Administration of justice

AHRC TV – Human Rights Asia Weekly Roundup, Episode 12

The Asian Human Rights Commission is pleased to announce the release of the 12th episode of the Human Rights Asia Weekly Roundup. We start this episode with a special AHRC report on the sham Bangladesh national elections which were boycotted by the main opposition party. The elections were marred by violence and the lack of legitimacy […]

INDIA: Innocent children forced to live in prison with convicts

Statement | India | 07-01-2014

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the National NGO Child Rights Coalition and local journalists about children housed in prison in Kokrajhar, Assam. The AHRC is concerned, as such an arrangement is denying children their basic rights. The children are being housed in prison not for any delinquency on their part […]

PHILIPPINES: Three tortured and falsely charged activists freed

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is pleased to inform you that the three community organizers whom were reported to have been illegally arrested, tortured, detained and falsely charged in November 2009, have been released after they were exonerated from the charges against them. UPDATED INFORMATION: In our appeal in February 2010 (AHRC-UAC-005-2010), […]

INDIA: Absence of compassion & justice must not be the norm on Punjab

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Punjab concerning the protest by fasting held by Mr. Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa, who ended his fast after 43 days, on 29 December 2013. Khalsa had commenced his protest at the Amb Singh Gurdwara on 14 November to secure the release of all Sikh prisoners that […]

ASIA/SRI LANKA: AHRC expresses concern regarding the safety of the common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena

Statement | Asia | 05-01-2014

The Asian Human Rights Commission expresses concern regarding the safety of the common candidate of the opposition Maithripala Sirisena, who has faced several attacks during the past several days. He has himself alerted the public to the threat to his life in a statement he made yesterday (4th January 2015). We urge the Government and the […]

BANGLADESH: Fake election will cause further bloodshed

Bangladesh’s incumbent regime is forcing the nation to witness a fake ‘general election’, scheduled tomorrow, 5 January 2014. All the opposition parties, except the allies of the ruling regime, have boycotted this election. The government is accused of extreme politicisation of the country’s civil administration, along with the police, paramilitary agencies, and all key institutions, […]

BURMA/MYANMAR: Amnesty does not free all political detainees

The Asian Human Rights Commission welcomes Order No. 51/2013 of 30 December 2013 by the president of Burma (Myanmar), issuing a general amnesty for all persons imprisoned or facing trial or investigation for certain categories of political offences. The categories include persons accused or convicted of offences under the colonial-era Unlawful Associations Act, for charges […]

ASIA: Conversations with a chameleon (katussa) – some thoughts for 2014

As I wanted to discuss many things, and as I found no one else to discuss these things with, I was happy to see you on a branch of a tree in our garden. I told myself, “Ah, here is someone I can talk to.” As I approached and greeted you, you nodded to me […]

SRI LANKA: Badurueliya Hospital to be reopened after weeklong shutdown

In the early morning of December 27, the authorities addressed a large crowd of people protesting outside Badureliya District Hospital. They had come to support a Member of Parliament who was staging a hunger strike demanding the reopening of the hospital. The authorities announced to the crowd that the hospital would be reopened the next […]

ASIA: AHRC TV – Human rights Asia Weekly Roundup, EPISODE 11

Today, December 23, 2013, the Asian Human Rights Commission releases the 11th Episode, of the Human Asia Rights Weekly Roundup with special reports on Labour Rights from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India. In these countries, specifically in Bangladesh, labour rights have been a matter of serious international concern following several tragic incidents that have led to the […]

INDONESIA/PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Indonesia interferes in the investigation in the death of a West Papuan activist

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the death of Danny Kogoya, regional commander of the Free Papua Movement (Organisasi Papua Merdeka, OPM), in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea. The cause of death was reported to be liver failure due to the presence of unusual chemical substances in his body. A […]

INDIA: Middlemen chop the hands of two bonded labourers in Odisha

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received disturbing information from  local media KBK Samachar and CGNET Swara regarding two bonded labourers in Kalahandi district of Odisha who have had their hands chopped by middlemen. The AHRC has learnt that the middlemen illegally confined the labourers for almost a week before the incident. […]

INDONESIA: Jakarta courts sentence innocent teenagers for murder, ignoring torture claims

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information on the torture case of June 2013 of six minors and young adults in Jakarta. As of yet, criminal investigation of their torturers is yet to take place. Four of the six victims have been falsely convicted of murder. The Jakarta courts have […]

BANGLADESH: Attorney General’s Office Supersedes High Court

The Asian Human Rights Commission has learned that direct intervention from the Attorney General’s Office of Bangladesh is preventing the release of ASM Nasiruddin Elan, Director of Odhikar, a Bangladesh based human rights organisations, despite the High Court having granted bail to the prominent human rights defender. That the Attorney General’s Office can impede a high […]

INDIA: Mother’s Quest for Justice

Article | India | 28-11-2013

The culture of women’s movement often set it root in motherhood as symbol or a weapon to create space. The notion of motherhood proved instrumental for women struggle for justice world wide. Patriarchal values existing in the society portrays women as inferior, however, this portrayal raises their presence and accessibility in public life as evident […]

PAKISTAN: A prominent lawyer and five other activists were disappeared after their arrest by persons from security agencies

With the change in Army command on November 27, a crackdown against the people in Balochistan started. A prominent lawyer, Mr. Haider KB son of Khuda Bux age 33, resident of Koshkalat, was arrested by plain clothed persons riding in a non registered two door jeep. The police stations in Quetta, capital of Balochistan province, […]

SRI LANKA/AUSTRALIA: LCA condemns country’s worsening rule of law

Dear friends,  We wish to share with you the following article from the Lawyer’s Weekly. Asian Human Rights Commission  Hong Kong ————- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AHRC-FAT-025-2013 November 28, 2013 An article from the Lawyer’s Weekly forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission SRI LANKA/AUSTRALIA: LCA condemns country’s worsening rule of law The Law Council of […]

SRI LANKA: Murders and extrajudicial killings

On November 22, a suspect in the killing of a police constable and his wife was himself killed after arrest. The suspect was a 30-year-old former instructor of the Commando Battalion of the army. It is alleged that he was taken to identify some weapons and when he attempted to attack the police with one […]

PAKISTAN: Freedom of expression – the voices that need to be heard are ignored and even silenced

Nine journalists suffered the worse kind of suppression with assassinations and attacks ( Graphic Courtesy: pakistanfoemonitor.org ) With the successive governments the reality of freedom of expression grows thinner and thinner as the right guaranteed by the Constitution of Pakistan is further constricted. Apart from blatant interference by the government, freedom of expression is also being […]

SRI LANKA: Eran drops bombshell in P’ment over public finance

Dear friends,  We wish to share with you the following article from the Financial Times (Daily FT), written by Ashwin Hemmathagama. Asian Human Rights Commission  Hong Kong ————- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AHRC-FAT-024-2013 November 27, 2013 An article from the Financial Times (Daily FT) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission SRI LANKA: Eran drops bombshell […]