Democracy

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has information provided by the Commission for the Disappearances and Victims of Violence (KontraS), a national human rights organization. A light punishment was meted out to four police officers of Sungailiat Police Resort (Polres Sungailiat) in the torture to death of Mr. Suharli (alias Tembo). Despite the […]

This week AHRC TV’s Just Asia begins with Burma, where four protesters already sentenced by a court in May 2015, are now facing additional charges for the same incident. Burma’s first democratic election of November 2015 has done little to curb rights violations in the country. Next, the crisis at New Delhi’s Jawarhalal Nehru University […]

The Opening Statement of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to the 31st Regular Session of the Human Rights Council is forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Opening Statement to the 31st session of the Human Rights Council Distinguished Presidents of the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly – and President Lykketoft, […]

An oped from the Kathmandu Post forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission A lot of Nepalese suffered terribly at the hands of both the state and the rebels during the decade-long Maoist conflict. However, since most of the victims have little voice, many of their stories are yet to be heard. Civilians were caught […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information that the high prosecutor (Kejaksaan Tinggi) in East Java province, Indonesia has announced 35 suspects in the brutal attack of two land rights activists. Although the ARHC appreciates this achievement, the investigation should be continued to uncover any alleged involvement of the state […]

While religious diversity forms the bedrock of a civilized democratic state, the right to propagate and freely practice one’s religion is strictly restricted by Pakistan’s orthodox clergy, which is bent upon imposing its own version of the state religion. There is a growing concern within the country over the shrinking social space for minorities. Far […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission’s (AHRC) partner organization the Terai Human Rights Defenders (THRD) Alliance have secured information that the Nepal police have started arresting Madhesi protesters in different cases, mostly related toevents that occurred during the 5 month long protests and blockade in the southern plains. This is a systematic trend of charging with […]

In a conservative society like Pakistan, being a trans-person is deemed a crime. The transgender community is treated as outcastes having no identity or rights. Like other marginalized factions of the society, the transgender suffer discrimination and injustice at the hands of the influential. According to Front Line Defender, the International Foundation for the Protection […]

In this week’s episode, Just Asia covers the commemoration of the 1989 Talangsari Massacre in Indonesia. Although the Talangsari Massacre was mentioned by President Widodo as one of his government’s priorities, until now no concrete solution has been provided. Next, Just Asia looks at the unrest at India’s prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). The unrest […]

Although the right to education is a fundamental human right recognised throughout the civilised world, girls in Pakistan still have to fight for the right. Many even lose their life in this battle, such as 17-year-old Saqiba. A student of the Government Girls Degree College in Muslim Bagh, Balochistan, Saqiba Hakim Kakar committed suicide on […]

Torture, enforced disappearance, and extrajudicial killings have become endemic in the country marred by internal conflict. Rule of law and justice have become a distant dream for the victims and families of missing persons. And, disappearances, extrajudicial killings, torture in custody and arbitrary detentions, have been given legal and constitutional coverage by the government. Through […]

The trouble fomenting in Indian varsities ever since the new government came to power has now reached one of the most prestigious universities of the country, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). The stir ostensibly started after a group of students organized an event commemorating the death anniversary of Afzal Guru and called his hanging a […]

An Open Letterfrom 22 Right Livelihood Award Laureatesforwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) To, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud King of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia Respected King, The poet, art curator and Palestinian refugee Ashraf Fayadh, was sentenced to death by beheading, on November 17, 2015, by decision of the government of Saudi […]

This week’s episode of Just Asia focuses on Hong Kong, where the first day of the Lunar New Year saw violent clashes between protesters and police. The unrest caused shock and increased the sense of uncertainty lingering in the wake of the disappearance of five booksellers in January. The violence erupted overnight as police attempted […]

One year has passed since the appointment of the new government. Undoubtedly, some changes have taken place and further changes are being discussed. However, there is one very important – perhaps the most important – issue, which has been entirely ignored. This fundamental omission concerns the stability of Sri Lanka as a nation; it is […]

An oped from the Kathmandu Post forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Widely awaited yet secretly formed, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) have spent the first year of their two-year term without doing any substantive work. Both the commissions have blamed the government […]

On 11 February 2016 the Thai army threatened human rights defenders for documenting the military’s continued use of torture on detainees in the country’s south. Major General Banpot Poonpien, the spokesperson for a specialist counterinsurgency agency, the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), accused the human rights groups of fabricating accounts of torture to obtain funding […]

An article , “An overall framework for reconciliation discourse” by Basil Fernando, Director of Policy and Programmes, Asian Human Rights Commission, published in the Daily News issue of 04 February 2016. Basil Fernando The author is sharing this writing, with a suggested overall framework for reconciliation discourse in Sri Lanka. It is meant to provoke […]

In this episode, Just Asia continues to cover critical human rights flashpoints in Asia. In Pakistan, three employees of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) have been killed in clashes near the Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, on February 3. The employees were on a countrywide protest against privatization of the national airlines. Around 30 persons have also been […]

A 21-year-old woman committed suicide by hanging herself on 28 January 2016. In her suicide note the woman wrote about the most obvious and the ugly truth of India: that of losing faith in the country’s criminal justice process. She wrote: “Please mummy, papa forgive me. I will not get justice anymore, nor will I […]