Corruption

By Basil Fernando The media reported a speech made by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Pujith Jayasundara., wherein he stated quite openly and categorically that the police should make use of the present opportunity and take steps to change. This is a welcome statement in a climate where any kind of positive development in […]

Those charting the history of conflict in South Asia with particular reference to violence against children may be interested in this recently released book edited by an Australian National University (ANU) Senior Fellow, Bina D’ Costa and published by the Cambridge University Press. This volume is based on the premise that children’s diverse experiences during […]

This week Just Asia begins with the growing demands in Bangladesh seeking the return of disappeared persons. Families are taking to the streets and holding press conferences to voice their concern and seek justice. On May 26, relatives made a ‘human chain’ in front of Dhaka’s National Press Club, and were joined by prominent human […]

Just Asia begins this week with a ground breaking report on Nepal’s anti-Constitution protests, in which over 40 persons died. Published jointly by the Asian Human Rights Commission and the Terai Human Rights Defenders Alliance, the report concludes that security forces consistently engaged in excessive use of force against protestors and bystanders from August 2015 […]

The role of the Attorney General’s Department in terms of upholding the justice system in Sri Lanka, and rule of law is being critically examined from many quarters. The UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers Ms. Monica Pinto severely critiqued the Attorney Generals’ Department in her Preliminary Observations and recommendations following […]

A Press Releasefrom Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) Lahore, May 19: A workshop by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), on Child Labour, was organized at their offices on Thursday, May 19th. In attendance were prominent civil society organizations, focusing on the rights of children, activist […]

An article by Bijo Francis and Urmila Pullat The press has reported on three rapes in Kerala in the last month. The one that everyone is talking about is the brutal rape and murder on April 28 of the Dalit law student, whose dismembered body was found by her mother in their home. The ones not discussed […]

This week Just Asia begins with Pakistan, where three cases of honour killings have been reported from the country over the last 15 days, killing five women. Such acts are the result of a typical mindset that women must be killed for disobeying men, and besmirching their honour. The year 2015 saw more than 7,010 […]

It has become one of peculiar habits of Sri Lankan parliamentarians to make everything that is pure and beautiful in the architecture of the country’s democracy appear ugly. Last week’s episodes – when children watching Parliament in action from the viewing gallery of Parliament House had to be quickly evacuated when the Parliament transmogrified into […]

This week’s episode covers World Press Freedom Day, marked annually on May 3. Journalists are at risk in many Asian countries, facing either threats to their lives or legal repression. According to Reporters without Borders’ 2016 World Press Freedom Index, the media freedom situation has worsened significantly or stagnated in the region. The majority of […]

Bangladesh is today going through a deep political crisis that the global civil society is yet to fathom. For all practical purposes, the country is under a dictatorial regime that has usurped power through unfair means. Independent institutions like the Judiciary, Election Commission, and the National Human Rights Commission are completely under the control of […]

Torture is inhumane and ineffective, and its continued use as part of investigations in India needs to be re-examined. In this photo, reviewed by a Defense Department official, a Guantanamo detainee’s feet are shackled to the floor as he attends a “Life Skills” class inside the Camp 6 high-security detention facility at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, […]

Robert Penner, a Canadian man working in Nepal for a software company, maintained an active presence on social media, especially Twitter. Especially prolific during the Madhes movement and the promulgation of the constitution late last year, Penner adopted a take-no-prisoners approach to critical thinking, eviscerating official government statements for their contradictions and often blatant lies. […]

Keynote address at the Conference on Human Rights Solidarity Bangladesh, May 2016, Bangkok, Thailand Discussing Bangladesh’s situation from the human rights perspective is no doubt a difficult issue, given the chaotic situation that has developed in both the country’s political and criminal justice systems, during recent times. It may not be of much comfort to […]

Labour Day in Pakistan is oxymoronic, because the day is just another holiday for the nation’s better off population, while the labour class toils under the blazing sun. Perhaps on no other day does the class difference between the haves and have nots manifest itself as clearly as it does on this day. Throughout the […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward an interview by Mr. Basil Fernando, Director – Policies & Programmes of the AHRC in Sirasa TV, News 1st, Live on 26th April 2016. In the interview Mr. Fernando speaks on the modalities of appointments to the public services including the police service, the Attorney General’s Department, […]

April 24, was the frightening Sunday for the poor families including shepherds and daily wage earners of different parts of the Baluchistan in a drive to punish Baloch folks for boycotting by-elections conducted under the supervision of military to get the candidate from ruling party to win. The separatist and nationalist groups claim that the […]

The name Kondaya is now a household name, following the tragic Sadewmi case, the abduction, rape and murder of a little girl of around 4 years. Discovery of the dead body led to an uproar not only in her village and the neighbouring villages but throughoutthecountry. There was a demand for immediate inquiries and for prosecution and […]

An article from Kissan Committee forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission By Farooq Tariq A massive repression of the peaceful peasant movement, the Anjuman Mozareen Punjab (AMP), is underway. Most of its leadership has been arrested under false anti-terrorist laws. Dozens of members are missing, while over 50 remain behind bars. All have been […]

That the Pakistan Military has been extending its tentacles to envelop the State apparatus is no secret. However, a lesser-known aspect is the economic hegemony it is perpetuating over peasants in the shape of Military Farms Okara. Illegal land grabbing is now being used as a most profitable business for the force, which has anyway […]