Freedom of expression

NEPAL: The slow erosion of democratic institutions hampers accountability

Statement | Nepal | 10-12-2012

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the occasion of the International Human Rights Day The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is releasing its annual report on the state of human rights protection in Nepal through 2012 on the occasion of the 64th Human Rights Day. This year the world human rights community […]

INDIA: What is the value of rights without justice?

Concepts of equality, dignity and justice are fundamental to realising human rights irrespective of jurisdictions. Universally recognised as yardsticks to measure the probity in realising human rights in a country, and guaranteed to every Indian by the Constitution of India, these normative and essential prescriptions of a justice design is experienced far below the expected […]

PAKISTAN: Failure of the institutions related to the rule of law provides impunity to the perpetrators of violations of human rights

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the occasion of the International Human Rights Day 2012 The full report is available for download at: http://www.humanrights.asia/resources/hrreport/2012/ahrc-spr-008-2012.pdf/view  The PPP-led government under President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Ministers Yousaf Raza Gillani and Raja Pervez Ashraf has made some effort to improve the protection of human rights […]

CAMBODIA: On International Human Rights Day, CCHR calls for all Cambodians and donors alike to stand up for human rights in Cambodia

Today, 10 December 2012 — International Human Rights Day (IHRD) —  the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) calls for all Cambodians and donors alike to stand up for human rights in Cambodia.  In light of the alarming deterioration of human rights since the start of 2012, today is an opportunity for poignant reflection and […]

PAKISTAN: Journalists are threatened for reporting the rape case of a six years old Hindu girl

In the case of the rape of the six-year-old Hindu girl, Vijanti Meghwar, a student of class one, the perpetrators have threatened the journalists with death for reporting the follow up of the case. The inhuman and tragic incident took place on December 4, 2012 in Ghulam Nabi Shah village of Umer Kot district, Sindh […]

SRI LANKA: The clergy and civil society condemn the arrest and unlawful detention of four students from the University of Jaffna and call for their immediate release

We the undersigned, strongly condemn the arrest of four students of the University of Jaffna (UoJ) by the Terrorism Investigation Department (TID) on Thursday, November 29, 2012. While welcoming the release of Kanesamoorthy Sutharsan, a student of the Jaffna Medical Faculty on the morning of Tuesday, December 4, we condemn the continued detention of the […]

SRI LANKA: We salute the Chief Justice and her legal team for the historical decision to walk out of the PSC proceedings.

We call upon the people, in particular the judges and lawyers, to grasp the historic significance of this moment It is news now that the Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake and her legal team, led by Romesh De Silva PC, walked away from the Parliamentary Select Committee proceedings, expressing no confidence in the manner in which […]

PAKISTAN: Complete tenure of PPP Government and country is more corrupt?

Pakistan’s first political party is PPP, which has governed country, first time, continuously for last five years. What nation got in continuous rule of a vibrant political party? Nothing. We have jumped in list of more corrupt and insecure nations of the world. Here in our country only those are safe who are murderous, plunders and […]

SRI LANKA: Speaker’s ruling has no bearing upon the substantive issues in the impeachment

The Speaker’s ruling relating to the Supreme Court’s notice to the Speaker and the members of the Parliamentary Select Committee does not in any way prohibits the constitutional right of the Court to entertain and to determine the Reference made by the Court of Appeal for a specific question relating to the scope of Article […]

INDIA: Is it not time to question the role of police in crowd control?

Statement | India | 30-11-2012

The Surendranagar firing that killed three Dalit youth on 21 September this year has once again brought to light the concern, that in India, the police do not have adequate training nor the government has necessary resolve to overhaul the police service into one that fits a modern democracy. An affidavit filed by the Gujarat […]

SRI LANKA: Contrasting the political climate in Burma and Sri Lanka

From 1962 there are literally thousands of people who have served sentences in Burmese prisons as political prisoners. The people resisted the military throughout this long period of about 60 years despite the ruthlessness with which the military dealt with every form of resistance. However there was continuous resistance and from one generation to the […]

SRI LANKA/BURMA: There is more freedom of expression in Burma now than in Sri Lanka – A conversation with U Nu’s daughter

We were one of the leading nations in agriculture and many other things in South East Asia. We have lost it all since the 1962 military takeover. Now advisors come from those countries, which were in very difficult position before 1962, to advice us on agriculture, and so many other things. Our health system has […]

PAKISTAN: International Day to End Impunity– Impunity against media rises to unacceptable levels

Eighty eight journalists have been killed in Pakistan during last decade out of which 36 were shot dead in target killing. In 2012, ten journalists including one TV channel driver were killed in three provinces, Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of the country as impunity against Pakistani media rises to unacceptable levels. According to the […]

SRI LANKA: A judge is in a worse position than an accused murderer or rapist

Even the worst of criminals have a right to a fair trial before an independent judiciary. A judge in an impeachment proceeding in Sri Lanka does not have that right. Article 107 of the Constitution and the standing orders as they stand now preclude that right. Is the quality of citizenship of a judge of […]

SOUTH KOREA: The UPR process — the government is either lying or ignorant

There was a period in the past when many rights including fair trial and the freedom of opinion and expression was heavily restricted by both authoritarian and military dictatorship governments. Those who attempted to enjoy such freedoms suffered from long periods of imprisonment in comparison with general criminal offences or even the death penalty. Constraints […]

SRI LANKA: Shameful stifling of freedom of expression

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 ————- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AHRC-FAT-039-2012 November 11, 2012 An article from the Sunday Times, forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission SRI LANKA: Shameful stifling of freedom […]

SRI LANKA: Make the Impeachment Boomerang on the Rajapaksas

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following article written by Tisaranee Gunasekara who is a Sri Lankan columnist based in Colombo Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- An article written by Tisaranee Gunasekara, forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission SRI LANKA: Make the Impeachment Boomerang on the Rajapaksas Tisaranee Gunasekara […]

PAKISTAN: November 10 – Day of action for Malala and girls’ right to education

Mr. Gordon Brown, UN Special Envoy for Global Education, has declared November 10, a global day of action in support of Malala and girls’ right to education. Malala Yousafzai, an ardent campaigner for the right of education for girls, was shot by Taliban while on her way home from school in Swat valley, in northern […]

SRI LANKA: Hell Hath No Fury….

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following article written by Tisaranee Gunasekara who is a Sri Lankan columnist based in Colombo Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- An article written by Tisaranee Gunasekara, forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission SRI LANKA: Hell Hath No Fury…. Tisaranee Gunasekara “Tyrant, why swell’st thou thus, of […]

SRI LANKA: The final nail in the coffin of the judiciary

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 […]