Democracy

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following statement from the Committee against Torture at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- 1. The Committee considered the combined third and fourth periodic report of Sri Lanka (CAT/C/LKA/3-4) at its 1030th and 1033rd meetings, […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission strongly condemns the government cabinet’s decision to recommend that the President grants amnesty to Balkrishna Dhungel and wishes to add its voice to that of Nepalese civil society and the victim’s family to denounce the additional attempt by the government to shield human rights violators from justice and thereby entrench […]

(Hong Kong, October 21, 2011) The national monument for the disappeared at Raddoluwa, Seeduwa is nationally and internationally known and respected place where the families of the disappeared persons gather to pay respects for their loved ones who are counted among the disappeared in Sri Lanka. The monument was eructed in 2000 at a place […]

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following statement from the Women Making Peace (WMP) and the Korean Women’s Association United. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- A Statement from the Women Making Peace (WMP) and the Korean Women’s Association United forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission A teenage girl was […]

Murders of father, mother and two children in Udawalawe While the whole nation was shocked by the multiple killings at Mulleriyawa, another set of gruesome murders have been reported from Puhulyaya, Panahakaduwa, in Udawalawe. A father M K Lalith (37), mother R Indrani Gnanalatha (32), son M K Dilan Chathuranga (12), daughter M K Nadeeka […]

At 5 pm Indian standard time today (14 October), the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Ms Mayawati, will inaugurate a park in Noida, that Mayawati claims is a Dalit memorial to symbolise Dalit liberation and power in India. Noida is close to New Delhi, the national capital. It is reported that the park, constructed at […]

(Hong Kong, October 14, 2011) This report is entitled the Alternative report to the committee against torture in connection with the third periodic report of Sri Lanka. The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), Hong Kong, REDRESS Trust London, Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims (RCT), Denmark and Action des chrétiens pour l’abolition de la torture (ACAT France) […]

On the last day of the 3rd stage of the Local Government Election, two prominent politicians from United People Freedom Alliance (UPFA) fought with each other at Mulleriyawa in Kolonnawa in Colombo District, according to reports. Former Member of Parliament and a presidential advisor on trade unions, Bharatha Lakshman Pramachandra, and three of his body […]

A Joint Statement by Vikas Samvad and the Asian Human Rights Commission Despicable it might be, yet it is a relatively irrelevant incident in India. The latest is the case of Firoz, a 12-year-old boy who is now reportedly suffering from serious psychological trauma after being forced by a Head Constable of the Railway Protection […]

An Open Letter from the Asian Human Rights Commission to the Inspector General of Police and the Secretary, Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka  Dear Sirs, SRI LANKA: A young man’s complaint of imminent threat to life Re: A young man’s complaint of imminent threat to life due to a powerful businessman working hand-in-hand with […]

Another Ahmadi killed in hate crime against religious minorities The religious minority group of Ahmadis is under constant threat of religious hate crimes and no serious efforts have been initiated by the government to provide protection the community. In the latest incident a member of the Ahmadiyya community was murdered after receiving death threats from […]

(This is the text of a presentation at A Consultation on Peace and Security in Asia and Ecumenical Responses held on August 1-6, 2011, organized by WCC and CCA) As a start we may try to reflect on some of the concerns expressed by the participants of this meeting who have spoken so far. One […]

There is surely nothing wrong in demanding an end to the reign of corruption. And yet, for many in India it seems to amount to being “as good as undermining the Constitution”, or resembling “a process to destabilise the establishment”. The religious elite in the country claim that “fasting demanding an end to corruption is a sin, since […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is disturbed by the punitive decision of the Indonesian Court on August 15, 2011 to jail an innocent Ahmadi Muslim who protected himself during a mob attack, which reveals the lack of impartiality of the judiciary and the legal community. Deden Sudjana was sentenced to six months imprisonment by […]

A Joint Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission, REDRESS Trust UK, and Human Rights Alert, Manipur, India A draconian legislation like the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 and the concept of democracy do not go together. While democracy nurture values of justice, equality and fraternity, laws like the AFSPA are synonymous with injustice, […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) congratulates Indians on their 65th Independence Day. The world’s largest democracy, has come a long way from what it was in 1947 – an impoverished and underdeveloped nation – to become the third largest economy in the world in terms of purchase power parity. While in the immediate neighbourhood […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward to you the following press release from The Friday Forum. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- A Press Release from The Friday Forum forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) The Friday Forum 2, Greenlands Avenue, Colombo 5 Sri Lanka E-Mail: chandraj111@gmail.com Telephone; […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) takes exception to the information that the government of Nepal has asked the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in writing to halt investigations it had undertaken into allegations of gross human rights violations dating back to the time of the conflict. The AHRC is seriously concerned by this additional […]

The long struggle of a female worker has drawn the attention of both the local and international community. Ms. Kim Jin-suk, a member of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) has been occupying the cabin of Crane No. 85, which is 35 metres high, in the shipyard of Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction (HHIC) […]

Basil Fernando  In Plato’s Republic Glaucon narrates a story about a ring of invisibility.  The man who found the ring used his power to enter the palace, rape the queen, kill the king and to take over the throne. ‘They’d have the scope I’m talking about especially if they acquired the kind of power which, […]