Democracy

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following article from the Sunday Times, Colombo, Sri Lanka, written by Kishali Pinto Jayawardena Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- An article from the Sunday Times, forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission SRI LANKA: The final nail in the coffin of the judiciary For those of us […]

The answer to that question is if the legislature can do whatever it likes, as it is becoming fashionable for some in Sri Lanka to say, it can also make such a declaration. The leader of the party that has the majority in parliament (even better if there is a two thirds majority), can order […]

The Mahinda Rajapaksa regime has resorted to the ugliest attack in Sri Lankan judicial history on the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice this week by using the state media as a slander machine and through employing the state media to introduce deliberately manufactured slanderous letters to the parliament solely with the purpose of abusing […]

This week and the last one have witnessed an overflowing of violence in India. It manifested in manifold shapes, colours, and intensity: permeating right from the gory incidents of rapes reported in the media to the sensational allegations of corruptions against the most powerful players in the country, the shameless circus-dog denials of political leadership, […]

The Supreme Court (SC) today ordered the government to take legal action against former army chief General Aslam Beg and the former director general of the Inter Intelligence Service (ISI) Lt-Gen (retired) Asad Durrani for distributing money during the elections of 1990 among some politicians in order to rig the elections. A three-judge bench comprising […]

By Nilantha Ilangamuwa In case of fraudulent agreements, only such shall be valid as are entered into by spies. – Arthashastra by Kautilya She was an icon who gave her energy to develop Sri Lankan cinema. Perhaps it was the era in which the country was searching for meaning through cinema to find and assert […]

The Ahmadis, a sect that believes in Islam and claims to be an ardent follower of it, has been declared as non-Muslim under the Pakistani legislation. Evidently, the Government of Pakistan has not only confiscated their freedom to faith, belief and practice, but also proactively victimises them socially, economically and educationally. The declaration goes against […]

The Prime Minister, who yesterday said that “[m]indless atmosphere of negativity and pessimism that is sought to be created over the issue of corruption can do us no good”, has attacked and insulted the collective aspiration of the nation that longs for the government to setup an effective machinery to end all forms of corruption in India. […]

None can find fault with the villagers protesting against corruption in Barwani district of Madhya Pradesh state. A large number of villagers, representing mostly the tribal community, and of the poorest of the poor living in the district, have, for the past two days, gathered at a place named Court Chauraha of the district head […]

(Hong Kong & Bhopal – India, October 6, 2012) The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is certain that you are all aware of the developments in Barwani where a peaceful march by the indigenous people under the banner of Jagrit Dalit Adivasi Sangthan (JADS) was first stopped and attacked by the thugs allegedly led by the […]

Introduction The primary objective of a fair and free democratic election has to be the creation of truly representative institutions at all levels, federal, provincial and local government levels – a truly representative and sovereign parliament, capable of giving expression to the genuine aspirations of each and every segment and section of the citizens of […]

This distress call is not from a sinking ship but from the supreme body that represents the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) of Sri Lanka, which is desperately stating that the independence of the judiciary is under threat from the executive. The Asian Human Rights Commission has for years warned that democracy in Sri Lanka is […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to bring to the attention of the Sri Lankan public that we have learned about the massive frauds relating to tampering with land titles and also other frauds by the misusing the criminal justice process by way of fabrication of charges. The incidents narrated hereunder would explain the […]

The recent statement by Mr. Kailash Vijayvargiya, a minister of the Madhya Pradesh state cabinet, is one of the most riveting examples of how democratic processes are decried by the political elite in India. Referring to the national pressure to which his government had to succumb, achieved through the protest organised by the Narmada Bachao […]

Last week we reported on three great protests taking place in Asia. We will now add a fourth from Pakistan where there was a worldwide protest against the charging of a 14-year-old girl, Rimsha, under the notorious blaspheme law. We can now briefly look at the partial results of these protests. In India the protestors at the […]

When people are hurt by the actions of authorities, they protest. When the hurt is deep and widespread it could give rise to collective modes of protest. Three such protest movements are now taking place in Asia. One is in Hong Kong, where the protesters are young students, supported by parents and a large section […]

(Hong Kong, September 05, 2012) “This is taking the Ghandhian method to the water. To be submerged in water continuously for so many days is more difficult, in fact, than fasting…” Mr. Basil Fernando, Director – Polices and Programmes said referring to the ongoing protest in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, India by the villagers who lost […]

The ongoing protest by village communities acting against the increase of water level in the Omkareshwar Dam is unique in several aspects. The protest, which has completed 11 days today, is directed against the Madhya Pradesh state government that has failed to adequately rehabilitate those who have lost their land and livelihood to this ‘development’ […]

The people of Bangladesh are scared. Incidents of abduction by plain-clothed people, who often claim to be law-enforcing agents of the country, are ongoing, without any indication of being on the want. The people of Bangladesh are scared because their brothers and sons are disappearing. The stories of disappearances are being exposed by the media […]

The Chief Minister of West Bengal is once again in the news. This time the minister is critiqued for her comments on judicial corruption. However, if truth is the best defence, and if such a defence is bona fide, then in public interest none can blame the minister for her ‘expressing opinion.’ In fact, it […]