Judicial system

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is concerned to know that the home ministers of several state governments in India have decided to protract the implementation of the directives on police reforms issued by the Supreme Court of India in Prakash Singh & Others V Union of India and Others by filing a review petition against the […]

This week Just Asia begins with the ninth ASEAN-UN Summit on Monday, where United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the UN wants to work with ASEAN to strengthen the regional bloc’s human rights body. This comes as several ASEAN countries face human rights related controversies. Particularly troubling is Burma’s violence against the Rohingya Muslim minority, […]

By Avinash Pandey Mr. Chandrashekhar Ravan, the founder of the Bhim Army remains in custody despite the Allahabad High Court granting him bail in all the cases registered against him. Ravan is in custody because of the Government of Uttar Pradesh has registered a case against him under the provisions of the draconian, National Security […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) expresses its deep concern over the inhuman and degrading treatment being meted out to Dalit rights activist Chandrashekhar Ravan by the government of Uttar Pradesh. Last reported, Mr. Ravan, was rushed to the Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College from Saharanpur on Nov 8, 2017 for ‘stomach infection’. Mr. […]

A Statement from The Committee for the Defense of Bhim Army (CDBA) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission The Committee for the Defense of Bhim Army (CDBA) expresses it shock at the act of the Uttar Pradesh government and the Saharanpur district administration in slapping charges under the National Security Act on Bhim Army founder President […]

An article published in the Colombo Page on 8th November 2017, titled “Sri Lanka responds to media report on allegations of torture by government, assures investigations into the claims” forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Nov 08, Colombo: Sri Lanka, today responding to an Associated Press report which alleged that dozens of Tamil men were raped […]

A Letter from article from Mr. Nagananda Kodotuwakku, Attorney-at-Law ( SL) and Solicitor( UK) and public interest Attorney, on 09th November 2017, to the Bar Association of Sri Lanka forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission READ LETTER HERE The Secretary The Bar Association No 153, Mihindu Mawatha Colombo 12 09th Nov 2017 The need to […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received the following information from the Terai Human Rights Defenders’ Alliance (THRDA). On 29 October 2017, a 17-year-old Muslim girl, a resident of the Parsauni Rural Municipality-4, Sakhuwa of the Parsa District, had been gang raped. Mukhtar Ansari, 22, son of Ward Chairperson, Jumadin Ansari, and […]

The weekly Times column, Focus on Rights, titled ‘Tensions unravellingacross the reform road-map’ by Kishali Pinto Jayawardena, in the Sunday Times, Sri Lanka, on 05 November 2017, forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission by Kishali Pinto Jayawardena There appears to be a brisk uptick in the tone of visiting European lawmakers to Sri Lanka this week as compared […]

An article from The Indian Express forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission In India, the shame associated with the naked human body, with exposed skin, makes it easy for police officers to use nudity and sexual abuse as a tool of punishment. This goes back to the theory of punishment our penal system ascribes to – […]

by Raksha Ram Harijan The routine practice of torture in Nepal is nothing new; decades of work by human rights organizations working on torture and impunity can provide solid examples of the Nepal Police and Nepal Army practicing torture during their work. Despite the government’s ratification of the Convention against Torture (CAT) on 14 May […]

This week Just Asia begins with Nepal, where a 14-year-old Dalit girl was raped by a 19-year-old youth. After raping the girl on October 28, the non-Dalit Santosh Shrestha tried to kill her by slashing her with a sickle, and gouging out her left eye. The delay in receiving treatment cost the girl her left […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that the three years Indonesia has been under President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla’s administration, October 2014 – October 2017, there remains two years in the presidential term (2014-2019). Indonesia has ratified several key international human rights instruments such as the International Covenant on Civil […]

This week Just Asia begins with Sri Lanka, where a man was shot dead Monday by the Special Task Force of the police while travelling with his friends in a car. The police later claimed that they only began firing after the vehicle fired on them first, but there is no evidence to support this […]

Three Ahmadis were sentenced to death on blasphemy charges by the Islamabad court of sessions on 12 October 2017, for allegedly tearing down a poster outside their place of worship. Incidentally, the sentence came within hours of a hate speech delivered on the floors of the National Assembly, by the son-in-law of deposed Prime Minister […]

This week Just Asia begins with India, where the Supreme Court ruled that sex with a wife younger than 18 is rape. This is a much needed legal development for child rights, and will help in the fight to end child marriage in the country. Sadly, the fight against marital rape for adult women continues. […]

The table given below sets down 09 extrajudicial killings, 01 attempted killing – 09 of which are at the hands of the police at various police stations and the other, in a prison. These 10 incidents are the ones reported to the Asian Human Rights Commission based in Hong Kong during this year. However, at […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information from our partner organization MASUM in West Bengal regarding the custodial torture of a daily wage labourer from a minority community and the failure of the police to follow due process of law. CASE NARRATIVE: Manirul Sk., a daily wage labourer was a […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the decision issued by the police investigators of South Jakarta Police Office discontinuing the investigation into a brutal attack against Mr. Aldo Felix Januardy, a public lawyer at Jakarta Legal Aid. Since the attack was reported to the police, there has been no […]

This week Just Asia begins with the death of 60 Rohingya in a boat capsize off Bangladesh on September 28, as they were fleeing violence in Burma. A UN spokesman said 23 people were confirmed dead and 40 more were “missing and presumed drowned”. Dozens of Rohingya have already died trying to cross into Bangladesh […]