Judicial system

Javeria Younes The mob justice meted out to 13-year-old Samiul Alam Rajon, who was beaten to death in Bangladesh by an angry mob resolute on teaching the youngster a lesson for stealing a bicycle, is a classic case of mob madness witnessed on our streets every day. Throughout Asia, deteriorating rule of law and ineffective […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding a writer who was charged and prosecuted for allegedly committing a religious offence. He has now been sentenced to two years imprisonment with hard labour. An excerpt of his speech, which excoriates extremists and jingoists, intended for the benefit of Buddhism, spread […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a final student in University, named Toqier Mashori, has been tortured to death in the Central Prison of Hyderabad, Sindh, within three days of his arrest. His family was asked by the police and prison authorities to pay large bribes for Mashori’s relief […]

by Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena On the 9th of January 2015, the people of Sri Lanka astounded themselves and many others in the world. An authoritarian ruling family cabal which had ruthlessly stripped the country’s democratic institutions and systems of their basic integrity and legitimacy, subordinated the highest Court in the land and unforgivably repressed and alienated Sri […]

In a letter dated 10 April 2015, the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission—an innovation of the current period of political change in Myanmar, or Burma—wrote to the Asian Human Rights Commission concerning the death in police custody of Ma Than Than Aye, and alleged torture of her and her husband Ko Nan Win (AHRC-UAC-128-2014). According […]

A Press Release from Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) Lahore, May 21: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) have expressed deep concern that following the 21stamendment, juveniles suspected of committing offences related to terrorism could end up being […]

An Article by Basil Fernando  This is a speech delivered by Basil Fernando at  The Fifth  Human Rights Cities Forum-  As the Keynote address for the Special  Session on Asian Human Rights – Human Rights in Asia and Vision of Human Rights City- 16th May 2015. It is useful, I think, to recall the aims […]

In this week’s Roundup, AHRC TV brings to you critical stories from the region. The programme begins with an update on Nepal, where a second major earthquake has rocked the nation. Renewed rescue efforts, along with relief work, have recommenced, but are inadequate for the needs of the people of the Himalayan nation.  Staying in Nepal, […]

A Press Release from Human Rights Commission of Pakistan forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) Lahore, May 13: The barbaric killing of members of the Ismaili community in a bus attack in Karachi is highly condemnable, but it deserves more than mere words of censure and sympathy from the authorities, the political parties […]

Today, persons hailing from the Ismaili community (a branch of Shia Islam) have been attacked while they were travelling on a passenger bus managed and operated by the community. According to media reports, six unidentified assailants on motorbikes opened fire on the bus from all sides, leaving at least 46 dead and 24 injured. Many […]

On 8 May 2015 the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission issued a short statement (No. 5/2015) to the effect that two soldiers accused of involvement in the killing of freelance journalist Ko Par Gyi on 4 October 2014 have been acquitted of any crime by a summary court martial. The statement explained that the men, […]

by Basil Fernando A young man, then 18 years old, filed a communication on 28th January 2003, about an incident that took place on 18th April 2002. The UNHRC came to a finding on 14th July 2006. The UNHRC found that the Sri Lankan Government has violated the rights of the man by its failure to adjudicate […]

by Avinash Pandey  Gajendra Singh, a farmer from Rajasthan hung himself from a tree in the middle of a political rally against the Union government’s indifference to the plight of peasants. His suicide, recorded and broadcast live, has brought the horrors that plague the countryside straight into the discomfort of the homes of everyone with […]

The 2006 amendment to the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, clearly states that truth is a valid defence against contempt of court proceedings in India. This Act, number 6 of 2006 of the Indian Parliament, amends Section 13 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, incorporating Sub-section (b) to Section 13. Sub-section 13 (b) reads: […]

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan launched its annual report “State of Human Rights in 2014″ Parliament made 10 laws, less than half the previous year’s 22. Nine presidential ordinances were promulgated. Some important laws passed by the parliament were designed to address security concerns, working of the judicial system, and issues related to terrorism, including the controversial […]

by Tapan Bose*  Justice Dattu’s argument that the meeting was being held to save precious working days and meant no disrespect to the sentiments of India’s Christian minority has not gone down well among the Christians who have been facing violence from the forces of Hindutva. All across the country, churches have been attacked, vandalized, […]

The former Chief Whip of the ruling coalition in Kerala, Mr. P. C. George, has released a letter to the media, which he has sent to the Chief Minister of the State, Mr. Oomen Chandy. In the letter, among other accusations, George alleges that the Finance Minister of the State, Mr. K. M. Mani, had […]

බැසිල් ප්‍රනාන්දු විසිනි කටුගස්තොට, අඹතැන්න ප්‍රදේශයේ අට හැවිරිදි දරුවාගේ (ඇතැම් මාධ්‍ය ආයතනවලට අනුව දස හැවිරිදි දරුවෙකි) කතාව පසුගිය සතියේ ප්‍රවෘත්ති වාර්තා කිහිපයකින්ම හෙළිදරව් විය. සිය නැතිවූ දරුවා සම්බන්ධයෙන් දරුවාගේ මව කටුගස්තොට පොලිසියට සිය මූලික පැමිණිල්ල සිදුකළාය. මූලික වශයෙන්, පොලිසිය පැමිණිල්ල නොතකා හැරි අතර දරුවා සෙවීමේ කටයුතු ආරම්භ කිරීම සඳහා කිසිවක් නොකළේය. පොලිසිය මැදිහත් වූයේ කාන්තාවක් […]

More than 60 convicts have been hung in Pakistan since December 2014. This number is now set to rise, with the military playing its role in executing people. The military junta that has surreptitiously imposed itself upon the pillars of the state, has handed down the death penalty to six convicts over charges of terrorism […]

An article from the The Sunday Times, written by Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission by Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena Even close to one and a half decades later, it is heartening to see the virulent politicization of the Sri Lankan Supreme Court from the year 2000 amidst the bypassing of honourable judges of […]