Judicial system

[NOTICE: To facilitate your intervention of the urgent appeals issued by the AHRC, we have developed a new automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of all the Indian authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to those people. Fax numbers and […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that on 2 May 2007 at around 5:30 pm, a local journalist named Chim Chenda, who works for Kampuchea Thmei (New Cambodia), a news paper company based in Battambang and Banteay Meanchey provinces, allegedly received a death threat in a local restaurant K.O in […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from its local partner the PVCHR, a human rights organisation based in Uttar Pradesh state, regarding the horrible living conditions of more than 100,000 Muslim weavers in Varanasi city of Uttar Pradesh. It is alleged that the district administration and Varanasi Municipal Corporation have […]

APRIL 27, 2007: (Update to LRWC statement of March 19, 2007) LRWC deplores President Musharraf’s March 9, 2007 suspension of Iftikar Mohamed Chaudhry from his office as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.  LRWC re-iterates our earlier statement that the suspension constitutes an unacceptable attack on the independence of the Pakistan judiciary. LRWC […]

Thank you for your reply of 30 March 2007 to the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) concerning the case of Somphon Dechanuphap and three others. As we informed you, the case has been going on in a court of first instance in Bangkok for 14 years and has so far been heard by a total […]

As the campaign period is ongoing and elections will be held on May 14 there is also an increasingly alarming trend of election-related violence. Targeted killings and ambushes of sectoral and local candidates, either a result of fierce political rivalry or threats, had since been taking place–a cycle of violence that has become a subconsciously […]

The government of Punjab province, no doubt through the instructions of the government of the military regime of General Musharaff, is using some flimsy excuses to thwart the traveling arrangements of the Chief Justice Mr. Iftikhar Chaudhry.  Mr. Chaudry is planning to travel by road from Rawalpindi to Lahore city, a distance of 260 kilometers, […]

A legal professional is not above the law. A solicitor in Hong Kong was sentenced to imprisonment recently. It was alleged that the solicitor’s client who had lodged a complaint about a stockbroker had been persuaded by the solicitor to withdraw the charges as the solicitor was allegedly involved with the stockbroker. A rather similar […]

In the midst of the judicial crisis the government has opened yet another front in the hopes of exercising damage control in an attack on a television station that has been airing open discussions on the latest developments with regard to the political situation and also the judicial crisis. For the past several weeks the […]

On March 3 2007 Prime Minister Hun Sen received from his party, the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), full power to eradicate the land grabbing that has been plaguing the country for many years. With this full support, Hun Sen set out to wage “a war against land grabbers” whom he has identified as “CPP officials” […]

A radical mosque and its affiliated seminaries have greatly increased their influence in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan after the mass protests throughout the country against President Musharraf’s action against the chief justice, Justice Iftekhar Choudry. The male and female students and leaders of Lal mosque and its affiliated seminaries, Hafsa and Fridia, are […]

The Sri Lankan government’s propaganda war regarding Amnesty International’s campaign based on an innocent slogan in which they call on all Sri Lankans to ‘play by the rules’ is reminiscent of Don Quixote tilting at the windmills. At the first sight it may appear ridiculous for anyone to oppose a call . This is, after […]

[NOTICE: To facilitate your intervention of the urgent appeals issued by the AHRC, we have developed a new automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of all the Indonesian authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to those people. […]

[NOTICE: To facilitate your intervention of the urgent appeals issued by the AHRC, we have developed a new automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of all the Indian authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to those people. Fax numbers and […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from its local partner Neervazhi based in Thrissur, Kerala state that an under trial prisoner was tortured to death while in remand custody. The AHRC is informed that the victim Mr. Shaji complained to the magistrate that he was subjected to torture in custody. […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed that the governmental authorities have started investigations regarding the case of the alleged torture of three men by the Army in Paikgachha, Khulna district, in which one person died (for further details please see: UA-029-2007). In the updated information, we have learned that an Assistant […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information that the government authorities have started an investigation into the case of two torture victims, Mr. Muzibur Rahman and Mr. Waheduzzaman, who were arbitrarily arrested, detained and tortured by the army in Khulna district (For original urgent appeals, see: UP-019-2007; UP-015-2007; UP-011-2007; UA-367-2006; UP-232-2006). Over a two day […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from local human rights organisation KONTRAS about the alleged violent disturbance at a conference organized by the National Liberation Unity Party (PAPERNAS), by a group called the Indonesian Anti-Communist Front/Front Anti Koumnis (FAKI) at Batu in East Java on 4 March 2007.  The incident […]

Any intelligent talk about corruption and malpractice in a justice system must start by recognising that it is by definition systemic. The way that judges, prosecutors and police work depends largely upon how they are organised and administered. While there may be individuals among judges, prosecutors and police who abuse their powers more than others, […]

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. […]