Impunity

The AHRC announces the publication of “Not even a person, not even a word”, a sociological exploration of disappearances in Sri Lanka by Jane Laura Thomson-Senanayake. This clear and compelling study meticulously documents three decades of history (1971-2002) as it relates to the terrible realities and consequences of disappearances in the island nation. The book, […]

(Hong Kong, June 3, 2014) The Asian Human Rights Commission on Tuesday launched a new webpage in response to the military coup in Thailand of May 22. The webpage contains links to the Hong Kong-based regional human rights organisation’s commentary and appeals concerning the coup, in English and Thai, as well documents related to the […]

An Open Letter from the Asian Human Rights Commission to six Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers Special Rapporteur on Torture Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Peaceful […]

The following article was published as the editorial of the latest issue of Torture: Asian and Global Perspectives by Nilantha Ilangamuwa Sri Lanka is once again on the edge of a political crucible in terms of its international relations as well as in its domestic politics. The country is ignoring calls for an independent and credible investigation […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes to express grave concern about the filing of charges against Apichat Pongsawat under Martial Law, the Criminal Code, the 2007 Computer Crimes Act (CCA), and the orders of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), the military junta that carried out a coup in Thailand on 22 May […]

At approximately 9 pm on 1 June 2014, the National Council on Peace and Order Maintenance Council (NPCO) issued Orders No. 42-44/2014 broadcast on the radio and television demanding that 38 persons report themselves to the Jamjuree Room at the Army Club on Thewet Road between 10 am and noon on 1 June 2014. Similar […]

On 27 May 2014 the state media in Burma (Myanmar) published the latest in a series of anti-democratic laws for the national legislature to consider: the Law Relating to Religious Conversion (Draft). Like other anti-democratic draft laws brought through the legislature since the country’s shift from overt to covert military rule, this new draft law […]

SRI LANKA: An open letter to the President of the Bar Association on professional negligence of some magistrates Upul Jayasuriya President Sri Lanka Bar Association (BASL) No. 153 Mihindu Mawatha Colombo 12 Sri Lanka Fax (+94) 11 244 80 90 Dear Mr. Upul Jayasuriya, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has closely monitored the situation of […]

The Rajasthan board of secondary education has recently announced its intent to include a chapter on the life and achievements of Mr. Narendra Modi, the Prime Ministerial candidate of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in its school textbooks. Following this, the Madhya Pradesh state government has announced the same. The announcements have no shock value […]

The world is once again shocked by the news of the stoning to death of a 25-year-old pregnant woman, Farzana Parveen Iqbal, in Pakistan. The stoning took place before the Lahore High Court where she had attended due to a summons. The stoning was carried out by 20 members of her own family including her […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward to you the following open letter from Irom Sharmila Chanu. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ——- AHRC-FOL-005-2014 May 29, 2014 An Open Letter from Irom Sharmila Chanu forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji,  South Block, […]

Since the May 22, 2014 coup, the ruling military junta of the National Peace and Order Maintenance Council (NPOMC) has begun a process of mass arrests of those who oppose them. This has included the arrest of peaceful demonstrators in Bangkok on May 23, 2014 (AHRC-STM-099-2014) and in Chiang Mai and Bangkok on May 24, […]

At approximately 10 am on May 24, 2014, the National Peace and Order Maintenance Council (NPOMC, formerly NOMC) issued Order No. 5/2014 broadcast on the radio and television demanding that 35 persons report themselves to the Army auditorium at Thewet Road by 4 pm on May 24, 2014. At 9 pm on May, the NPOMC […]

At 3am on May 20, 2014, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army, announced that martial law was immediately in force. After two days of uncertainty, in which martial law co-existed with the constitution and the caretaker government remained nominally in power, General Prayuth led a coup at approximately 5 pm on […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding a young man of the age of 17 who was illegally arrested by officers from the Kandaketiya police and severely tortured along with his brother and another family member. Despite appeals by his parents and lawyers the Magistrate who heard the case presented […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Civil Society Women’s Organization (CSWO), an anti-corruption and women’s rights organization based in Shillong, Meghalaya regarding the custodial death of an 18-year-old youth Mr. Balsan S. Marak. Balsan was arrested under dubious circumstances on charges of kidnapping and torture of women on 13 […]

At 3am on 20 May 2014, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army, announced that martial law was immediately in force. After over six months of increasing political contention during which the military remained largely silent, they have spoken through this action. Whether or not this constitutes, or will lead to, a […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a 65-year-old Ahmadi was shot dead in a police lockup. The victim was arrested on charges of Blasphemy without legal process. He remained in the police lock up for three days without being produced in a court of law. On May 16, the […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Women in Governance (WinG-Assam), a network of women human rights defenders in Assam, about the custodial torture of a youth, Mr. Siddharth Kaushik Dutta in Jorhat Sadar police station, Jorhat, Assam. According to the information received, Mr. Rishikesh Hazarika, Officer in Charge (OC) […]

Mr. Dammika Nisantha – Photo Courtesy of the BBC A man was bitten four times by a venomous cobra after being forced into a barrel with the snake by a criminal gang operating a baby elephant stealing racket in Sri Lanka This story was reported in several news channels. The victim, Dammika Nisantha, a resident […]