Judicial system

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Sundaramani Sivakumar (36) was illegally arrested and detained by the Terrorist Investigation Division at the Kandy Headquarters Police Station where he was forced, under torture and threats to his life to sign blank pages. The officers then later filed fabricated charges to […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that several Pakistani citizens currently incarcerated in Damman Prison in Saudi Arabia face death by beheading for allegedly trafficking drugs into Saudi Arabia. The Pakistanis in question, all hailing from poor families, were in fact forced to carry the drugs. In some cases the […]

International and national researches, surveys and news reports have recognized that the incidence of poverty has been increased in Pakistan during the recent years.  Massive corruption, primarily from top to bottom, mismanagement, unemployment, inefficiency, incompetence, terrorism, extremism, energy crises, torrential rains and subsequent flood and a number of other reasons have resulted that more than […]

To observe UN International Day in Support of Torture victims the Human Development Organization (HDO), a civil society organization that has been struggling for prevention of custodial abuses and rehabilitation of torture survivors in Hazara division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, arranged colorful program at Central Prison Haripur on June 26, 2013. The detainees, […]

The strange riddle that the Magistrate’s Court of Colombo must now untangle is this: what is the plot that the Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB) was trying to hatch against the well-known Hultsdorf lawyer Gunaratne Wanninayaka and why was such a plot considered necessary in the first place? Perhaps the more important question is as to […]

As the allegations of illegal interference by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) in the presidential election held in December last year drew increasing attention from the public, a search and seizure was carried out by the special investigation team at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office (DPO) on April 30, 2013. Based on the materials […]

On 2 July 2013 the House of Representatives enacted the law on mass organisation through a vote at the Plenary Meeting. Out of 361 members of parliament who attended the session, only 50 refused the legislation of the latest draft of the law. Parties which are in favour of the enactment included the Democratic Party, […]

Mr. Wanninayaka has complained to the police authorities that on June 24 some officers visited his house and made inquiries about him. Later at around 2:30 pm on the same day, two officers went to the court premises where Mr. Wanninayaka usually practices and made inquiries about him and also looked for his car. These […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from a local NGO, the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS), regarding the fabrication of charges and torture committed by the police against a 72-year old man and his two sons. The innocent men were falsely charged, tried and sentenced to […]

Two brothers, Javed, age 9 and Jameel, age 13 were taken against their parents’ will from their village, Kotla Rahm Ali Shah, to go work in Multan as servants in the home of Faheem Abbas Shah, the land-owner for whom the family works. The parents of the boys repeatedly asked for the return of their […]

The Constitution of India explicitly states that the right to life, equality, education, and to participate in elections as fundamental rights. When these rights are violated, the Indian system does not uphold the right to justice as a fundamental right. However, the right to justice is an essential feature of democracy. India may be pursuing […]

The National Food Security Bill (NFSB) has been the center of much debate since it was introduced in Parliament by the UPA government in December 2011. One of the most persistent arguments against a food security bill from the corporate lobby, lead by the FICCI and CII, is that its costs will burden the budget and […]

The country has entered into political turmoil. It is because of a series of allegations of illegal interference by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) in the Presidential election, held in December last year. As more information is released, those who worry about democracy in the country – including students – are starting to decry the […]

The NUJ is seriously concerned about the job cuts at BBC Pakistan and offers support and assistance to colleagues. The service in Pakistan is linked to the BBC World Service which is a UK public funded organisation. In May 2013 BBC Pakistan announced plans to cut 9 reporters out of 14. At the same time […]

A Joint Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission and Odhikar A survivor of torture, relatives of a survivor and of two victims of death, who were tortured to death in police custody, have shared their gruesome experiences in a People’s Tribunal today, June 26, 2013, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Bangladeshi human rights group Odhikar, in collaboration with the […]

The acting Chief Justice of Sindh provincial High Court, Justice Maqbool Baqar, was attacked and seriously injured this morning in a bomb blast by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The convoy of the senior judge was passing through a crowded market place in Karachi, the capital of Sindh province. Nine persons were killed and fifteen were […]

International Day in support of Torture victims Rights-based organizations, HR defenders vow to synergies efforts to combat Torture LAHORE:(26th June 2013):“The large scale instances of torture in custody is a common practice in Pakistan and there is no law in the country to stop this menace. The Parliament of Pakistan should enact law for criminalization of torture. Govt. […]

(Hong Kong/Padang, Indonesia, June 26, 2013) To mark the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) released an advance version of its special report on practice of torture in Indonesia today. The report titled: “A facade of justice for torture victims in Indonesia”, is the first special […]

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the occasion of the International day in support of victims of torture. On the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to express its solidarity with the survivors who are still dealing with the consequences of the torture […]

A Christian lawyer has been threatened with dire consequences if he continues to provide legal assistance to three Christian women who were stripped naked and paraded on the street by the henchmen of ruling party.  Mr. Mushtaq Gill, the director of LEAD (Legal Evangelical Association Development) organization, is getting death threats from militants. He is […]