Administration of justice

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Defend Job Philippines about the forced eviction of a community from Factor Compound in Las Pinas city. The police also fired in the air to intimidate the community. CASE NARRATIVE: On the morning of 19 August 2014, more than 120 members of the […]

Courtesy to Daily Dawn The government, once again has refused to follow the orders of the Lahore High Court which directed police to register a First Information Report (FIR) which names amongst others, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the Chief Minister of Punjab Mr. Shahbaz Sharif and 19 others including federal and provincial ministers and government […]

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has announced its agreement with the Burmese government to collaborate on strengthening the rule of law and addressing significant drug and crime threats. The agreement, the result of over a year of negotiations, will cover a period of three years (2014 – 2017). It has been […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Kamal Singhi, a journalist based in Indore, about continuing social and economic ostracism of Dalits in Sitapat village of Mhow Tehsil in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The ostracism that began some 17 days ago has culminated into the locally powerful landlords cutting off the […]

Courtesy: Mathrubhumi Daily India’s battle against poverty has reached the phase of “elimination” from “alleviation” said President Pranab Mukherjee in his address to the nation. That was last evening, the eve of 68th Independence Day of the republic. It was encouraging to listen to the president explain that the difference was not merely about semantics. […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about Ma Htet Htet, a 14-year-old girl (from Myaung Mya Township, Ayeyawady region, Burma) who is permanently injured and still needs treatment after being discharged from the hospital. As a domestic helper, she endured months of torture at the hands of her employers and […]

At dawn today, Jovito Palparan Jr., a retired military general, wanted on charges of kidnapping and serious illegal detention, was arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), in Sta. Mesa, Metro Manila. Palparan is the principal accused in the abduction, illegal detention, torture and rape of Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeno. Jovito Palparan Jr. […]

On the 4th of August, a meeting for the families of disappeared persons, held at the Centre for Society and Religion in Colombo, was disrupted by a mob of people led by several Buddhist monks. The families, who had travelled from Mannar, Mullaitivu, Killinochchi, Vavuniya, and Jaffna, had also visited the International Committee of the […]

An Open Letter from Thai Citizens Against Dictatorship forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). THAILAND: Open Letter Condemning the Thai Junta’s Interim Constitution As Thai citizens, we are writing to make clear that the military junta’s Interim Constitution does not represent our will, nor does it represent the will of the Thai people […]

A Statement from the Terai Human Rights Defenders Alliance forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) Torture victims further tormented in their pursuit of justice While much ink has rightfully been spilt over the need to implement the prohibition against torture under international law in Nepal, it is unfortunate that numerous members of the police force […]

On Monday, 28 July 2014, an unidentified group kidnapped five-year-old Damindu Yasen Kumara. They arrived on motorcycles, with their faces covered by helmets and masks. They stabbed his parents, who struggled to protect their child. The kidnapping occurred in Katugampalagama, Meegalewa Police Divison. Several media channels have broadcasted the heartbreaking voices of his father and […]

The fast-unto-death hunger strike of Nanda Prasad and Ganga Maya Adhikari, better known as the Adhikari couple, has reached 278 days and counting. Their only demand is an investigation and prosecution of those who killed their son, Krishna Prasad Adhikari. In other words, they demand justice. Krishna Prasad was abducted and brutally murdered in June […]

Statement of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar Yangon International Airport, Myanmar, 26 July 2014 Introduction: Good evening and thank you all for coming today. I have just concluded my first official ten- day mission as Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar. The objective of my […]

A transitional justice process provides credibility to the peace process. Peace does not exist in vacuum, and it does not mean only an absence of war. In order to have a lasting and genuine peace, justice and rule of law must be ensured. Transitional justice is a multi-dimensional process and it requires a range of […]

by Basil Fernando The idea of the executive presidency, as found in the 1978 constitution, is now a failed idea. Almost everybody agrees that it is a failed idea. The people who are maintaining it also know that it is a failed political idea, but it helps them to have extraordinary power and the benefits […]

by  Lakshan Dias Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), are the popular punching bag of the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL), when its actions are challenged by any individual and/or organization. Name-calling, brandishing circulars to warn NGOs and now a draconian law to prevent them from raising public issues has been the modus operandi of the regime to […]

An Open Letter from the Asian Human Rights Commission to the Inspector General of Police We reproduce below a letter sent by the Executive Director of Asian Human Rights Commission to the IGP about two cases of torture by a team led by Sergeant Basnayake, who is an OIC in the Unresolved Crimes Division of the […]

by Kishali pinto jayawardena The Government’s boast this week that the Colombo High Court’s conviction of a local authority chairman and three of his henchmen for the 2012 Christmas Eve murder of a British tourist and the brutal rape of his girlfriend ‘proves’ the independence of Sri Lanka’s judiciary is grossly inappropriate in the context […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes to clarify its position regarding the controversy about the government’s proposal for a law to force the registration of non-governmental organisations with a National Secretariat functioning under the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence and Urban Development. There are two separate issues involved: A) NGO registration under Agency of Ministry […]

Mr. Upul Jayasuriya, the President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka has been followed by an unidentified group (a motor bicycle and a three wheeler)  today (15th July 2014) for  hours. Mr Jayasuriya has been a strong leader of the Bar who has spoken strongly and fearlessly against the breach of Rule of Law, […]