Judicial system

A Statement from Pakistan Peace Coalition forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission On 20th August, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the next phase in the construction of two large Chinese supplied nuclear power plants next to Karachi. This project is moving forward with reckless disregard for the safety and well-being of the 20 million […]

An editorial from the Kathmandu Post forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission The killing of the gangster Kumar Shrestha ‘Ghainte’ by the police has aroused a great many passions. Nepali Congress (NC) leaders, to whom Ghainte was close, reject the official version of the event as provided by the police, according to which police […]

(Note: this article was first published in the August 16, 2015 issue of the Sunday Examiner) Temogen (Cocoy) Tulawie, a rights advocate from Sulu, walked out of prison on July 20 after a court in Manila acquitted him of charges of murder and possessing explosives. His acquittal ended nearly four years of imprisonment. But the remaining […]

Could it be that the relentless endeavour of civil society, NGOs, and human rights defenders has finally begun to bear fruit? On, 20 August 2015, the Supreme Court has directed the federal and provincial governments to submit recommendations on police reforms. Reports in The News International and The Frontier Post on August 20, have quoted Supreme Court Chief Justice […]

This week’s Roundup begins in Sri Lanka where the most peaceful elections since independence have thwarted former President Rajapaksa’s attempts to return to power. Hopes are now strong for a fundamental shift in the country towards a stable and solid democracy and rule of law. AHRC TV speaks with AHRC’s Basil Fernando, Janasansadaya’s Chitral Perera, […]

A Press Release from British Pakistani Christian Association forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) Image of Gujrat Hate spilled onto the streets after a large evangelical conference was organised in the city of Gujrat for August 15th. The conference had been organised by Pastor Aftab Gill, son of Pastor Fazal Gill (RIP). The […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) condemns the continuing police violence in Nepal, which has escalated in recent weeks, following the proposed demarcation of Nepal into 6 states. Many ethnic and other groups have taken to the streets against the proposed demarcation. Due to constant strikes, people’s lives and livelihoods have been thrown into chaos. […]

An article from the Kathmandu Post forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission The Far-West, the Karnali region and the Madhes have begun to burn again, and the conflagration seems to be spreading all over the country. The leaders of the ruling coalition and their opinion makers blame the marginalized – especially the Madhesi leaders […]

The double defeat suffered by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the Presidential Election of 8 January 2015 and in the Parliamentary Elections concluded on August 17, hopefully, marks the end of a long period (1978 to 2015) of onslaught on democracy and the rule of law. All eyes will turn to see how the new […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), along with the Terai Human Rights Defenders (THRD) Alliance, condemns the use of excessive force by the police in the Bhardah area of Saptari District. Today, in Bhardah, the police fired 100 rounds, in addition to tear gas shelling. The shootings have resulted in the death of Rajiv Raut, […]

A Press Release from the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and World Organisation Against Torture (Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture;OMCT) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) PRESS RELEASE – THE OBSERVATORY BANGLADESH: Judicial harassment against free speech defenders continues Paris-Geneva, August 14, 2015 – The three-year prison sentence handed down to Mr. Mahmudur Rahman yesterday morning by […]

A Press Release from Christian Solidarity Worldwide forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) For Immediate Release 20 July 2015-United Nations human rights experts, the European Union, UK, US and other voices from the international community have expressed their concern regarding the detention of over 200 lawyers and activists in China since 10 July. […]

A three-member team of Women In Struggle for Empowerment (WISE) visited the town of Hussain Khan Wala, Kasur district on 11 August 2015 to gather facts and assess the situation on ground regarding the child sex abuse scandal that has recently surfaced. The team, headed by Bushra Khaliq, the Focal person of Anti-Torture Alliance Pakistan, […]

This week’s Roundup reports on the encouraging re-opening of a three-year-old crime investigation relating to the death of Sri Lankan rugby player Wasim Thajudeen. While it was initially determined to be an accidental death, allegations of it being a murder committed by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s son have long circulated. The body has now been […]

An editorial from The Statesman forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission The road to a new Constitution in democratic Nepal has been paved with good intentions, but the ride may yet be bumpy. This week’s curtain raiser doesn’t readily inspire optimism, if Monday’s firing at Surkhet is any indication. The political consensus to divide […]

By Javeria Younes August 11 is a historic day that marks the celebration of Minorities’ Day in Pakistan. It was on this date that the father of the nation, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, in a speech at the first Legislative Assembly of the country on 11 August 1947, i.e. three days before the official announcement of […]

Urikhimbam Jenison The Manipur state government has closed down all educational institutions in the state in an attempt to curb the ongoing movement for the implementation of the Inner Line Permit System (ILPS) in Manipur. It has been a month since this decision was taken. In other words, students have been kept out of their […]

With the exhumation of Wasim Thajudeen’s body, and the start of the reinvestigation into the case a large body of information has been placed before the public by various sources. Therefore, it would be quite natural for the people to want to have truthful answers to many of the questions have been raised through such […]

An article written by Kishali Pinto Jayawardene and published in The Sunday Times forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Deaths of innocents in Sri Lanka have had a long and terrible history. No political party can wash its hands of this blood despite the hypocritical outrage often professed in public. Such fire breathing rhetoric […]

A Press Release from Religions for Peace, PNND, & Mayors for Peace forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) Hiroshima, August 6, 2015 ‘Religious leaders, mayors and parliamentarians share the common good of a nuclear-weapon-free world’ announced leaders of Religions for Peace, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (PNND) and Mayors for Peace at […]