Judicial system

Cutting off electricity, water, and Internet facilities, closing down messes, chasing all the media persons out, and then calling in the Paramilitary to swoopdown on students in the campus sounds like routine work in a dictatorship, not a democracy. Yet, this is exactly what the University of Hyderabad administration, which works under the Union Ministry […]

A Statement from Human Rights Lawyer Association (HRLA) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) by Gen. Chalermchai Sitthisat, Deputy Chief of Staff of the NCPO, acting on behalf of the Chief of Staff, issued a most urgent letter dated 16 March 2016 addressed to the director […]

An article by Basil Fernando published in the Colombo Telegraph on 21st March 2016 and translated by “Good Governance Lanka” forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission An Article by Basil Fernando, translated by Good Governance Lanka.

Avinash Pandey “A mob is the scum that rises upmost when the nation boils.”  John Dryden, English Poet The picture showing two Muslims – one of them a teenaged boy – hanging by a tree in Latehar, Jharkhandis going to haunt the Republic for a long time. Nothing indicts the failure of a criminal justice […]

The bail finally granted to Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya is welcome. Despite the media gaze, it took almost a month for the students, who are accused of sedition on flimsy grounds, to be released. This showcases the nature of Indian Magistracy, and yet the repeated rejection of their bail […]

Just Asia is pleased to announce its new website www.alrc.asia/justasia. All episodes of the news programme can now be viewed there. This week, Burma’s Parliament elected Htin Kyaw as the country’s civilian President after decades of military government. Prevented from becoming president by a constitutional clause, Aung San Suu Kyi has said she will be “above […]

An Article by Camelia Nathaniel, titled ‘A Clear Indictment On Sri Lanka Police”, published in the Sunday Leader of 18March 2016, forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2016/01/24/a-clear-indictment-on-sri-lanka-police/ By Camelia Nathaniel The National Police Commission (NPC) has so far received 752 complaints against the police from October 21, 2015 to date. According to the secretary […]

A Press Release from Cross Cultural Foundation (CrCF) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) On 13 March 2016, the Cho-airong Hospital was laid siege by an unknown group of armed insurgents. It was further reported that more than 20 armed men with war weapons have raided and taken control of the hospital and […]

A Statement from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Over 30 police and military officers have raided and arrested Mr. Sarawut Bamrungkittikhun, admin of the “PeodPraden” (Open Issues) Facebook page from his residence in Suratthani since 9 March 2016. Today, 16 March 2016, the Thai Lawyers for Human […]

Today, on 15 March 2016, student leaders of the All Burma Federation of Student Union announced their decision to boycott the current judicial system. They have initiated a “Failed Law” campaign to raise awareness about their protest. The students protest against the failure of judicial system, as well as the 2010 Union Judiciary law, and […]

The Indian Judiciary is facing a crisis of credibility, which is a challenge from within. These are the words of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur, delivered on March 13 at an event marking the 150th anniversary of the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad. In his speech, the Chief Justice went on to blame this crisis […]

An ominous open tweet threatening to expose “media bosses” would perhaps be the last thing to expect from member of Indian Parliament and media honcho, even if this is someone who is under investigation for “defrauding” publicly owned IDBI bank of INR Rupees 900 Crore. This is all the more surprising given that this corporate […]

The government’s trend of arresting political leaders and cadres at the forefront of recent Madhes protest, in order to weaken the ongoing Madhes movement, continues. Earlier, 11 front-line leaders and cadres were arrested by the government in the Terai, something the Asian Human Rights Commission addressed its statement released on 24 February 2016. Thereafter, last week, two […]

A Press Release from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) Background: Ms. Sirikan Charoensiri is a lawyer from the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights and one of the legal representatives for the 14 activists from the New Democracy Movement (NDM). On the night of 26-27 June 2015, after […]

Burma has experienced its first democratic election in November 2015, and is going to have a newly elected civilian government this April, after half a century under military government. But, despite the historic election having taken place, peaceful protestors have continued to be subject to rights violations. Former political prisoner Nilar Thein of the 88 […]

The government of Maharashtra has finally woken up to the agrarian crisis that has, according to official statistics, already ensnared the lives of 124 farmers in the state in the first 45 days of the year. Awoken, the government has decided to take action. And, the action that the government has decided to take is […]

Domestic violence is rampant throughout the world. In Pakistan, however, female victims of such violence are left without reprieve, as they have to suffer the dogma of being labelled loose women if they decide to stand up to their abusers, who are usually male family members. So Pakistani women have been staying in abusive relationships, […]

This week’s episode of Just Asia begins with the re-arrest of Indian activist Irom Sharmila, two days after being acquitted of attempted suicide charges. On hunger strike for the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act causing widespread abuses in Manipur, Sharmila has been arrested and released several times over the past 15 years. […]

A Press Releasefrom Thai Lawyers for Human Rights forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) 3 March 2016, Ms. Sirikan Charoensiri received a summon warrant to report herself to the inquiry official at the Chana Songkram Police Station in order to be handed over to the special prosecutor in litigious division at the 3rd […]

An oped from the Kathmandu Post forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission On September 15 2015, twelve-year-old Ranjana Singh Kshetri, a resident of Bethari in Rupandehi district, received a bullet in the neck when she stuck her head out of the kitchen to see what was happening outside. On the same day, BinodLakaul, 48, […]