Judicial system

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) brings you details of the latest case in which a group of democracy and human rights activists has been accused of involvement in a series of bombings. The seven were already sentenced to over 30 years in prison in 2008 and have again been sentenced to another […]

Sri Lanka will be celebrating its independence from the British Empire on February 4, 2011. The lamentation that independence has not meant a great deal to the people of Sri Lanka is commonly heard. However, the causes that created this situation have often not been examined. The very meaning of independence for citizens of any […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has obtained the details of a case in which six men in 2010 were accused of having contact with an insurgent group in the east of Burma. Soldiers and police arrested five of the six villagers, the other one getting away. Of the five men detained, one […]

The integrity of a republic and the determination of its people depend upon the legitimacy of their government. Since declaring the Union of India to be a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic that assures its citizens justice, equality, and liberty and to be a nation that endeavours to promote among them all fraternity, 61 years […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been closely following the case of a father and son both of who have been imprisoned because the latter was arrested while taking photographs of a bombing in Rangoon during April 2010. The authorities have accused the two of intending to send the photographs abroad and […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned of another case of 12 persons in Burma given long jail sentences for alleged anti-government activities. In fact, the state prosecution had no evidence against the accused and the judge convicted them, as in other cases of this sort, on the say-so of the police. […]

Sofie Rordam Sri Lankan citizens are protected against torture and arbitrary arrest in sections 11, 12 and 13 of the Constitution of Sri Lanka. In addition Sri Lanka has ratified the United Nations Convention against Torture and Cruel and Inhuman Treatment in 1994. While the legislation is there, the effectuation is not. The gap between […]

Yesterday we published an open letter relating to false and defamatory material which also amounted to the publication of a death list. Kindly see : SRI LANKA: AHRC tells the Canada-based Sri Lankan intellectual to stop distribution of false and defamatory material and a death list, at: http://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrc-news/AHRC-OLT-001-2011. We have subsequently received replies from Dr. […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed that Merceditas Gutierrez, head of the Office of the Ombudsman, has pledged to resolve the complaint of torture of the Abadilla Five that has been pending in their office since January 2003 “in a week”.  UPDATED INFORMATION:  On January 3, 2011, the family members […]

เรียนทุกท่าน เราขอส่งต่อจดหมายเปิดผนึกของ นางอังคณา  นีละไพจิตร ภริยาของนายสมชาย  นีละไพจิตร ทนายความมุสลิมที่ถูกบังคับให้สูญหาย เกี่ยวกับการสอบสวนคดีนายสมชาย การคุ้มครองพยาน และการบังคับบุคคลให้สูญหาย ที่มีถึงนายกรัฐมนตรี มายังท่าน คณะกรรมาธิการสิทธิมนุษยชนแห่งเอเชีย ฮ่องกง ————- เพื่อการเผยแพร่ทันที AHRC-FOL-001-2010-TH 23 ธันวาคม 2552 จดหมายเปิดผนึกของ นางอังคณา  นีละไพจิตร ที่มีถึงนายกรัฐมนตรีประเทศไทย ส่งต่อโดย คณะกรรมาธิการสิทธิมนุษยชนแห่งเอเชีย ประเทศไทย: ต้องการการเร่งรัดการสอบสวนกรณีการหายตัวไปของนายสมชาย การคุ้มครองพยานอย่างมีประสิทธิภาพ และการออกกฎหมายให้การบังคับบุคคลให้สูญหายเป็นอาชญากรรม 23 ธันวาคม 2552 กราบเรียน  ฯพณฯ นายกรัฐมนตรี สำเนาถึง    ท่านรัฐมนตรีว่าการกระทรวงยุติธรรม ท่านอธิบดีกรมสอบสวนคดีพิเศษ นับแต่ท่านเข้ารับตำแหน่งนายกรัฐมนตรี พร้อมทั้งได้แถลงต่อสาธารณะ ถึงแนวคิดจะตั้งคณะทำงานพิเศษเพื่อรื้อฟื้นคดีสำคัญที่สังคมให้ความสนใจ เนื่องจากในรัฐบาลที่ผ่านมา คดีสำคัญหลายคดีถูกวิพากษ์วิจารณ์ และถูกมองว่า ไม่ได้รับความเป็นธรรม ถูกทำให้ล่าช้า อีกทั้งผู้เสียหายยังถูกขัดขวางในการเข้าถึงความยุติธรรม ซึ่งหนึ่งในคดีต่างๆนั้น คือ คดีการบังคับให้สูญหายนายสมชาย นีละไพจิตร จนปัจจุบัน ที่รัฐบาลภายใต้การนำของท่าน ได้บริหารงานครบ […]

We hope that wishing for a happy new year in Sri Lanka is not just mere wishful thinking. We wish: 1. That Rizana Nafeek, facing a death sentence in Saudi Arabia, will be released as soon as possible. This wish can become true only if the Sri Lankan government makes all the diplomatic efforts to […]

The simmering debate between three senior judges in India, involving the suspect in a criminal case and a former Union Minister from Tamilnadu state, Mr. A. Raja, and his alleged attempt to influence the court to obtain bail for the suspect with the assistance of the former Chairperson of the Tamilnadu and Pondicherry Bar Council, […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) welcomes with reservations President Benigno Aquino III’s order to withdraw the charges against 43 health workers, collectively known as ‘Morong 43′, as reported today. We strongly believe, based on the documents and information that we have also obtained, that they should have not been arrested, detained, and forced to […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission received information that Muslim fundamentalist and extremist groups have advocated publicly that a Christian lady, Aasia Bibi, sentenced to death under the blasphemy laws should not be pardoned. Some have offered a cash reward for Aasia’s assassination. Since the introduction of 295-C to the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is deeply concerned by the transfer of Ma Sandar, an ailing human rights defender convicted on fabricated charges, to another prison without the knowledge of her family. Her family has lost contact with her and do not know where she is presently being held. UPDATED INFORMATION: We […]

The contempt of court proceedings initiated against Advocate Prashant Bushan in the Supreme Court of India for the allegations he made against some of the former Chief Justices of the country will test the maturity of India’s judicial system and that of its democratic framework. Indeed the Court has a statutory right to initiate proceedings […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) deeply regrets to inform you that the Supreme Court (SC) has upheld the guilty verdict on the Abadilla Five. The SC affirmed the earlier decision of the Court of Appeals (CA) which imposed a penalty of life imprisonment on them. The accused will be filing a Motion […]

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following statement from Judge Soliman M. Santos, Jr. of the 9th Municipal Circuit Trial Courts (MCTC) in Nabua-Bato, Camarines Sur. Judge Santos is the former legal counsel of two of the Abadilla Five detainees–Lenido Lumanog and Augusto Santos, before his appointment as trial court judge. The […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission states that words are inadequate to express the magnitude of the folly contained in the suggested amendments to the Constitution of Sri Lanka by the Sri Lankan government. Given the availability of a two thirds majority for the government these amendments will be passed. However, these amendments will take Sri […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) previously issued a statement on the case of Phyo Wai Aung, whom the authorities in Burma have blamed for an attack on a festival in April. In this appeal we bring you the details of his case and the charges that have now been brought against him. […]