Institutional reform

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) joins the world in grieving the deaths and loss of property in Nepal after the massive earthquake that has hit Nepal today at 11:50 am Nepali time. The 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck 80 km east of Pokhara in Nepal has devastated the country causing human casualties and other damages […]

by Avinash Pandey  Gajendra Singh, a farmer from Rajasthan hung himself from a tree in the middle of a political rally against the Union government’s indifference to the plight of peasants. His suicide, recorded and broadcast live, has brought the horrors that plague the countryside straight into the discomfort of the homes of everyone with […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the administration of the Dehiwala Zoological Gardens, under the newly appointed Director has demolished several access roads built especially for persons with disabilities. They have demolished the main access road for near the main entrance, and access roads to Nos: 1-60 inside the […]

The 2006 amendment to the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, clearly states that truth is a valid defence against contempt of court proceedings in India. This Act, number 6 of 2006 of the Indian Parliament, amends Section 13 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, incorporating Sub-section (b) to Section 13. Sub-section 13 (b) reads: […]

by Basil Fernando A determination issued by the United Nation’s Human Rights Committee on 1st April 2015, reveals extraordinary failures on the part of Sri Lankan State agencies – the police, the forensic pathologist, the Attorney General, and the Supreme Court – regarding a custodial death that took place at the Moragahahena Police Station on 26th July […]

The former Chief Whip of the ruling coalition in Kerala, Mr. P. C. George, has released a letter to the media, which he has sent to the Chief Minister of the State, Mr. Oomen Chandy. In the letter, among other accusations, George alleges that the Finance Minister of the State, Mr. K. M. Mani, had […]

by Basil Fernando  Last week, several news reports revealed the story of an 8-year-old child (reported as a 10-years-old by some media houses) from Ambathenna, Katugastota. The mother made the initial report about her missing child to the Katugastota police. Initially, the police ignored the complaint and did nothing to begin searching for the child. […]

An article from the The Sunday Times, written by Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission by Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena Even close to one and a half decades later, it is heartening to see the virulent politicization of the Sri Lankan Supreme Court from the year 2000 amidst the bypassing of honourable judges of […]

The Prime Minster of India, Mr. Narendra Modi, invited the top judges of the country and the Chief Ministers of the states to his official residence for a dinner. The judges accepted the invitation and dined with the Prime Minister. This is the first time in Indian history that a Prime Minister has resorted to […]

In this week’s Roundup, AHRC TV reveals bizarre behaviour of members of legislative assemblies in some states in India. We then provide expert views, on the upcoming World Health Day, from Right Livelihood Award Laureates Vandana Shiva and international non-profit organisation GRAIN, talking about how they view the “false miracles” of Golden Rice. Next, AHRC TV […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information of an 8-year-old boy who was recently kidnapped, sold, and by chance rescued. However, by willfully neglecting their responsibilities, the court, the police, and the Probation Department have returned the boy to the very same vulnerable environment that saw the boy being kidnapped and […]

A statement made in court by the driver of a movie actor has again exposed the abundant opportunities for exploitation of the criminal justice process in India; defending his employer, the driver has stated it was the driver, not the actor, behind the wheel when the vehicle sped out of control, killing a person sleeping […]

An article from the Kathmandu Post, written by Kanak Mani Dixit forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission The Teaching Hospital at Maharajganj is presently dealing with two fasts-unto-death, one, which has already seen its tragic and terrifying finale and another that is ongoing. Nanda Prasad Adhikari died 187 days ago while on a second-time […]

Discrimination based on caste practices, including untouchability, is a deep and unhealed wound in India’s collective conscience. Caste-based prejudices adversely affect an estimated 160 million Indians. Despite a constitutional injunction and legislations that seeks to prohibit caste-based discrimination, the practice continues in India. Most tribal communities in the country also face discrimination that has its […]

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) was launched with much fanfare and was touted at the vehicle to drive India’s poor out of financial untouchability; it remains one of the pet projects of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A country dealing with the double whammy of a nightmarish accident toll and a virtually non-existent public […]

In this week’s special episode, AHRC TV brings you excerpts from a lively panel discussion between four Right Livelihood Award Laureates during a regional conference held in Mumbai last week. The panel of Laureates comprised of Afghan doctor and human rights defender Sima Samar, Indian social activist Medha Patkar, Dalit rights activist Ruth Manorama, and Asian […]

Amila Sampath, founder of the Human Rights Asia Weekly Roundup presenting its’ 64 episode ( AHRC Photo) This week’s episode of Weekly Roundup covers recent event involving human rights groups in Asia. The show begins with an announcement about the Asian Human Rights Commission. The AHRC is moving to a new office in Hong Kong. In Mumbai, India, the […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) strongly condemns the arrest of reputed human rights defenders and advocates Thushar Nirmal Sarathy and Jaison C. Cooper under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in Kerala. They, like many others in the state, have been labeled “Maoist sympathizer” and are in jail since 30 January 2015. Jaison, […]

An article from Kathmandu Post forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission The government has finally formed a Commission on Enforced Disappearances (CED) and a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), as committed to in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2006. On February 9, a Recommendation Committee recommended names for the respective commissions with political consensus, […]

“The idea that after the fall of the USSR we would have this liberal democracy spreading around the world was of course naive but, in many cases, these are issues of power. We have a Western elite that isn’t really interested in democracy unless its friends win. Otherwise, they are happier with a dictator whom […]