Administration of justice

Two heads of dogs, freshly severed, have been strewn in front of the houses of two well-known human rights defenders as the race in the presidential election is intensifying in Sri Lanka. Mr. Brito Fernando and Prasanga Fernando are two well-known human rights activists who have a long history of fighting for the protection of […]

by Javeria Younes The year 2014 bids us adieu, as the government of Pakistan gears up to set up military court “come what may”. The military machinery at GHQ is at full swing these days as hurried consultation between the government and the military officials take place over amendments in the constitution to pave way […]

Almost a week has passedsince the brutal terrorist attack on the army administered public school, in Peshawar, which killed 132 students and nine staff members including the principal – all of whom were shot dead, one after the other, by Taliban gunmen.  The government of Pakistan instead of holding an investigation into the massive lapseof […]

(Hong Kong, December 19, 2014) The AHRC TV presents a roundtable discussion which was held on 2nd December 2014, at the International Legal Assistance Consortium (ILAC) of the Folke Bernadotte Academy in Stockholm, Sweden. In this roundtable discussion Mr. Basil Fernando, 2014 Right Livelihood Laureate, discusses with a group of experts what he terms as a ‘new frontier […]

The Pakistan Government should take the military to establishment to task, for failing to protect the 141 innocent children and staff killed by the Taliban The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) unequivocally condemns the attack by the Taliban on 16th December in a school in Peshawar, killing 132 children and nine staff members. The world […]

(Hong Kong, December 10, 2014) The family of Renante Gamara, a labour leader who was tortured and detained over fabricated charges, has informed the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) that the court will decide on Renante’s appeal to dismiss that charges against him tomorrow, December 11. In her email to AHRC, Nicolette Gamara, daughter of Renante, […]

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on Human Rights Day 2014 Speaking about the rule of law in Pakistan is fatuous. This is a state where “might is right” and anarchy, in its worst connotations, rule supreme. Corruption, nepotism, red tape, and a dishonest bureaucracy pollute the “land of the pure”. In terms […]

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on Human Rights Day 2014 The more things change, the more they remain the same goes an adage. It holds true for hunger in Asia. Most Asian countries appear to have made momentous gains in addressing absolute hunger, as evidenced by the Global Hunger Report 2014 of […]

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on Human Rights Day 2014 The second Constituent Assembly election, which was held on 19 November 2013, changed the political situation of Nepal. The Maoists, which got the highest number of votes in the first Constituent Assembly elections, clocked in third this time. The Nepali Congress (NC) […]

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on Human Rights Day 2014 On Human Rights Day 2014, the Asian Human Rights Commission notes the persistent pattern of state perpetrated attacks, notably against human rights and political activists, which has continued for over a decade in the Philippines. It was in early 2000s that the […]

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on Human Rights Day 2014 Fundamental human rights are not guaranteed in Bangladesh in the daily life of its people. The rights of freedom of expression and opinion are infringed. The freedom of press is severely curtailed. People are being imprisoned for expressing their opinion about powerful […]

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on Human Rights Day 2014 In the absence of thorough justice institution reforms, human rights guarantees in India will remain a mirage. The transcendent principles of dignity, freedom, and equality to all enshrined in the Constitution and the interpretations that the courts and the Parliament have provided […]

by Basil Fernando All Indians owe a debt of gratitude to Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, a great man, who passed away on 4th December 2014, shortly after his hundredth birthday. He stood up against the might of the powers of the day with firm determination to save his country and its freedoms. When Justice Krishna […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) joins millions of Asians and others across the globe to mourn the sad demise of Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer. Aged 100, Justice Krishna Iyer passed away today at a hospital in Kerala, India. He was a member of AHRC’s advisory group and was an active participant in AHRC’s […]

Disappearances and extra judicial killings in the Sindh Province continues unabated; in many cases disappearances have occurred following arrest by the police and at times by plain clothed persons, presumably from intelligence agencies; thereafter being taken into custody, most often tortured and ultimately their bodies are found dumped on the streets. In the Sindh Province, […]

On 19 and 20 November, student and other activists carried out a series of peaceful, symbolic protests against the dictatorship in Thailand.  In response, the military and police acted to swiftly end the protests and arrest eight of the activists under the terms of martial law. The position of the National Council for Peace and […]

by Jamil Junejo Universal children’s day is being observed globally on 20th November every yearwhen theUN General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). This year, it is the 25th anniversary of UNCRC. A wider galaxy of international rights community has planned to mark this day in order to […]

by Avinash Pandey A doctor conducted sterilization surgeries on 83 women in 5 hours in an abandoned hospital with no infrastructure. The women were made to lay on floor for the surgery and there are allegations that the medicines came from a small, one room factory that is owned by close affiliates of the party […]

The Asian Human Rights is gravely concerned about the resurgence of military summons of activists and human rights defenders. According to information provided by Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, 16 activists and human rights defenders (HRDs) in northeastern Thailand have been summoned to report to the local military authorities. The summons to report came after […]

Reprisals against lawyers defending the right of the accused are a historical reality of past military and authoritarian regime in South Korea. Those who received either disciplinary punishment or imprisonment, and provided legal advice at that time later earned the label “human rights lawyers”. As often witnessed in developing countries under military and authoritarian regimes, […]