Administration of justice

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 […]

On 27 May 2014 the state media in Burma (Myanmar) published the latest in a series of anti-democratic laws for the national legislature to consider: the Law Relating to Religious Conversion (Draft). Like other anti-democratic draft laws brought through the legislature since the country’s shift from overt to covert military rule, this new draft law […]

SRI LANKA: An open letter to the President of the Bar Association on professional negligence of some magistrates Upul Jayasuriya President Sri Lanka Bar Association (BASL) No. 153 Mihindu Mawatha Colombo 12 Sri Lanka Fax (+94) 11 244 80 90 Dear Mr. Upul Jayasuriya, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has closely monitored the situation of […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward to you the following open letter from Irom Sharmila Chanu. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ——- AHRC-FOL-005-2014 May 29, 2014 An Open Letter from Irom Sharmila Chanu forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji,  South Block, […]

(Hong Kong, May 29, 2014) In this extensive interview, Basil Fernando of the Asian Human Rights Commission explains what it means to be a Rule of Law system and why it is important for human rights defenders to understand these concepts. All countries in Asia have laws, but very often the laws are not implemented […]

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed an application in a CBI Special Court seeking approval for criminal charges to be framed against the Director General of Police, Mr. Sumedh Singh Saini, of the Punjab state police. The accusation against Saini relates to his conduct of defence in a criminal case in which Saini […]

Mr. Dammika Nisantha – Photo Courtesy of the BBC A man was bitten four times by a venomous cobra after being forced into a barrel with the snake by a criminal gang operating a baby elephant stealing racket in Sri Lanka This story was reported in several news channels. The victim, Dammika Nisantha, a resident […]

JC Weliamuna Ms. Naomi Michelle Coleman, a British Tourist with wide travel experience in many Buddhist Countries who had a large tattoo of the Buddha and of a Hindu God on a lotus flower on her right arm, arrived in Sri Lanka on 21st April 2014. She passed through immigration counters and came out of […]

In February 2014, the Government of India decided to constitute a committee to study and frame remedial measures to address the concerns of citizens hailing from North East India residing in different parts of the county. This is an initiative to understand the layers of discrimination faced by persons from the North East. Notably, the […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) expresses its grave concern that its deputy director, Mr. Danilo Reyes, had been overtly followed by two unidentified men, one of whom carrying a short firearm, at around 8:30 to 9am on April 30, 2014 along E. Rodriguez Avenue, Quezon City, Metro Manila. Mr. Reyes travelled to Manila to […]

India faces the threat of being won over by religious fundamentalists; so say many experts, commenting in light of the on-going elections. Nothing could be more unfortunate for India, which has stood tall and contained regressive radicals for six decades. This is no mean task, given how many neighbours have fallen prey to homegrown rogues […]

So you are now a saint                                       Do remain human, all the same! You understood our times Our need to understand and respond To change; To have windows and doors open For all winds to blow through Daring to face diversity As a friend and not a foe; Talk, talk, you said And ushered in the […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) regarding the fabrication of charges against and torture of two street singers in Cipulir. We are pleased to inform you that the Jakarta High Court has overturned the judgment of the South Jakarta District Court […]