Impunity

SRI LANKA: The Officer-In-Charge and police officers of Chilaw Police Station trespassed and stole from an innocent family and are pressuring the family against pressing charges

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that two police officers, one of whom was an Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Chilaw Police Station, broke into the home of an innocent family and stole a mobile phone, gold necklace, three-wheeler and Rs. 15,000. The owner of the house, Mr. Sebastian, filed a […]

SRI LANKA: A 14-years-old student is tortured by a Buddhist monk for refusing to learn Buddhism

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 […]

SRI LANKA: Victims of rape continuously denied justice now live in fear

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Ms. Sumanthika (31) and Prasanthi (19) of Ukuwela, Matale are sisters and lived with their parents at Matale (their names have been changed for security reasons). The two girls studied at a prestigious national school in Matale. Sumanthika was kidnapped and raped by […]

PAKISTAN: A police officer kills his subordinate constable in a fake police encounter to settle a personal dispute

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a station house officer killed a police head constable and declared it as a police encounter by injuring himself. The police have refused to file a case on behalf of the victim’s family and instead filed a first information report (FIR) for the […]

INDIA: Tortured by BSF along Indo-Bangladesh border

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information concerning the corruption of a driver of ‘G’ Branch of ‘E’ Company of 152 Battalion of the BSF who had been bribed to permit smuggling and who, when in danger of being exposed, turned on the victim, Mr Abdul Karim Molla, and brutally […]

INDIA: Sexual perversion a manifestation of graver structural failures

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information concerning the illegal arrest, detention and custodial violence against three men in Murshidabad, West Bengal by police personnel of Salar Police Station. The victims are leaders of a local branch of the Indian National Congress party. While in the custody, the three victims were […]

SRI LANKA: Victim of a sexual harassment continuously harassed by the Dikwella Police and denied justice

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Miss S.H. Thushari Dilrukshi of Dikwella in the Matara District was illegally arrested by police officers attached to the Dikwella Police Station. She had earlier made a complaint of sexual harassment by a youth who also attacked and injured her father. Rather than […]

INDIA: Robbed of sleep and freedom: illegal arrest, detention and fabrication of charges in West Bengal

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from MASUM concerning the illegal arrest, detention and torture of Mr Jalil Sardar and Mr Ramjan Tarafdar by personnel from Swarupnagar Police Station, Baduria Police Station and Kaijuri BSF Camp. Unlawful arrest and detention, torture, religious discrimination, fabrication of charges and a culture of […]

SRI LANKA: An innocent man has been detained more than six months without being produced before any court or charged

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Jesuthasan Tennisan Leon (27) has been detained in Boossa Detention Camp for more than six months without being produced before any court by the state authorities. Leon was abducted by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2001, a period when […]

CAMBODIA: The culture of impunity and violence must stop

A Joint Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission Phnom Penh, 30th May 2012– We, Cambodian and International civil society organizations represented in this statement, condemn the use of armed force and escalating violence against citizens peacefully defending their land, labor and natural resources rights. We are referring to not only the events earlier last […]

INDIA: Stop harassing human rights organisations and defenders

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following statement from the Right to Food Campaign India. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AHRC-FST-036-2012 May 30, 2012 A Statement from the Right to Food Campaign India, against the continuous harassment and attempts to criminalise the work of Jagrit Adivasi Dalit […]

INDIA: Student tortured in West Bengal to extort confession

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from MASUM concerning another case of police brutality by personnel of Raninagar Police Station, under the captaincy of Sub-Inspector Nilanjan Roy of Raninagar Police Station, against 19-year-old Golam Mujtuba and a few of his friends from Char Majhardiar Village. Such impunity on the part […]

INDIA: Homeland insecurity: fear of civil society in world’s largest democracy

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Jagrit Adivasi Dalit Sangathan (JADS) concerning the service of a “show cause” notice to human rights defender Ms Madhuri Krishnaswami on 10 May 2012 by District Magistrate Barwani in Madya Pradesh state. This “show cause” notice requests Madhuri to justify why she should […]

INDIA: BSF bludgeoned a boy, then shot him

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from MASUM concerning the torture and attempted murder of Sanjit Mondal on 15 April 2011 in yet another case of Border Security Forces (BSF) brutality in West Bengal, India. Torture, extrajudicial killings, religious or caste-based discrimination and a culture of impunity are features of […]

INDIA: Endemic brutality of the BSF

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from MASUM concerning the gruesome murder of 21-year-old Babu Seikh on 22 April 2012 in yet another case of Border Security Forces (BSF) brutality in West Bengal, India. Torture, extrajudicial executions, religious discrimination and a culture of impunity are features of everyday life for Indians […]

PAKISTAN: The Supreme Court must clarify the comments of the Chief Justice on the possible imposition of a State of Emergency

In a surprising move the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Chaudhry has shown his inclination towards the imposition of Emergency Regulations in the province of Balochistan. In the cases of disappearances that have actually been brought before the courts the military has shown complete arrogance towards the higher judiciary. They have blatantly refused to disclose […]

INDIA: An Act to suppress democratic rights

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, […]

INDIA: Senseless police brutality

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from MASUM concerning another case of illegal arrest, detention and police brutality against Mr Golam Kibria from Murshidabad district, West Bengal, India. This is yet another in a seemingly infinite number of cases wherein law enforcement agencies due to ingrained malpractices and callous attitudes have […]

INDIA: Judgments cannot replace good governance

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 […]

INDIA: Rape, red tape and bureaucracy- India’s police fail vulnerable young woman and her family

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) concerning a case of rape of a young woman by and officer-in charge (OC) at Bhadrewswar Police Station in West Bengal’s Hooghly district on 23 April 2012. The victim’s husband had just prior to this […]