Administration of justice

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 […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to express grave concern about the repeated denial of bail in the case of Apichat Pongsawat, who is currently being held in the Bangkok Remand Prison. The proceedings against Apichat are a clear instance of the abuse of power by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), […]

The AHRC announces the publication of “Not even a person, not even a word”, a sociological exploration of disappearances in Sri Lanka by Jane Laura Thomson-Senanayake. This clear and compelling study meticulously documents three decades of history (1971-2002) as it relates to the terrible realities and consequences of disappearances in the island nation. The book, […]

The following article was published as the editorial of the latest issue of Torture: Asian and Global Perspectives by Nilantha Ilangamuwa Sri Lanka is once again on the edge of a political crucible in terms of its international relations as well as in its domestic politics. The country is ignoring calls for an independent and credible investigation […]

The parliament passed the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Act on 25 April 2014, and the President approved it on 11 May 2014. This promulgation, however, suffers from a slight problem. The TRC law violates the 2 January 2014 Supreme Court decision, the Interim Constitution of Nepal, and the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) of Nepal. […]

The following statement based on the speech delivered by Mr. John Joseph Clancey (Jack), a lifelong human rights activist and the Chairperson of the Asian Human Rights Commission in Gwangju, South Korea on June 2, 2014 The AHRC has a policy of remaining neutral in regard to party politics. Therefore, the AHRC is not as […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes to express grave concern about the filing of charges against Apichat Pongsawat under Martial Law, the Criminal Code, the 2007 Computer Crimes Act (CCA), and the orders of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), the military junta that carried out a coup in Thailand on 22 May […]

The Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee (PHSC) has endorsed the eight nominees for judges to the Supreme Court on 27 May 2014. Six judges, namely Gopal Parajuli, Deepak Raj Joshi, Govinda Upadhyay, Devendra Gopal Shrestha, Cholendra Shumsher Rana, and Jagdish Sharma Poudel, have been elected through voting. Two others, Om Prakash Mishra and Baidya Nath Upadhyay, […]

Thanks to promising monsoons, India is all set for a bumper harvest. This seemingly good news, however, has a caveat to it. To begin with, an open procurement policy based on government announced minimum support price the government is duty bound to buy all foodgrain that reaches its Krishak Mandis (farmers’ markets). The Food Corporation […]