Administration of justice

Image courtesy: aithiya.lk (Hong Kong, November 03, 2014)  Mayuri Inoka, the wife of a disappeared husband, Madushka Haris De Silva, was herself abducted on 1 November 2014. According to Mayuri, her abductors threatened her not to engage in any activities calling for the recovery of her husband. Mayuri’s husband disappeared in September 2013, and remains missing. […]

A Statement from the UN Human Rights Committee forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) 1.         The Committee considered the fifth periodic report submitted by Sri Lanka (CCPR/C/LKA5/) at its 3098th and 3099th meetings (CCPR/C/SR3098 and CCPR/C/SR3099), held on 7 and 8 October 2014. At its 3126th meeting (CCPR/C/SR3126), held on 27 October 2014, […]

A public petition for signatures for the constitutional reforms, by Ravaya forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission The Alliance of the Opposition should ensure the general public that the Common Candidate it fields for the Presidential Election will carry out the reforms under mentioned within the first three months of his victory. 1. Right for Information The ‘Information […]

Today, AHRC TV releases its milestone 50th episode of Human Rights Asia Weekly Roundup. In this episode, AHRC TV interviews participants from the 3rd annual meeting of the Asian Alliance Against Torture & Ill-treatment (AAATI) to gain perspective on the meeting. In particular, AHRC TV interview: Farooq Hamid Naek, a Senator from Pakistan Eran Wickramaratne, […]

by Basil Fernando It must have been somebody’s idea that judicial independence in Sri Lanka must be destroyed. When the idea was first generated we do not know. It is possible that it arose more or less at the same time as the 1962 coup. Those were wild times for some people who had enjoyed […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information that nine human rights defenders from Gilgit-Baltistan, including the President of the Supreme Appellate Court, Bar Association were charged for sedition for holding a protest in front of the office of United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) at Gilgit. […]

by Basil Fernando On the 19th October 2014 BBC Sinhala Service broadcast, the United National Party Member of Parliament Ranjan Ramanayake, complained that there was a plan to assassinate him due to his participation in a televised debate. On air, he had provided details of the information he had received regarding the alleged assassination plan. […]

by Danilo Reyes (Note: this article was first published in the October 12, 2014 issue of the Sunday Examiner) Poverty reflects a failure of the government not the person. Seven years ago, my first cousin, 22-year –old Maricel Mahinay, died from an illness aggravated by severe malnutrition. She was three months pregnant. Her death came […]

by Basil Fernando As the possibility of an election has become a “hot topic” of the day, with it has emerged the problem of the 1978 Constitution and the system of the Executive Presidency, as a sharp point of contest and debate in Sri Lanka. In the midst of this unfolding scenario, President Rajapaksa, in […]

In this week’s episode of the Weekly Roundup, AHRC TV brings you special coverage of the third annual Asian Alliance Against Torture & Ill-Treatment (AAATI) conference that took place recently. Parliamentarians, politicians, and human rights activists from across Asia attended the conference in Hong Kong that was hosted by the AHRC and DIGNITY, Denmark. This […]

by Avinash Pandey They did not speak Kannada, the language of the state they live in. They, therefore, were “legitimate” targets of violence in a city that has benefitted the most from India’s shift from Nehruvian Socialism to free market economy. The fact that they contribute to the city, and the province’s income, meant nothing. […]

As public complaints have begun to emerge about the use of excessive force by some officers of the Hong Kong Police, it is quite in order, to recall the law on the crime of torture in Hong Kong. There is a Specific Ordinance titled, Crimes (Torture) Ordinance (Ordinance Number 427). It is ‘an Ordinance to […]

A Statement from the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)   Date:                                 15 October 2014 Name:                               Taing Try Category:                          Journalist Location:                           Kratie Province Nature of threat:                Murder Brief Description: On 12 October 2014, journalist Taing Try was found dead near his car in Khsoem Khang Krao village, […]

(Hong Kong, October 14, 2014) “The widespread torture and ill-treatment that prevails in most of the Asian countries is a direct result of the political system and the legal system. Eradication of torture cannot be done merely by education of the police, the military and other security forces who usually engage in committing acts of torture”, […]

The right to a fair trial is a universally recognized human right, enshrined in international law in both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (the “UDHR”) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (the “ICCPR”). Fair trial rights are also guaranteed in Article 24 of the Interim Constitution of Nepal. The right to […]

A tribute by Bushra Khaliq Well done, Malala! Every Pakistani is proud of you. Today you have made our head high. After Dr. Abdus Salam, Malala is second person who has shown other side of Pakistan and introduced terror-torn Pakistan’s soft face to the world and provided us a moment of real joy. For all […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information from the Narmada Asargrast Sangharsh Samiti that 11 villagers jumped into the Narmada main canal in Boreli while 3 of them were arrested just before attempting that. The villagers were protesting the lack of compensation for families 25 years after being evicted from their village, […]

To date, no credible investigation into the disappearance of Prageeth Eknaligoda has taken place. Prageeth Eknaligoda disappeared on 24th January 2010 and to this day there has been no credible investigation into his disappearance, despite many interventions by the United Nations Human Rights agencies, other international organizations, and by local Sri Lankan organizations. The wife […]

Vilbur Larch of Global Health and Human Rights Show (USA) talks with Basil Fernando, On the 29th of September Vilbur Larch of the Global Health and Human Rights Show talked with Basil Fernando about the Right Livelihood Award this year. This discussion is now available online. In this discussion, the nature of the Right Livelihood […]

Ms. Phyu Hnin Htwe, a 23-year-old, member of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) from Yadanabon University, Mandalay has been falsely implicated in the abduction of two Chinese workers from an army-backed copper mine project. On 20 September 2014, four months after the incident, she was arrested in her hometown under Penal Code […]