Freedom of expression

A khap panchayat (sub-caste council) in Baghpat District of Uttar Pradesh has allegedly ordered that two dalit sisters be raped and paraded naked as retribution for their brother having eloped with a married woman from another, so called, higher caste. There is nothing much unique in the case. Khap panchayats have been known to issue […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that gives cause for alarm. It appears what happened at Kailali is set to happen in other regions of Terai as well. If lessons are not learned and a pathway for a just and unified Nepal is not opened, the tinderbox could ignite. A keen observer […]

An article from The Nation forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission R Umaima Ahmed In August 2009, following the efforts of Clement Shahbaz Bhatti Federal Minister for Minorities who had earlier founded the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance in 1985, Mr Asif Ali Zardari the then President and Yousaf Raza Gilani the Prime Minster declared […]

August 30 marks the International Day of the Victims of Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances. Many families of the disappeared await the return of their loved ones; many have waiting for a decade or more. Unfortunately, for families that have had loved ones picked up by security agencies, the ordeal begins when they register a complaint; […]

We are presenting a discussion held on the ‘Subha Udesanak” (Good Morning) Programme, on Rupavahini with Mr Basil Fernando, Director of Policy and Programmes, Asian Human Rights Commission, Hong Kong, and popular film director Dharmasiri Bandaranayake, moderated by Mr. Chitral Perera. In this discussion the challenges faced by the new government due to the damage […]

The weekly Times column, “Focus on Rights” by Kishali Pinto Jayawardena, in the Sunday Times, Sri Lanka, on 30 August 2015, forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Kishali Pinto Jayawardena With the September 2015 report of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) referencing war-time accountability of Sri Lanka’s political and military command looming […]

This week’s Roundup features a panel discussion in two parts to mark the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, which falls on Sunday, August 30. Participating in the panel discussion are M.D. Ashrafuzaman from Bangladesh, Baseer Naweed from Pakistan and AHRC’s Executive Director Bijo Francis from India. AHRC’s editor Karan Singh has moderated […]

The military courts have surreptitiously been given power to try suspects languishing in interment centers located in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). These military courts will now decide the fate of militants declared ‘black’, a term that has not been clearly defined in the Pakistan Army Act, 1952 (PAA). […]

This report has been prepared on the basis of THRD Alliance Chairperson Dipendra Jha’s field visit to Bhardah, Saptari District. On August 17, a day before the Bhardah police fired shots at the protesters, tensions ran high between the police and the protestors. In the evening, the superintendents of police of the Nepal Police and […]

An article from Hong Kong Free Press forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission In the past year I have met him a few times, both in Yangon, Myanmar, as well as in Hong Kong. In these meetings and in my long discussions with him, I found him a very jovial man. He is bursting […]

A Statement from Pakistan Peace Coalition forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission On 20th August, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the next phase in the construction of two large Chinese supplied nuclear power plants next to Karachi. This project is moving forward with reckless disregard for the safety and well-being of the 20 million […]

An editorial from the Kathmandu Post forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission The killing of the gangster Kumar Shrestha ‘Ghainte’ by the police has aroused a great many passions. Nepali Congress (NC) leaders, to whom Ghainte was close, reject the official version of the event as provided by the police, according to which police […]

(Note: this article was first published in the August 16, 2015 issue of the Sunday Examiner) Temogen (Cocoy) Tulawie, a rights advocate from Sulu, walked out of prison on July 20 after a court in Manila acquitted him of charges of murder and possessing explosives. His acquittal ended nearly four years of imprisonment. But the remaining […]

Could it be that the relentless endeavour of civil society, NGOs, and human rights defenders has finally begun to bear fruit? On, 20 August 2015, the Supreme Court has directed the federal and provincial governments to submit recommendations on police reforms. Reports in The News International and The Frontier Post on August 20, have quoted Supreme Court Chief Justice […]

A Press Release from British Pakistani Christian Association forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) Image of Gujrat Hate spilled onto the streets after a large evangelical conference was organised in the city of Gujrat for August 15th. The conference had been organised by Pastor Aftab Gill, son of Pastor Fazal Gill (RIP). The […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) condemns the continuing police violence in Nepal, which has escalated in recent weeks, following the proposed demarcation of Nepal into 6 states. Many ethnic and other groups have taken to the streets against the proposed demarcation. Due to constant strikes, people’s lives and livelihoods have been thrown into chaos. […]

The double defeat suffered by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the Presidential Election of 8 January 2015 and in the Parliamentary Elections concluded on August 17, hopefully, marks the end of a long period (1978 to 2015) of onslaught on democracy and the rule of law. All eyes will turn to see how the new […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), along with the Terai Human Rights Defenders (THRD) Alliance, condemns the use of excessive force by the police in the Bhardah area of Saptari District. Today, in Bhardah, the police fired 100 rounds, in addition to tear gas shelling. The shootings have resulted in the death of Rajiv Raut, […]

A Press Release from the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and World Organisation Against Torture (Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture;OMCT) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) PRESS RELEASE – THE OBSERVATORY BANGLADESH: Judicial harassment against free speech defenders continues Paris-Geneva, August 14, 2015 – The three-year prison sentence handed down to Mr. Mahmudur Rahman yesterday morning by […]

A Press Release from Christian Solidarity Worldwide forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) For Immediate Release 20 July 2015-United Nations human rights experts, the European Union, UK, US and other voices from the international community have expressed their concern regarding the detention of over 200 lawyers and activists in China since 10 July. […]