Judicial system

I refer to the complaint made by Dr. Lenin Raghuvansi [please refer to your case number 5840/24/97-98] of a well planned assassination attempt on his life. The attempt was on 18.02.1998. He has given detailed information that his house was surrounded by police officers from Ramnagar police station in an attempt to assassinate him the […]

Why is it that judges in Pakistan seem completely unable to apply the fundamental legal principle of habeas corpus and order police or military officers to produce detained or arrested persons in court? In the latest hearing on persons alleged to have disappeared after being detained by state officers, the Sindh High Court on January […]

On January 16 the government gazette of Bangladesh announced that the interim president, Professor Iazuddin Ahmed, signed into law the separation of the country’s subordinate judiciary from the executive. This extremely important action was taken, after many years of delays, in accordance with an order from the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court six days […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Surendra Thapa was severely beaten up by senior police officers of the District Police Office (DPO), Surkhet district in Nepal on 15 October 2007. After he disclosed this incident to the public, he has faced constant threats of dismissal from his job. […]

[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 […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that legal action has been taken against 12 lawyers practicing in the Supreme Court, including three top lawyers who are former or current heads of the Supreme Court Bar Association and the Bangladesh Bar Council, relating to the violent incident at the Supreme Court […]

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 […]

[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 attached below […]

During year 2006 there has been no relief in Human rights violations.  On the contrary, as in previous years cases such as torture, disappearances and violence against women has increased. The government lacks the capacity to carry out its obligations under international norms. Pakistan is remains in the severe grip of military control it has […]

In addition to the general statement issued by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) for International Human Rights Day on December 10, we are also making the brief comments below on the human rights situation in several Asian countries. A more comprehensive report will be available soon. Sri Lanka The most violent place in Asia […]

Discontent over malfunctioning democracies and legal systems and the consequent setbacks these shortcomings cause for human rights and the rule of law, as well as aggressively expressed aspirations to resolve such problems, are marked features that define the year 2006 in many Asian countries. Specifically, Asia’s people feel discontent over the authoritarianism of democratically elected […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (Kontras) regarding the recent developments in the yet unsolved case of the disappearances of 14 students and activists over the period of 1998 and 1999 across several undisclosed locations in Indonesia: the “handiwork” of […]

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 AS-275-2006 November 06, 2006   A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission   INDONESIA: Refusal to cooperate with United Nations human rights mechanisms in investigation of Munir’s death     The wife of celebrated human rights defender Munir Said Thalib, who was poisoned and died on September 7, 2004 under highly […]

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 […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission has already underlined the failures of justice in the conviction of two men accused of the January 2004 murder of Chea Vichea, a famous Cambodian labour union leader. In August 2005 Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun were sentenced by the Phnom Penh court to 20 years in prison for […]

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 […]