Administration of justice

NEPAL: Impunity and violence growing uncontrolled in Terai

Statement | Nepal | 11-09-2015

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is concerned about the prolonged general strike that has made life very difficult in the southern plains of Nepal. Curfews have been set in Terai Districts to deter any untoward incidents. There is severe shortage of essentials and medicines. Shops and factories are closed. Daily wage earners have difficulty […]

BURMA/MYANMAR: Yellow Ribbon Campaign to end military appointment to judicial position

A campaign has been launched in Myanmar demanding an end to the practice of the appointment of military officers as judicial officers to the court of Myanmar. This movement demands the end to militarisation of the legal system. In Myanmar, four out of the seven Supreme Court judges are former military officers. Their names are […]

PAKISTAN: Reasons for violation of health and safety in the garment industry

Article on 3rd anniversary of the fire at two factories where 325 workers were burnt alive Abbas Haider Occupational Safety and Health (OHS) has become a focus of workers organizations and media in Pakistan following the two factory fires that resulted in the death of more than 325 workers in September 2012. These accidents were […]

NEPAL: Human rights defenders beaten and abused by the police

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Advocacy Forum (AF) that a group of human rights defenders, namely Mr. Ajit Thakur from the National Human Rights Commission, Mr. Raj Kumar Mahaseth from Advocacy Forum – Nepal, Mr. Dev Kumar Mahato from WOREC-Nepal, Mr. Dipendra Das from Manav Adhikar Surakshya […]

PHILIPPINES: Stop the killing of lumads in Mindanao! Let justice and peace reign!

A Statement from Hong Kong Campaign for the Advancement of Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines (HKCAHRPP) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission As human rights and peace advocates in Hong Kong, we are outraged by the spate of killings perpetrated against the lumads (indigenous people) in Mindanao, Southern Philippines. The heightened militarisation […]

PAKISTAN: Two journalist killed-tall claims fall flat as target killing continues unabated

A new wave of target killings of journalists and attacking on the media houses have again started. With in the span of 24 hours two media persons were killed by, as usual, “unknown persons”. The score comes to five during the current year. According to Dunya Tv during the last five years 65 journalists were […]

SRI LANKA: 80% of torture victims are innocent – AHRC

An Article published in the ‘Ceylon Today’, on 9th September 2015, forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission By Ruwan Laknath Jayakody The available statistics show that almost 80% of the victims of torture are innocent persons and almost always from the poorer communities, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) noted. Director of Policy and Programmes […]

SRI LANKA : SL Police poorly paid – AHRC

An Article published in the Ceylon Today, on 9th September 2015, forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission BY Ruwan Laknath Jayakody All observers agree that policemen in Sri Lanka are poorly paid, poorly equipped and very poorly trained, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) explained. Director of Policy and Programmes of the AHRC and the […]

PAKISTAN: Executions cross 200

The number of hangings in Pakistan has already crossed the 200 mark in 2015, and there are still about four months left in the year. If killing human beings were a race, Pakistan is winning hands down. And still there is room for improvement. An estimated 8,000 people, the largest in the world, are on […]

INDONESIA: Where do you stand on Munir Mr. President?

Mr. Joko Widodo  President of the Republic of Indonesia Jl. Veteran No. 16, Jakarta Pusat, INDONESIA Tel: +62 21 3458 595 Fax: +62 21 3484 4759 E-mail: webmaster@setneg.go.id Dear President Widodo: On 7 September 2004, the Intelligence Agency (BIN) killed prominent Indonesian human rights defender, Mr. Munir Said Thalib, onboard a Garuda Indonesia flight from Jakarta […]

NEPAL: हाते पुस्तिका जातीय भेदभाव तथा छुवाछूत न्यायका लागि पहल 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 अन्तरिम संविधान, २०६३, राष्ट्रिय कानुनहरू तथा नेपालपक्ष भएका मानवअधिकारसम्बन्धी अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय दस्तावेजहरूले प्रत्याभूत गरेका छन् […]

INDIA: Pregnant woman raped by Indian Army soldiers

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Indian Army personnel in Kokrajhar District of Assam have gang raped Mrs. Sarita Devi, who is eight months pregnant, during raids carried out for “Operation All Out” on 8 August 2015. The incident took place when soldiers attached to 10 Bihar Regiment arrived […]

SRI LANKA: Anthony Kingsley- arrested, assaulted, threatened with torture

Dear Friends, According to information received by the Asian Human Rights Commission, Mr. Anthony Kingsley, a casual labourer living in Hantana Estate, Kandy had been arrested by police officers attached to the Crime Branch of the Kandy Headquarters Police Station. This took place during a church procession in full view of the public. He was […]

PAKISTAN: Establishing Child Rights Commission

Iqbal Ahmed Detho The debate around legislating child protection laws and creating institutional mechanisms has got sympathetic constituency both among public and policy makers after the gory incident of raping the children and making their videos in Kasur, Punjab. Before this incident became public, Federal Government had moved a draft bill in the parliament for […]

SRI LANKA : Looking Askance at this Sweetly Phased ‘National Government’

Kishali Pinto Jayawardena One might easily be lulled into a sense of complacency for having kept the barbarians at bay, first in Sri Lanka’s presidential polls in January this year and then most decisively in last month’s general elections. Striking a cautious note Heartening signs are certainly evident such as the assumption of the United […]

PAKISTAN/ASIA: Collective failure of world leaders

Who will account for the death of three year old Aylan whose dead body was washed up at the Aegean beach in Turkey, the photo of the toddler called upon world’s conscience. The photo that went viral over social media sparked a fresh debate on the Syrian refugees facing civil strife since 2011. As mentioned […]

ASIA: Weekly Roundup, Episode 88

This week’s Roundup begins in Nepal where the violence that has plagued the small Himalayan nation during the last few weeks has intensified. Clashes between Tharu protesters and police in Kailali District resulted in the death of a 2-year-old child and the lynching and burning of 8 policemen. Next, AHRC TV reports from China. Following […]

SRI LANKA: AHRC calls for adequate financial allocation in the Budget 2016, to end corruption, fraud and waste

In response to the calls for proposals from the public for the 2016 Budget, by the Ministry of Finance, Sri Lanka, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) submitted proposals calling for adequate financial allocation towards the modernisation of the policing institutions, the judicial institutions, the creation of an effective agency to control bribery and corruption, […]

INTERVIEW – A Confession of a Lawyer

An interview conducted by ‘MayZine’, The May 18 Memorial Foundation, Gwangju, South Korea, forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission 1. You have been active in human rights and social action issues continuously since you were young, did you have any personal experience since you were childhood that makes you devoted your life and time […]

INDONESIA: Government must ensure justice for victims of mudflows

A joint statement by the Commission for the Disappearances and Victims of Violence (KontraS) and the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) The Indonesian government is planning to provide an Rp 781 Billion (USD 62 Million) loan to PT Minarak Lapindo Jaya (MLJ), a national company, to complete the compensation to victims of the mudflow disaster […]