Freedom of religion

The Government of Bangladesh plans to immediately arrest members of human rights organisations and activists suspected of providing information for the Human Rights Watch Report “Bangladesh: Torture, Deaths of Jailed Mutiny Suspects”. The Asian Human Rights Commission has learned from reliable sources that there are discussions among some quarters in the Bangladesh government of arresting […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from MASUM concerning the harassment and intimidation of Mr Saiful Molla and Mr Khalil Mondal by BSF personnel attached to Kaijuri BSF Camp on 9.30pm on 21 April 2012 and 3.30pm on 22 April 2012. Unlawful arrest and detention, harassment, degrading treatment, religious discrimination […]

Basil Fernando In a previous article, SRI LANKA: The Supremacy of the national security apparatus, we discussed the issue of the Ministry of Defence being the most important institution in Sri Lanka, after the institution of the Executive President. This implies that the ministry is more important than the parliament and the judiciary within the new […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a 14-year-old girl, from the Hindu religious minority community was abducted by gangsters and forcibly converted to Islam. When a police case was filed against the abductors the girl was produced before a Magistrate’s Court by the gangsters to record a statement that […]

Yesterday (19th June 2012) Sri Lanka’s United National Party (UNP) published a statement demanding the resignation of the Secretary of Defence. The UNP claimed that the resignation was warranted in light of the recent deaths of two people at the JVP meeting at Katuwana, Hambantota. However, a larger issue that should be considered in this […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the verdict delivered by Muaro Sijunjung District Court in the case of Alexander Aan who resides in Padang and was charged with religious blasphemy, atheism propagation and dissemination of religious hostility. On 14 June 2012, the Court found Alexander Aan guilty of […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that PG Amila Tharanga Thilakaratne (14) a Year 9 student of Mahanama College Geatambe in the Kandy District was severely tortured by his teacher, a Buddhist monk. Amila was persecuted on a religious basis and is thus a victim of religious intolerance. Amila has […]

Munasinghe Prasadika Sandamani LLB(Col), Attorney at Law Introduction Sri Lanka suffered enormously from the conflict between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) for more than 30 years resulting in economic, civil, political, social and cultural devastation. During the armed conflict a significant growth of continuous displacement resulted in more than a […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information concerning the ongoing threats and intimidation by villagers of Jejalen Jaya towards Reverend Palti Panjaitan and the congregation of Batak Protestant Church (HKBP) Filadelfia. The congregation has been prohibited to conduct service of worship for years on a piece of land that legally belongs […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is informed that District Magistrate Barwani in Madhya Pradesh state has issued a “show cause” notice to human rights defender Ms. Madhuri Krishnaswami on 10 May 2012 asking her why actions should not be initiated against her under the Madhya Pradesh Rajya Suraksha Adhiniyam, 1990 (Madhya Pradesh State Security, […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding intimidation from the Islamic Defenders Front (Front Pembela Islam, FPI) towards Ahmadiyah in Batam. Short after the religious minority group held its Friday prayer on 27 April 2012, the FPI came to Nagoya building (Ruko Nagoya) where the group members regularly hold its […]

India will be evaluated at the United Nations’ Universal Periodic Review in Geneva, Switzerland today. The three countries (Troika) involved in the review are Kuwait, Mauritius and Mexico. That these countries have worse records of human rights in comparison to the country they would collectively review suggests how firmly, and perhaps blindly, such processes are […]

(Hong Kong/Geneva/Jakarta 23 Mei 2012) Hari ini, rekam jejak penegakan hak asasi manusia (HAM) Indonesia dievaluasi oleh Dewan HAM PBB dalam sesi ke-13 Universal Periodic Review di Jenewa, Swiss. Beberapa isu kunci seperti perlindungan atas kebebasan beragama dan situasi hak asasi manusia di Papua diangkat oleh banyak negara-negara anggota PBB yang berpartisipasi di dalam sesi […]

(Hong Kong/Geneva/Jakarta 23 May 2012) Today, the Indonesia’s human rights record was reviewed by the UN Human Rights Council in the 13th session of the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva, Switzerland. Key issues, such as the protection of freedom of religion or the human rights situation in Papua, were raised by many UN Member States […]

An Open Letter from the Asian Human Rights Commission to Dr. Hj. Neneng Hasanah Yasin, the Regent of Bekasi Dr. Hj. Neneng Hasanah Yasin Regent of Bekasi Komp. Perkantoran Pemerintah Bekasi Desa Sukamahi, Kec. Cikarang Pusat INDONESIA Tel: +62 21 8997 0128, 8997 0129 Fax: +62 21 8997 0064 Email: diskominfo@bekasikab.go.id Dear Dr. Yasin, INDONESIA: […]

The observations made by the Supreme Court of India in a case concerning disciplinary action against a former Major of the Indian Army contradict the Court’s own profile. Dismissing the appeal filed by the Major, who had filed the appeal aggrieved by the Army’s action against him, the court held that discipline is paramount in […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AHRC-STM-104-2012 May 17, 2012 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission INDIA: Institutional peril and murderous politics The assassination of Mr. T. P. Chandrashekharan in Kerala on 4 May is another example of the murderous nature of politics in India. The police investigation has revealed that hired assassins executed the murder. […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from MASUM concerning another case of Border Security Forces (BSF) brutality in West Bengal, India. 60-year-old Ms Rupjan Bewa from the Murshidabad district endured physical assault and injury, outrage to her modesty and verbal abuse from BSF jawans on 21 February 2012 at approximately […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the attack directed by an Islamic fundamentalist group, Islam Defenders Front (Front Pembela Islam, FPI) towards an Ahmadiyah mosque in Singaparna, Tasikmalaya, West Java. The attack took place on Friday, 20 April 2012. The police was present at the time of the attack […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission has had discussions with the leaders of the Ahmadis, a religious minority community of Islam, at Lahore, Punjab province. During these discussions it was found that they are denied access to practice their religion at local mosques and that Quranic scriptures engraved or painted on the walls of their own […]