Impunity

Dear friends, Mr. Selambaran Wanaraja, a resident at the Hunnasgiriya Estate where he is employed obtained permission to collect fallen branches to use as firewood by the established means of applying in writing to the administration office of the Hunnasgiriya Estate. As he was collecting the firewood in the company of his friends he was […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. A.H Ranjith was falsely accused by some neighbours of stealing a quantity of gold, arrested without warrant, illegally detained and brutally tortured by the Acting OIC of the Weligama Police Station. Complaints made to the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission, the Inspector […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received disturbing information regarding 193 children starving to death in Thar district of Pakistan. The authorities have conceded half of the number while trying to attribute them to different diseases but independent sources have conclusive evidence that they are all caused by extreme poverty, chronic shortage […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information from the Forum for Protection of People’s Rights, Nepal (PPR Nepal), that the Nepal police officers stationed at the Hanumandhoka Metropolitan Police Range (MPR) resumed their torturous call to the Thakur family living in Kathmandu. The family had allegedly been under investigation for […]

Dear friends, Sunil Samaradeera of No: 34/2, Baseline Mawatha, Borella, a human rights activist based in Wanathamulla, in Colombo District was abducted in broad daylight by persons believed to be connected to the Secretary of Defense. On 13 of February Sunil had met with the Secretary, Mr. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, regarding issues concerning a housing scheme […]

International Women’s Day 2014  A pact with the Taliban will destroy what little freedoms remain for women The shadow of darkness shrouds Pakistan. In a country that already has a repressive attitude towards women; the possibility of upholding women’s rights shrinks further. In an environment in which a woman’s worth is considered to be only […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from civil society organizations based in Manipur, India, regarding the custodial death of Mr. Thoudam Digbijoy. Mr. Digbijoy was illegally detained in Wangoi police station, Wangoi Makha Leikai, Imphal West district, Manipur. On 26 February 2014 he was found dead, supposedly by suicide. This […]

(Hong Kong, March 6, 2014) Academics of the Australian National University on Thursday submitted a letter to the diplomatic mission of Thailand in Canberra marking the tenth anniversary of the enforced disappearance of Thai human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit. File photograph of Thai human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit The 23 scholars said they lamented that nobody […]

By Avinash Pandey At 218 in 2013 and 237 in 2012, one would expect a national outrage on the unusually high number of body bags returning to India from Qatar. One would think especially so, for the fact that these body bags belonged to Indian citizens. It must have incensed even the apologists of neoliberal […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the case of brutal attack by the local police of a lawyer, practicing at Thrissur courts. It is reported that the incident happened when the victim in the case, Ms. R. K. Asha, went to help her client and friend Ms. Neethu. The Sub-Inspector […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that officers of the law enforcement agencies abducted a young activist who was tortured to death in illegal detention. After the incident officers of these agencies threw the tortured and bullet riddled death body near the Bharia Road City Railway Station of District Naushero […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about the allegedly illegal and unjust dismissal of more than 100 production workers in the Mamplasan, Binan, Laguna Plant. The information from Defend Job Philippines and Nagkakaisang Manggagawa sa Print Town (United Workers in Print Town) also documents the pitiable livening and working conditions […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the killing of an urban poor leader after he attended a meeting on housing for informal settlers on 15 February, 2014 in Malabon City, Metro Manila. He died after being shot repeatedly in a crowded public market. CASE NARRATIVE: (Based on the documentation by […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights commission has received information that the participants of the Baloch Long March are being continuously threatened in the province of Punjab, which is the province of the Prime Minister of Pakistan. The marchers were stopped by a heavy contingent of police and for some time they were not allowed […]

(Hong Kong, February 6, 2014) On January 14, the Court of Appeals (CA), Fifth Division, has concluded that Rolly Panesa, a 48-year-old security guard, could not possibly be Benjamin Mendoza, a leader of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), rejecting the claim of the police and soldiers as justification for his arrest. In its press release, […]

Widespread prevalence of hunger in India is no secret. Neither is complete inaction in making efforts to eradicate hunger recognised as a national shame by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and as the biggest humiliation by President Pranab Mukherjee. Had there been a resolute effort, it would have shown in arresting hunger that is continuing […]

The AHRC releases today the 16th Episode, of the Human Rights Asia Weekly Roundup.  In this week’s programme we bring you the following stories from across Asia; In the news from Kerala, India, fundamental questions are raised about the police participating in a traditional religious procession. The AHRC speaks to activists in Thrissur, Kerala, to explain […]

In an exclusive interview with Nilantha Ilangamuwa, the editor of Torture – Asian and Global Perspectives, Ms. Fatou Bensouda, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), said, “We apply the law without distinction, fear or favour. We follow the mandate that has been given to us under the Rome Statute. Regrettably, often the lack of full […]

නිදහස් දින පණිවුඩය සිය නිදහසේ සිට වසර 66 ක් ආපස්සට සිතන රටක් වශයෙන්, ශ‍්‍රී ලංකාව නිදහසේ කිසිදු අභිලාෂයක් ළඟා කර ගැනීමට අසමත් වූ ජාතියක් ලෙසට එක`ගතාවයක් තිබේ. මෙහිදී කාටත් පෙනී යන බිහිසුණු දෙය වන්නේ රටේ සිදුවන ඉතා විශාල සංඛ්‍යාවක් වූ අපරාධයන් ය. එහි ප‍්‍රතිඵලයක් ලෙසට ජනතාව ජීවත් වන්නේ භීතියෙනි. රාජ්‍යය විසින් තමන් ව ආරක්ෂා කරතියි […]

Dear friends,  We wish to share with you the following statement from United Against Torture – Philippines. Asian Human Rights Commission  Hong Kong ————- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AHRC-FST-011-2014 February 4, 2014 A Statement from United Against Torture (UATC) – Philippines forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission PHILIPPINES: “Wheel of torture” symbolizes culture of torture […]