Civil and Political Rights

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward to you the following letter from Mr. Nagananda Kodituwakku to The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ——- AHRC-FLT-001-2022 April 18, 2022 A Letter from Mr. Nagananda Kodituwakku forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) United Nations High […]

Can Sri Lanka rise from its constitutional limbo? When Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe accepted to take over as the Head of the Central Bank, in one of his early statements, he said that he would be able to do the expected job if there is no interference from outside. The demand for non-interference is today one […]

An Open Letter from the Asian Human Rights Commission to the President of Republic of Indonesia Mr. Joko Widodo President of the Republic of Indonesia Jl. Veteran No. 16 Jakarta Pusat INDONESIA Tel: +62 21 3458 595 Fax: +62 21 3484 4759 Dear Mr. President: The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) supports statement of the […]

A Letter from the Asian Human Rights Commission to the UN Secretary-General about the situation in Sri Lanka Download the PDF Version of the Letter Mr. António Guterres Secretary General of the United Nations Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General United Nations, S-233 New York NY 10017 USA A letter to inform about the […]

(Hong Kong, March 25, 2022) The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from local network about police are still at the Konawe Islands Regency. After Gema Kreasi Perdana Company grabbed the land of residents who objected to mine on Tuesday (1/03) and last Thursday, (3/03), the Konawe Islands Regency Government through its Deputy […]

An Open Letter from the Asian Human Rights Commission to the President of the Republic of Indonesia Mr. Joko Widodo President of the Republic of Indonesia Jl. Veteran No. 16 Jakarta Pusat INDONESIA Tel: +62 21 3458 595 Fax: +62 21 3484 4759 Dear Mr. President: INDONESIA : The Gema Kreasi Perdana Company forcibly entered […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission welcomes the inauguration of the people’s commission for women in Sri Lanka. This new people’s commission was launched on the 8th of March. About 150 persons participated at the opening ceremony held at the Mahaweli auditorium. Padma Pushpakanthi explained the aims of this people’s commission. The title ‘people’s commission’ was […]

By Basil Fernando  The Sri Lankan delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) suffered a great setback when its promise to amend the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act, No. 48 of 1979 as amended (PTA) was responded to by the 16 UN special experts calling on the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) […]

GENEVA (2 March 2022) – UN human rights experts* have called for an immediate moratorium on the use of Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), and urged the Government to substantively review and revise the legislation to comply with international human rights law. “There is a grave risk to the rights and liberties of […]

According to various data and information, in the Talangsari massacre, 130 people died, 77 people were forcibly evicted, 53 people experienced the deprivation of liberty and 46 people experienced torture. “The process of resolving the Talangsari massacre has dragged on and the victims have waited too long for legal certainty. On the 33 years of […]

Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) , a Regional Human Rights Organization, having seriouslyobserved and studied the manner in which the Contempt of Court law and the way it is practiceLin Sri Lanka, wish to express its deep concern over the violations of International law and the Sri Lankan Constitution itself, by depriving protection of law […]

An Open Letter from the Asian Legal Resource Centre to the Chief of National Police General of Police LISTYO SIGIT PRABOWO Chief of National Police (KAPOLRI) Jl. Trunojoyo Number 3 Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan 12110 INDONESIA Telephone: +62 21 384 8537, 726 0306 Fax: +62 21 7220 669 Electronic mail: info@polri.go.id Dear General: INDONESIA: Withdraw police […]

By Basil Fernando In two occasions, the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) held in two separate cases decided by the Sri Lankan Supreme Court related to contempt of court that the punishment imposed by the Court amounted to disproportionate punishment and that such punishment amounted to illegal detention. The UNHRC held that on both […]

February 09, 2022 An Open Letter from the Asian Legal Resource Centre to the Chief of National Police General of Police LISTYO SIGIT PRABOWO Chief of National Police (KAPOLRI) Jl. Trunojoyo Number 3 Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan 12110 INDONESIA Tel: +62 21 384 8537, 726 0306 Fax: +62 21 7220 669 E-mail: info@polri.go.id Dear General: INDONESIA: […]

A Press Release from Voice for Democracy in Sri Lanka (VDSL) and Voice for Justice in Sri Lanka Inc. (VJSL) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) Details: Webinar: Pathway to Constitutional Reform: Opportunities and Challenges;                 ව්‍යවස්ථා ප්‍රතිසංස්කරණ: මාවත් හා අභියෝග             […]

By Basil Fernando Sri Lanka, as it faces the worst crises in terms of the economy, the society, culture and the legal and moral norms on which the society exists, is today a highly traumatised nation. All the norms of a civilised society are in the worst crisis that Sri Lanka has experienced in recent […]

By Basil Fernando Today, there is a consensus that Sri Lanka has entered into a period of crisis that is worse than it has ever faced in recent history. It is also agreed among most of the people who are highly knowledgeable in the field of economics and financing that this crisis will last for […]

The making of a new Constitution through a constitutional convention is now being discussed in the community. This is against the privately-drafted Constitution through a group of lawyers which the Government intends to introduce in early 2022. The difference between such a Constitution and one that is made with the participation of many groups and […]

The basic legal argument against the proposal to present the draft Constitution is as follows; The proposal is based on a false premise as it denies the process of the making of the Constitution whereas it must provide everyone and every group of people the right of participation as it is a Constitution of the […]

On November 25, 2021, the Constitutional Court in its judgment Number 91/PUU-XVIII/2020 stated in essence: 1. The Establishment of the Law Number 11 of 2020 concerning Job Creation is contrary to the 1945 Constitution and does not have conditionally binding legal force as long as it does not mean “no amendments have been made within two […]