Judicial system

NEPAL: Two years on, and the family of a young man who was poisoned to death have been waiting for justice

Statement | Nepal | 22-01-2014

The parents of Shiva Shankar Das (21) who was allegedly poisoned to death are still waiting for justice and compensation after two years. Shiva Shankar had a love affair with a 20-year old woman from a so-called ‘upper caste’ community and was allegedly poisoned by the girl’s relatives on January 30, 2012. The Jagaran Media […]

WORLD: Obama’s Option — Lawlessness or the Rule of Law

As Edward Snowden has continued to slowly release more information about the widespread intelligence gathering techniques of the National Security Agency (NSA), there have been more calls for him to be granted an amnesty and further calls for placing limits on intelligence gathering by the NSA and other intelligence agencies. Der Spiegel has reported that […]

INDIA: Country suffers further indignity from ineffective policing

Statement | India | 20-01-2014

The rape of a foreigner in the national capital, New Delhi, has placed India in disrepute, internationally. This incident comes just a year after a similar one shook the nation. The rape of a physiotherapy student had resulted in a nation-wide mass protest, provoked by the state’s incapacity to make the capital a safe place […]

PAKISTAN: The taliban are on the attack as the government continues to formulate its security policy to combat terrorism

A media house issuing adverse reports on the Taliban is attacked and three employees were killed The Pakistani Taliban, a brutal and bloody organisation, has accelerated its attacks in different parts of the country. During the last four days from January 15, a total of 52 people have been killed in suicide attacks and targeted […]

NEPAL: The government should address demands put forth by Dr. Govinda KC and save his life

Dr. Govinda KC has been on an indefinite hunger strike at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital for 10 consecutive days after putting forth seven demands including the resignation of Dr. Sharma and reinstatement of Dr. Prakash Sayami. The latter resigned claiming that he could not work due to political interference and another of Dr. Govinda’s […]

ASIA: A new publication – : “The Law, Patriarchy and Religious Fundamentalism: Women’s Rights in Pakistan”

The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) and its sister organisation the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) are pleased to announce the online edition of a new publication: “The Law, Patriarchy and Religious Fundamentalism: Women’s Rights in Pakistan”. The publication counts a total of 254 pages which include the research conducted on the topic, a selection […]

SOUTH KOREA: Legal actions against workers of Korean overseas factories must stop

The Military Special Command Unit 911 in Cambodia firing live ammunition at garment factory workers asking for the increase of the minimum wage has been internationally condemned. The firing led to the deaths of four persons and injuries to at least 39 more. Nonetheless, on a subsequent day, the military arrested 23 people, including human […]

INDIA: Women attacked with acid, police buying time for investigation

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Women in Governance ( WinG-Assam), a network of women activists in Assam, India, regarding the acid attack on two young girls aged 18 and 12 years on 6 November 2013 at around 10-30 P.M. at Kamar Gaon village under Siphajhar police station of […]

PAKISTAN: While illegal and gender-biased verdicts are passed by a Jirga with the assent of the State, women make amends

Whether fully or partially responsible for a crime, whether involved or not in an offence, women in Pakistan frequently come off worst when it comes to punishment. Gender-biased practises and discriminatory attitudes have become social norms which have even gained the status of religious dictates. Islam, in its original doctrine and essence, promotes equal recognition […]

CAMBODIA: Stop the Violence: A Call for Release, Investigation and Reparation

We, the Cambodian and International Civil Society Organizations represented in this statement, condemn the use of armed force and escalating violence against the Cambodian people. At the start of 2014, following three weeks of peaceful demonstrations in Phnom Penh, tensions increased dramatically as authorities brutally cracked down on garment factory workers, who were demonstrating for […]

INDIA: Interim Report Assam Public Hearing on Sexual Violence

Guwahati:  January 13, 2014 Interim Report: Introduction The insanity of the vicious and tragic violence over the years in India has always been masked and at the best ‘managed’ (read suppressed) by brute force and fear. There is no dearth of evidence to speak of the grave consequences on women and children in particular. The […]

BANGLADESH: Attacks on non-Muslims must stop now, forever

Shame shadows Bangladesh again. Numerous attacks have been waged on the Hindu community across Bangladesh in the wake of the January 5th general ‘election’. Houses and business establishments owned by Hindus have been targeted. Other ethnic and non-Muslim communities have also been attacked. Temples and religious sites have not been spared. Few hundred Hindu families have […]

INDIA: Human trafficking, not diplomatic impunity

The debates so far, concerning the arrest of an Indian diplomat in the US, on charges of visa fraud, have omitted the nature of the crime the officer has committed. The crime alleged against the officer, is that of furnishing false documents to obtain visa for a migrant labour to the US. Read with the […]

BURMA/MYANMAR: Police tortured and arrested two villagers without any warrant

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the police in Pegu Region, central Burma (Myanmar) tortured and arrested two villagers without any warrant. According to the information, the two men were detained for 17 days illegally in Nattalin Township. After that the township court imposed a restriction order of six […]

INDIA: New laws to protect women bring no hope to victims

Press statement 9 January 2014 New laws to protect women bring no hope to victims of sexual violence in Assam exclaimed a shocked panel of Jury members at the Public hearing on sexual violence A two day State level Public hearing on sexual violence was organized by Women in Governance [WinG-India] in Guwahati on January […]

INDIA: Status Report on Condition of Persons living in Riot Relief Camps in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli Districts of Uttar Pradesh

Press Release 6 January 2014 Following the unprecedented outbreak of riots in the rural areas of Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Baghpat, Meerut and Saharanpur districts of Uttar Pradesh in the first week of September, tens of thousands of Muslim families have been living in relief camps for the last four months. However, over the past week, the […]

INDIA: Paramilitary Still Squats in Chhattisgarh Schools

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from CGNet Swara, an organization promoting community journalism in India, regarding the continuing occupation and use of educational institutions in Chhattisgarh by the Indian paramilitary. AHRC has learnt that two companies of the Border Security Force (BSF), deployed at remote Kodapakha village of Kanker district, about […]

PAKISTAN: The social injustice behind the practice of dowry-when greed dictates society

Each year, in South Asian communities, thousands of young brides lose their lives over dowry disputes. They are burnt, killed or maimed by husbands and in-laws whose material demands remain unfulfilled. Religions including Islam have always been interpreted and applied in favour of men and power structures.  Thus, it is not surprising to notice that   dowry […]

PHILIPPINES: Some comments on the murder trial of Temogen Tulawie

On December 18, 2013, the Regional Trial Court (RTC), Branch 19 in Manila City, commenced the trial of Temogen “Cocoy” Tulawie, an indigenous activist, who is being prosecuted for fabricated charges of attempted murder, in connection with a bombing incident on May 13, 2009 in Patikul, Sulu. Photo: Mussah Tulawie, wife of Temogen, (in the middle), […]

AHRC TV – Human Rights Asia Weekly Roundup, Episode 12

The Asian Human Rights Commission is pleased to announce the release of the 12th episode of the Human Rights Asia Weekly Roundup. We start this episode with a special AHRC report on the sham Bangladesh national elections which were boycotted by the main opposition party. The elections were marred by violence and the lack of legitimacy […]