Democracy

A Divisional Bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) upheld the death penalty of a Christian woman convicted of Blasphemy by a Sessions’ Court in 2010. Ms. Aasia Bibi, was a mother of five. She was arrested in 2009 under blasphemy charges while working in a farm with many other Muslim women. A two-judge bench […]

by Basil Fernando As the possibility of an election has become a “hot topic” of the day, with it has emerged the problem of the 1978 Constitution and the system of the Executive Presidency, as a sharp point of contest and debate in Sri Lanka. In the midst of this unfolding scenario, President Rajapaksa, in […]

In this week’s episode of the Weekly Roundup, AHRC TV brings you special coverage of the third annual Asian Alliance Against Torture & Ill-Treatment (AAATI) conference that took place recently. Parliamentarians, politicians, and human rights activists from across Asia attended the conference in Hong Kong that was hosted by the AHRC and DIGNITY, Denmark. This […]

To date, no credible investigation into the disappearance of Prageeth Eknaligoda has taken place. Prageeth Eknaligoda disappeared on 24th January 2010 and to this day there has been no credible investigation into his disappearance, despite many interventions by the United Nations Human Rights agencies, other international organizations, and by local Sri Lankan organizations. The wife […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is gravely concerned about the ongoing detention without charge of Patiwat (last name withheld) and Pornthip (last name withheld), who are being held in relation to a complaint filed against them for alleged violation of Article 112 of the Criminal Code in Thailand. Patiwat, age 23, a fifth year […]

In this week’s episode of the Weekly Roundup , AHRC TV covers the tragic news of the death of Nanda Prasad Adhikari, following a 333-day hunger strike in Nepal. His wife, Ganga Maya, continues her fast, protesting against the Nepal government’s inability to investigate, prosecute, and punish her son’s killers. To learn more about this […]

by Jack Clancey During this past week, Central was occupied by thousands of demonstrators, as was Admiralty, Wanchai, Causeway Bay, and other parts of Hong Kong. The key question being asked is: What needs to be done to end the demonstrations? One of the two key demands of the leaders of the Occupy Central movement […]

Vilbur Larch of Global Health and Human Rights Show (USA) talks with Basil Fernando, On the 29th of September Vilbur Larch of the Global Health and Human Rights Show talked with Basil Fernando about the Right Livelihood Award this year. This discussion is now available online. In this discussion, the nature of the Right Livelihood […]

(September 28, 2014, Hong Kong ) Thousands of protesters take to Hong Kong’s streets as Occupy protest grows, Sunday afternoon, September 28, 2014. Click here to watch the live coverage by the Apple Daily, a daily newspaper based in Hong Kong SAR.

Following the assassination of Dr. RajaniThiranagamaon 21 September 1989 by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a well-attended commemoration and a peaceful march were heldin Jaffna, in which large numbers of students, clergy, activists, both local and international, and ordinary people participated. Twenty-five years ago these events took place despite the very hostile and intimidating […]

by Professor Sunanda Mahendra Basil Fernando is a poet cum lawyer and bilingual writer who lives in Hong Kong. Apart form his day to day legal activities, he writes poems both in Sinhala and English. Several English poems have appeared in foreign learned journals. Quite recently one of his collections of English poems came to […]

Tungkum Limited (TKL) must drop Defamation Case against two community based Human Right Defenders (HRDs) in Loei. Tungkum Limited (TKL) filed a defamation suit in Phuket provincial court against Mr. Surapan Rujichaiwat and Ms. Porntip Hongchai, two communities based Human Rights Defender (HRDs). Mr. Surapan Rujichaiwat and Ms. Porntip Hongchai received a court summons on Saturday […]

Two years ago on 11th September  2012 a third degree fire broke out at the Ali Enterprises, garment factory in the industrial area of Karachi, where  259 workers perished – burnt alive. It was one of the most devastating tragedies known in the history of the garment industry. The tragedy sparked a debate but on a […]

The Lawyers Collective strongly condemns death threats to two of it’s leading members, Attorneys-at-Law, Mr. Namal Rajapakshe and Mr. Manjula Pathiraja. Mr. Rajapaske  and Pathiraja have  been  leading human rights activists and lawyers with long experience in public interest litigation. They appeared in series of sensitive cases challenging arbitrary actions of all organs of the […]

Burma is the focus of the 44th episode of AHRC TV’s Weekly Roundup. In this episode, AHRC TV talks to Mr. Kyaw Swar Swe, Director, Myanmar Institute for Democracy, Mr. Tun Hlaing, a Burmese lawyer, and Mr. Min Lwin Oo, a rights defender. The programme includes reports on the 10-year prison sentence for Burmese human […]

After almost a year of conflict, the 7-article agreement between the CNRP and the CPP allowed 55 CNRP lawmakers-elect to take their National Assembly seats. Both parties claimed victory. But not everyone sees the accord in the same light. Mr. Brad Adams, Director of Asia for Human Rights Watch (HRW) sees the deal as terrible […]

A Statement from the civil society in Sri Lanka forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission As Sri Lankan citizens and Sri Lankan civil society organizations, we are appalled by the recent arrests and deportation of asylum seekers from Sri Lanka. According to the UN, 108 Pakistanis have been deported as of 14th August[i] . According […]

Pakistan like other developing countries that face, dearth of democracy and abundance of abusive authority has never been a homogenous country. There is the Pakistan of masses and there is the Pakistan of classes. For the poor and powerless of this sixth most populous country, human development based on essential core values like self esteem, […]

Death threats still stand and are repeated against the Wang Saphung community We, the undersigned 18 organisations, are deeply concerned about the Wang Saphung community’s situation. The death threats against 10 community members are still standing. More worryingly, we have been told by community leader MrsVironRujichaiwat – mother of a one-month old baby – that […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission is gravely concerned to have learned that Patiwat (last name withheld), a fifth-year student in the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Khon Kaen University and a human rights defender, is facing a criminal investigation in relation to a complaint under Article 112 of the Criminal Code in Thailand. […]