाते पुस्तिकाको परिमार्जित संस्करणको प्रकाशन

दक्षिण एसियामै जातीय भेदभाव तथा छुवाछूत मुख्य समस्याको रुपमा रहेको छ। विगतदेखि जातीय भेदभाव तथा छुवाछूत अन्त्यका लागि यस क्षेत्रमा भएका पहलहरु अझै प्रभावकारी हुन सकेका छैनन् । नेपालका सबै नागरिकहरूलाई समानता, स्वतन्त्रता र आत्मसम्मान जस्ता मानवअधिकारका मूलभूत विषयहरू नेपालको संविधान, २०७२, राष्ट्रिय कानुनहरू तथा नेपालपक्ष भएका मानवअधिकारसम्बन्धी अन्तराष्ट्रिय दस्तावेजहरूले प्रत्याभूत गरेका छन् । यद्यपि, […]

INDIA: Fighting Supremacist Majoritarianism a must to end racism

Statement | India | 21-03-2019

The world is celebrating the 53rd International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination today, on March 21. Sadly, the day marks an ironic, melancholic moment in India. Often referred to as the largest democracy in the world, India is now witnessing apartheid style violence, from mob lynchings, vigilantism and so forth. This is particularly […]

AHRC TV: Just Asia completes 250 episodes

This week Just Asia is marking its completion of 250 episodes. Since October 2013, AHRC TV’s news programme has been providing a weekly broadcast of human rights news. Just Asia is the first online news report of its kind in Asia, bringing together stories and cases from victims, activists, journalists and all those concerned with […]

SRI LANKA: Recognising the missing legal system

A well-functioning legal system can be measured by its response to daily crimes and complaints. This is a much better test in fact, rather than a country’s constitution (in Sri Lanka’s case, the 1978 constitution still remains a major barrier to the functioning of a legal system), or statutes, or judicial presence, all of which […]

AHRC TV: Malaysia joins ICC and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 250

This week Just Asia begins with Malaysia, which has become a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) after signing the tribunal’s founding treaty Monday. Malaysia becomes the 124th member of the court since its establishment in 2002, a boost to the court, which has suffered several setbacks recently. The ICC is the world’s only […]

NEPAL: Proposed new social media law in Nepal threatens freedom of expression

A Joint media release by the Asian Human Rights Commission and CIVICUS • A new broad and restrictive law being introduced by the Nepalese government gives the authorities sweeping powers to block social media platforms and remove or criminalise defamatory posts • The government has also tabled legislation that restricts civil servants from sharing their […]

INDONESIA : Kasus Robertus Robet Adalah Ancaman Serius Kebebasan Berekspresi

A Press Release from Press Legal Aid (Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Pers) and the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) Yang lebih fatal adalah karena baik pidana dalam Pasal 28 ayat (2) ITE atau 156 KUHP tentang ujaran dan propaganda kebencian harus mendasari pidana kepada perbuatan berbasis SARA […]

INDIA: Farm income growth hits 14-year low amidst lack of effective action

Statement | India | 06-03-2019

Contrary to the incumbent government’s electoral promise of doubling farmers’ income, India’s agricultural crisis has deepened, with the farm income growth rate hitting an unprecedented 14-year-low in the last financial quarter of 2018. At 2.67 percent in real terms (constant price), it is the worst growth since October- December 2004. To worsen matters, the nominal […]

SRI LANKA: Open letter to the Honourable Speaker of the Parliament on the murder of two businessmen Rathgama Bussa area and General state of murder in the Island

An Open Letter from the Asian Human Rights Commission to the Honourable Speaker of the Parliament on the murder of two businessmen in the Rathgama Bussa area; and on the General state of murder on the Island Mr. Karu Jayasuriya Honourable Speaker  Parliament Parliament Approach Road  Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte  SRI LANKA Tel: +94 112 777 […]

AHRC TV: Sri Lankan police arrested in death of two businessmen and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 249

This week Just Asia begins with Sri Lanka, where investigations are ongoing into the abduction and murder of two businessmen from Rathgama. Until now, two police officers have already been arrested. Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department has revealed that the two businessmen, Manjula Asela and Rashin Chinthaka were abducted and murdered, and their bodies were […]

BANGLADESH: Criminalisation of torture goes hand in hand with institutionalisation

A Written Submission to the 40th Regular Session of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource Centre The United Nations Human Rights Council’s faulty electoral system has adopted Bangladesh as a member of the highest global rights body from 2019 to 2021 despite the State’s deliberate failure to fully cooperate with […]

INDIA: Country must bring its missing children back

A Written Submission to the UN Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource Centre Recently, Aawaj, a partner organisation of the Asian Legal Resource Centre, in India along with Madhya Pradesh Police busted a multi state child-sale racket and helped rescuing many children sold to different families. The bust, sadly, exposes only the tip […]

INDIA: Good governance required in Arunachal Pradesh

Statement | India | 26-02-2019

The state of Arunachal Pradesh is seeing protests for the second time this year. The first wave of protests and violence had come with the government’s ill thought out Citizenship Amendment Bill (2016), which promised to give Indian citizenship to some minority communities fleeing persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, with much-relaxed rules. The move […]

SRI LANKA: Arun Siddhartha’s positive contribution to the contemporary debate on the Sri Lankan Crises

The Internet broadcasted the long interview with Arun Siddhartha by Hiru on TV and separately on the YouTube channel, Vishwa Karma. One perspective that comes out of Arun Siddhartha’s reflections can be enormously positive. It can be used in trying to understand ways to resolve the present prolonged crises which have dragged the country into […]

AHRC TV: Bangladesh deadly fire kills 78 and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 248

This week Just Asia begins with Bangladesh, where a fast-moving fire in the historic district of Chawkbazar in the country’s capital city of Dhaka has killed 78 persons and injured 55. The death toll and the number of victims is expected to increase as more bodies are found from the wreckage. The 400-year-old Chawkbazar district […]