Administration of justice

INDONESIA: Criminalization of three farmers in Surokonto Wetan and the request for presidential pardon

A Statement from PBNU, KOMNAS HAM, YLBHI, LBH Semarang, LAKPESDAM NU, FNKSDA, Jaringan Gusdurian, PGI, KWI, Walhi Jateng forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Kyai Nur Aziz, Sutrisno, and Rusmin, three poor farmers of Surokonto Wetan village, district of Kendal, province of Central Java, have been convicted and sentenced to eight years of imprisonment […]

SRI LANKA: The national need for a committed professional body for lawyers aimed at regulating the legal profession

An Open Letter from Mr. Nagananda Kodituwakku, Chula Ranjeewa Adikari, and Sugandhika Fernando to Lawyers, forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) To all lawyers with good repute, general public and media institutions 07th April 2018 It is now common knowledge that there is no equality before the law and the people have lost their trust and […]

INDONESIA: Indonesian Death Row and Problems of Unfair Trial

By Arif Maulana Introduction In the last two years, under the government of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Jusuf Kalla, the execution of death row inmates in Indonesia has occurred frequently. The government has said the executions are conducted due to the state of emergency cause by the narcotics problem. In 2015-2016, 19 prisoners were […]

INDONESIA: East Java High Court sentenced environmental activist to 10-month imprisonment

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the East Java High Court sentencing of Mr. Heri Budiawan, alias Budi Pego, an environmental activist, to 10-months imprisonment. Despite the fact that Budi’s lawyer had presented evidences and witness testimony explaining that the original banners with a Communist logo have never […]

AHRC TV: Nationwide strike in India results in nine deaths and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 215

This week Just Asia begins with India, where a nationwide strike has resulted in nine deaths so far. The strike was called on Monday, to protest the changes to the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes prevention of Atrocities Act by the Supreme Court. The changes will make it difficult to file cases against public servants for caste atrocities. Next, […]

INDIA: A Nation Without Social Justice Lecture Series- Dr. UMAKANT

A Statement from by Dr. Umakant of JNU forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission April 02, 2018, JNU, New Delhi We must remove inequality, Ambedkar said, or our political structure will be in peril http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/sc-st-act-we-must-remove-inequality-ambedkar-said-or-our-political-structure-will-be-in-peril-5122076/ This protest was unprecedented because it was largely led by ordinary Dalits and Adivasis, while political parties and their leaders played […]

INDIA: Hadiya, Priya and the legal objectification of the young Indian woman

An article from IAPS Dialogue forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission On Mar 8, 2018, after an unnecessarily protracted wait, the Supreme Court of India passed an order holding that the High Court of Kerala should not have annulled the marriage of Hadiya to Shafin Jahan in a Habeas Corpus petition under Article 226 of the […]

AHRC TV: Indian activist killed after filing RTI application and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 214

This week Just Asia begins with India, where social activist Poipynhun Majaw’s body was found near a bridge in Meghalaya. According to the police, the preliminary inquiry suggests he was hit on the head with a wrench, leading to his death. While the motive for his murder has not been ascertained yet, Majaw had recently […]

BANGLADESH: Crackdown on opposition prior to elections deteriorates the Human Rights situation

Joint Statement (28 March 2018): Bangladesh’s incumbent Government has escalated cracking down on the country’s opposition prior to the general elections expected to take place by December 2018. The country’s Law-Enforcement Agencies regularly demonstrate violent attitudes towards the dissents while the poor situation of Human Rights is highly alarming. Documentation on gross violations shows a […]

INDONESIA: Anti-corruption activist brutally attacked after filing police report

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the case of violence against Mr. Ali Nurdin, the chairperson of Gempur, a non-governmental organization (NGO), in Pariaman Lima Koto Kampung Dalam sub-district, Padang Pariaman regency, West Sumatera province. Nurdin was brutally attacked after filing a police report against the misuse of funds […]

NEPAL: Kathmandu-Terai expressway alignment should be changed to preserve arable land and local heritage

Statement | Nepal | 23-03-2018

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is deeply concerned by the foreseeable displacement of Khokana residents due to the Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track Project, one of Nepal’s ‘national pride’ projects. The 76-km long Fast Track is proposed along the Bagmati River corridor, and is expected to considerably reduce travel time and distance from Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, […]

AHRC TV: Rohingya children victims of trafficking and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 213

This week Just Asia begins with Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, where young girls are being trafficked into prostitution. A BBC News investigation team went to Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh, for an undercover investigation, and found that foreigners seeking sex can easily gain access to children who have fled conflict in Burma. The Rohingya refugee crisis […]

INDONESIA : Peasants in Rokan Hilir brutally attacked to force them to hand over their land

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding a brutal attack against a local famer in Rokan Hilir Regency, Riau Province. Mr. Rajiman, a local palm oil farmer along with his wife and child are victims of torture, ill-treatment, terror and intimidation. These actions were committed by an employee of Mr. […]

INDIA: Strict liability principle applied to compensate families of deceased manual scavengers

In 2011, two manual scavengers died while cleaning a sewer in Delhi’s Bawana Industrial area. Finally, on 27th February 2018, in the case of Rajesh and Another v. Delhi Jal Board and Ors (W.P.(C) 7030/2012), the High Court of Delhi brought relief to the families of these victims. Though prohibited, the dehumanising and hazardous practice of manual […]

SRI LANKA: AHRC Intervenes to Support Residents of Depanama, Pannipitiya to Stop Sound Pollution

March 20, 2018 Inspector general of Police, Police Headquarters Colombo Sri Lanka Fax Number: +94 112440440 Re: Complaint against Sound Pollution caused by temple authorities at Sri Devram Maha Viharaya, Pannipitiya Dear Sir, I am writing this on behalf of the Asian Human Rights Commission. Our commission has revived a complaint from about 35 local […]

PHILIPPINES: UN bodies, int’l rights organizations decry Duterte government’s fake terrorist list UN bodies, int’l rights organizations decry Duterte government’s fake terrorist list

A Statement from Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights (KARAPATAN) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Aside from the statements of the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein and two UN special rapporteurs on the inclusion of the names of UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous […]

AHRC TV: Nepali girl brutally beaten for witchcraft charges on International Women’s Day and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 212

This week Just Asia begins with Nepal, where 18-year-old Radha Chaudhary was mercilessly beaten on witchcraft charges, while the world was celebrating International Women’s Day. Led by Ram Bahadur Chaudhary, a self-professed shaman, the horrific beating can be seen in a widely circulated video. None of the spectators bothered to rescue the innocent girl or […]

INDONESIA: The UN Global Compact and Accountability of Trans-National Corporations

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to inform you about a paper‘the UN Global Compact: Mainstreaming human rights to strengthen the accountability of trans-national corporations.” The paper is written by Chris Biantoro, a human rights lawyer and Indonesia desk officer at the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), Hong Kong. For further reading of the […]

INDIA: Acquittal of Pramod Muthalik and others is a shocking travesty of justice

On March 13 2018, the Third Judicial Magistrate at the First Class Court in Mangalore acquitted Pramod Muthalik, and 25 other members of the Sri Rama Sene of the 2009 assault of several women in a Amnesia, a Mangalore pub. The Sri Ram Sene is a right-wing Hindutva group that has previously been involved in […]

PHILIPPINES: Duterte regime’s proscription petition targets critics, rights defenders

Karapatan condemns the listing of more than 600 persons, human rights defenders and critics of the Duterte government in the proscription petition filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ), through Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Peter Ong, at a regional court in Manila on February 21, 2018. The petition not only seeks to declare the Communist […]