Fabrication of charges

Dear friends,  Mr. Sathiyaseelan Jegadishan (24) of Sogana Upper Division, Pussellawa in the Nuwara Eliya District was illegally arrested by officers of the Pussellawa Police Station on 2 June 2010. Jegadishan, an employee of the Pussellawa Post Office received a message that there was a commotion in his village. Accordingly he to the police station […]

According to reports yesterday, July 5, 2011, about 2,000 persons from the Kahawatte area participated in a protest demanding the removal of the police working in the area. The reason behind this protest is the inability of the police to effectively investigate the murders of seven women who were killed in separate incidents. The people […]

Basil Fernando In my earlier short essay titled Replacing investigations with gossip, I tried to point to the absence of outrage against forced disappearances in Sri Lanka, which I ended by saying that there must be some cultural for such an attitude. In this second short essay I venture to look into what that cultural root […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information from the fact finding team that conducted a fact finding mission concerning two deceased fisher folk activists murdered by a land mafia on May 6, 2011. The police initially refused to register the case against the alleged murderers, and the Medico Legal Officer […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission is shocked to learn that Forest Department officials brutally kicked five-month pregnant Seema Adhikari as she opposed their illegal arrest of her husband Rakesh Adhikari at 5am on 3 May 2011. Due to the assault, Seema went into early labor and delivered twin fetuses in front of the […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the police and parliamentarians protect the criminals that attempted to murder Mr. Billal Hossain Robin, a journalist based in Narayanganj district. The police primarily refused to register a complaint and then deliberately delayed the process of registering the complaint after the attack on […]

(Hong Kong, May 7, 2011) At a meeting held today, 7 May, at a local cooperative society’s meeting room in Paikgachha, Mr. Sohrab Ali Sana, Member of Parliament for the Paikgachha-Koyra (Khulna-6) constituency, demanded the arrest of all suspects relating to the attack on FMA Razzak and his brother, which took place on 29 April. […]

(Hong Kong, May 4, 2011) Hundreds of men, women and children at Paikgachha have taken to streets demanding arrest of eye-gouger Mustafizur Rahman Bokul, a major in the Bangladesh army, and his aides for gouging eyes of human rights defender FMA Razzak and his brother Bodiuzzaman Bodiar. They spontaneously participated in a procession in protest […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that human rights defender FMA Razzak is going to die without proper medical treatment due to tremendous pressures from the officials of the armed forces and intelligence agencies who have cordoned the whole area in plain cloth. Since 9:45AM today, 30 April 2011, Razzak is […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), a military-dominated paramilitary force composed of armed forces and the police, held two cousins incommunicado for four days. The victims have been identified as Mr. Nahidul Haque Sazib and Mr. Kawsar Hossain Razib, who were arrested without any […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received credible information that the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has shot a juvenile college student causing a permanent disability in Jhalkathi district. On 23 March 2011, a team of the RAB-8 stopped 16-year-old Limon Hossen, who was an examinee of the Higher Secondary Certificate near to […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is concerned by the case of a group of farmers who lodged a complaint about attempts of an army-owned company and the powerful Htoo Company to acquire their land at a greatly undervalued amount. The farmers’ complaint was rejected in court on grounds that the land was […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received credible information that the Dinajpur police commited mass torture of villagers in Daptoir village of Biral upazila in Dinajpur district. The victims included men, women, children and the elderly. They suffered severe injuries and the women victims were sexually molested and abused. The police perpetrators […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Sundaralingam Shashidaran (29) of 168, Dekinda Road, Bawwagama, Nawalapitiya in the district of Kandy was illegally arrested and severely tortured by the police officers attached to the Nawalapitiya Police Station when he went and demanded the reason behind the torture of his […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Allen Jo (29) 195/1 Welgampola Road, Nawawlapitiya in the district of Kandy was illegally arrested and severely tortured by the police officers attached to the Nawalapitiya Police Station on 28 March 2011. He was arrested accused for possession of drugs without any reason […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) informed you on 4 March 2011 regarding death threat to the family of F. M. A. Razzak, a human rights defender by the relatives of an officer the Bangladesh Army (For further details, please see our latest Urgent Appeal Update: AHRC-UAU-013-2011).  Now, the AHRC has received updated information […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Chaminda Sampath Wickrama Pathirana of Walgama, Bandaragama in the district of Kaluthara was illegally arrested and severely tortured by police officers attached to the Badaragama Police Station on 20 May 2009. At the time of arrest, when he was severely tortured or […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Koronchige Nihal De Silva (28) of ‘Ashoka Niwasa’, Parawakandagama, Anamaduwa in Puttalam district was illegally arrested and severely tortured by police officers attached to the Anamaduwa Police Station on 2 January 2011. He was hung on the beam and beaten with poles […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Alahendra Acharige Dinesh Priyankara of Panadura North Police Division in Kaluthara district was illegally arrested and severely tortured by police officers attached to the Panadura North Police Station on 23 January 2011. Later he was brought to the station and questioned about […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding death threat to the family of F. M. A. Razzak, a human rights defender, and his well-wishers from the relatives of an officer the Bangladesh Army regarding an illegitimate claim of ownership of a land, which had already been settled by the concerned […]