Administration of justice

by Dipendra Jha Courtesy : Kathmandu Post  A cartoon depicting the face of the Chief Justice hovering above a coconut tree was published on 6 November 1996 in the weekly newspaper “Bimarsa“. The CJ was caricatured as being asked to throw a file titled “Tanakpur Agreement” to the opposition and ruling leaders, who were standing […]

‘Lawyers for Democracy’ is dismayed at the appointment of Major General (Rtd) G. A. Chandrasiri as the Governor of the Northern Province disregarding repeated calls by the Chief Minister of the Northern Province Dr. C. V. Vigneshwaran and the TNA to appoint a non military person as the Governor.  The appointment of Major General (Rtd) […]

The National Secretariat for Non Governmental Organizations, functioning under the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development, issued a letter to all registered Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) on the 1st of July 2014. The letter attempts to forbid NGOs from conducting press conferences, workshops, training for journalists, and to stop them disseminating press releases. The letter attempts […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a 12 year old girl has been missing for  three years after being abducted and sold , several times, allegedly by persons belonging to a criminal syndicate who are backed with heavy political patronage and with full connivance of the police. It is […]

An article from the ‘The Island’ forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission by Maheen Senanayake “No man has a natural right to commit aggression on the equal rights of another.” – Thomas Jefferson I found Mr. Upul Jayasuriya, incumbent head of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, getting ready for the customary BASL meeting on […]

A National Secretariat functioning under Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence and Urban Development has issued a curious letter on 1 July 2014. The following is the letter in full: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT National Secretariat for Non Governmental Organizations To All Non Governmental Organizations Non Governmental Organizations acting beyond their mandate It has […]

Four years have passed since the Government of India mooted the idea of drafting a legislation criminalising torture. The Prevention of Torture Act, 2010, after being passed by the lower house of the Indian Parliament, was discussed in the upper house. The upper house constituted a Parliamentary Select Committee to review the law, a process […]

A statement on the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture In Pakistan, torture has become a norm, for oppressive means of government by successive regimes; it is used mainly as a means of oppressing opposition and against youth irrespective of gender, in the suppression of their freedoms, their freedom of thought and […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the student of a prestigious college in the Kandy District was assaulted by a state educational officer in public. She was subsequently treated at the Kandy Hospital and later examined by a Judicial Medical Officer. The victim complained to the police authorities in […]

The President has addressed the nation and stated that the law will be strictly enforced. He has also called upon the police and other agencies to enforce the law. That is certainly a good thing to do. However, the critical question is as to whether the President has the will and the capacity to enforce […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed that a man has blackmailed a woman in exchange for sexual favours. Though the accused had been arrested and charged, he was freed the day after his arrest. The accused is a member of an elite local club, the members of which include persons […]

by Avinash Pandey “If she had been killed on a street corner in this village, would you even be here?” was the question put to journalist Mehreen Zahra-Malik, by the husband of Farzana Iqbal, a young woman bludgeoned to death in front of the Lahore High Court. Probably not, as violence against women is not […]

It is to the credit of some Buddhist monks that they have taken active role in extending support and protection to the Muslims victim to vicious attacks across Sri Lanka. The attacks began after the Secretary of BBS, Reverend Galagoda-Atte Gnanasara Thera, spoke at a recent meeting at Aluthgama. Image courtesy: The Financial Times, daily […]

by Anjuman Ara Begum* Sexual violence continues in India unabated. The December 2012 gang rape and subsequent death of a 23 year old woman led to a shift in discourse on sexual violence in India. For the first time, the blame shifted from victims to perpetrators, fostering changes in certain colonial era criminal laws. However, […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding unlawful killing of a young man by the Sri Lankan police. Subash Indika Jayasinghe (24), a resident of Kithuwala, was riding his motorbike in the company of his passenger, Saveen Chathuranga (18) when they were flagged down by officers attached to the Nittambuwa Police […]

Three television channels of Pakistan’s most watched and most influential media network  Geo TV, was ordered to be taken off air and shut down for a period of 15 days on the  instruction of the country’s intelligence agency the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate  (ISI). Continuing the attack Geo TV was also baselessly fined a sum of […]

Dear friends,  We wish to share with you the following article from The Sunday Times, written by Kishali Pinto Jayawardena. Asian Human Rights Commission  Hong Kong ————- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AHRC-FAT-017-2014 June 15, 2014 An article from The Sunday Times forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission SRI LANKA: Advocating A Different Political Project by […]

On the night of June 11, officers attached to the Nittambuwa police station gunned down Subash Indika Jayasinghe, a 24-year-old man, for no reason. A friend named Saveen Chathuranga, 18-years-old, was accompanying Indika. Saveen describes the incident as follows: Indika and Saveen were travelling on Indika’s motorcycle. As there was significant traffic, they were moving […]

By Basil Fernando The major problem affecting all Sri Lankans now, and which is likely to affect future generations, is the complete failure of law enforcement and resulting lawlessness. While virtually everyone is aware of this problem, it is not subject to conversation. For the few who are vocal on matters of public interest, the […]

A young student of 22 year has entered into 46 days of his hunger strike unto death today. His condition is very critical and there are fears of his slipping into coma as he faints most of the time. The government has completely ignored his hunger strike and forget providing medical help has not even […]