Independence of judges & lawyers

Indonesia signed the International Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment on the 23 October 1985 and ratified it on the 28 October I 998 by the Law No. 5/1998. Since its ratification, there have been numerous calls by the CAT Committee- for instance in its “Concluding Observations: Indonesia” (01/11/2002. […]

[NOTICE: The AHRC have developed a new automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of some of the Cambodian authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to those people. Fax numbers and postal addresses of the Cambodian authorities are […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  AS-215-2006 September 14, 2006 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission CAMBODIA: Law abolishing parliamentary immunity is unconstitutional & unacceptable On August 31 the National Assembly of Cambodia adopted a new law regarding its members. The Law on Members of Parliament is intended, among other things, to regulate parliamentary immunity, including […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you about the prolonged detention of two farmers in Davao Oriental province, the Philippines. Both of them have been detained for almost three years without any progress in their case because the prosecution witnesses failed to appear in court on six occasions. One of […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 3, 2006 AHRC-OL-061-2006 An Open Letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights by the Asian Human Rights Commission Louise Arbour High Commissioner UN High Commission on Human Rights OHCHR-UNOG 8-14 Avenue de la Paix 1211 Geneva 10 SWITZERLAND Fax:  +41 22 917-9006 Dear Ms. Arbour THAILAND: UN role needed […]

In March 2005, the then-army commander in Thailand, General Pravit Wongsuwan, was asked what disciplinary action would be taken against three generals found liable for the death of 84 innocent civilians on 25 October 2004, six outside the Tak Bai District Police Station and 78 in army trucks that transported over one thousand demonstrators and […]

An October 17 article in the Bangkok Post reported that the Ministry of Justice there has to pay hundreds of millions of Thai Baht in compensation to people who have been wrongfully prosecuted for crimes they did not commit. The law providing for compensation, the Compensation for Victims of Crime Act BE 2544 (2001), arises […]

It is now one month since the armed forces of Thailand under General Sonthi Boonyaratglin took power on September 19. Since that time, the coup group and government officials have been creating a fictional version of what they have done, are doing and will do. To mark this occasion, the Asian Human Rights Commission lists […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  AS-255-2006 October 18, 2006 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission THAILAND: Military junta won’t bring justice to south In the days after the September 19 coup in Thailand there was some expectation that bloodshed in the south may lessen. Like a lot of other things, this has not happened. Reports […]

The European Commission has reported of the visit of a mission of high level experts to be sent by the Co- Chairs to review the current situation of human rights in Sri Lanka and to suggest necessary action before the end of October 2006. The Commission further stated that it believes that this could be […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  AS-251-2006 October 13, 2006 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission BANGLADESH: Removing dust is the government’s job The Daily Star newspaper published a report on October 11 citing the outgoing Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs of Bangladesh, Moudud Ahmed, as claiming that “progress” had been made in separating […]

The Daily Prothom Alo newspaper published a report on September 18 that murder charges against three persons have been dropped on the orders of the government of Bangladesh. According to the report, Altab Hossain was shot dead on 27 April 2000 in Badalpara village, Upazilla in Pabna district. Altogether 29 persons were charged in the […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission yesterday (October 9, 2006) wrote to Ms. Louise Arbour, High Commissioner for Human Rights and Ms. Hanna Roberts, Chairperson, International Executive Committee, Amnesty International with regard to the statement made by the head of Sri Lanka’s delegation to the Second Session of the Human Rights Council, about a suggestion made […]

In A Short History of Thailand, David Wyatt describes how after Field Marshal Phibun Songkhram retook power from an elected government in 1948 he set about retaining “the facade of constitutional democracy”. He writes that “Thailand was now receiving economic and military assistance from the United States and favors from international organizations, and Phibun could […]

The tenure of office of Chandra Fernando as the IGP ended last week.  Throughout his tenure the Asian Human Rights Commission has pointed out the failure of leadership on his part to lift up the police service from its legacy of the use of torture as the primary means of criminal investigation, the use of […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  AS-236-2006 October 5, 2006 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission BANGLADESH: What is really needed to maintain law & order The Daily Janakantha newspaper on October 4 quoted the Bangladeshi State Minister for Home Affairs, Lutfuzzaman Babar, as saying that, “This is our country. We shall not withdraw the RAB […]

On September 27 the Bangkok Post newspaper published an article pointing to the likely shape of Thailand’s new draft interim constitution in the wake of the September 19 military coup. The interim constitution is expected to grant amnesty to the coup leaders. It will set up a 250-member legislature with limited powers, and a 2000-member […]

On September 21 the Royal Thai Consulate General in Hong Kong wrote to the Asian Human Rights Commission. In the letter, the consul general said that despite the September 19 military coup “the courts… function as normal, with the exception of the Constitutional Court”. The Constitutional Court has been suspended in the absence of the […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission condemns the military coup in Thailand and calls for immediate restoration of civilian government. At approximately 10pm on September 19 a group of officers headed by army Commander-in-Chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin took power while Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was attending the UN General Assembly in New York. The group, […]

The Philippine National Police have a unique definition of the word “solved”. According to them, once a charge is filed against a suspect with the Office of the Prosecutor it is solved. Suspects not arrested? No matter, it is solved. Investigation flawed? No matter, it is solved. Requests of victim’s family for more inquiries unanswered? […]