Legislation

SRI LANKA :On Mad Monks and Chaotic Government

Kishali Pinto Jayawardena Several wickedly problematic tragi-comedies are playing on Sri Lanka’s political stage right now, none of which are to the benefit of the country. Why was no deterrent action taken earlier? The spectacle of mad monks running amok in the Homagama Magistrate’s Court abusing the magistrate, the lawyers and the wife of disappeared […]

AHRC TV: JUST ASIA, Episode 107

In this episode of Just Asia, AHRC TV continues its coverage of the saga of the missing Hong Kong book publishers. One of the five abducted men, Gui Minhai, has turned up on Chinese State television making a “confession” for a years-old alleged drink driving offence. Gui vanished three months ago from holiday in Thailand […]

NEPAL: Protests, violence, and killings persist in Terai, with no solution in sight

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been closely monitoring incidents in Nepal’s Terai. The AHRC had been eagerly waiting for the government and the agitating forces to strike a deal. However, today, even after 6 months of standstill, there is no progression. The government has not discarded its killing attitude; protests and killings are […]

BURMA/MYANMAR: Justice Delayed, Justice Denied

A Press Release from the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT) and Legal Aid Network (LAN) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) New report exposes systematic cover-up of Myanmar Army involvement in Kachin rape-murder case A new report exposes the systematic cover-up of the Myanmar Army’s involvement in the rape-murder of two Kachin teachers […]

SRI LANKA: Recommendations to the Constitutional Reforms Committee

Sri Lanka Citizens’ Organisations ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධන කමිටුව වෙත ඉදිරිපත් කරනු ලබන අදහස් හා යෝජනා මෙම ලේඛණය ඉදිරිපත් කරනු ලබන්නේ මෙහි අගදී සඳහන් වන ශ්‍රී ලාංකීය රටවැසියන් හා සංවිධාන මඟිනි. ව්‍යවස්ථා සංශෝධන කමිටුව ඉදිරියේ පැවරි ඇත්තේ බැ?රුම් වගකීමකි. එම වගකීම ඉටු කිරිම සඳහා උපරිම සහය දීම සියළුම රටවැසියන්ගේත් රටේ පවතින සියළුම සංවිධාන වලත් වැදගත් යුතු කමක් […]

INDIA: AFSPA should not be enforced in Manipur to support organised lawlessness benefiting illegal drug and weapon smuggling cartels

Statement | India | 15-01-2016

“AFSPA was imposed after declaring the state a disturbed area. You mean to say that in 35 years of Army presence in the state, the situation has not improved to remove the disturbed area tag from the state? Has nothing changed on the law and order front for the last three decades?” The Supreme Court […]

AHRC TV: JUST ASIA, Episode 106

In this episode of Just Asia, AHRC TV reports from Sri Lanka where the police still appear to consider themselves above the law. Police officers in Embilipitiya killed a young man and authorities responded by simply re-locating the perpetrators to other stations rather than investigating the crime. Just Asia continues to report about the missing […]

SRI LANKA: AHRC’s Submission to the Constitutional Reforms Committee

We are producing today a submission made by the Asian Human Rights Commission to the Constitutional Reforms Committee. In our submission among other things , we have made the following argument. That the state of the law enforcement agencies, particularly the policing service, and other branches of the administration of justice, the Attorney General’s Department, […]

HONG KONG: Government is responsible to answer for Lee Bo’s and Lam Wing-kei’s disappearances

Hong Kong enjoys a unique position in Asia, being a jurisdiction where the presence of the rule of law is a felt experience among the general public. In this Special Administrative Region of China, though not a democracy in the true sense of the word, everyone enjoys equal protection under the law. Unfortunately, recent events […]

SRI LANKA: The Constitution making and brutal police murder at Embilipitiya

The Government has announced another attempt at constitution making in Sri Lanka which, this time is to begin, with the hope to complete the process, by the end of this year. A resolution to this effect has already been introduced in the Parliament and a Drafting Committee has been named. A valid question that begets […]

SRI LANKA : Critical changes necessary to restore eroding public faith

– Basil Fernando Leading human rights activist Basil Fernando faults the government for not pushing the good governance agenda enough: It’s time to come up with a proper implementation plan to investigate and punish those involved in the corruption and crimes that occurred during the previous decades, says leading Human Rights activist, Basil Fernando Chathuri […]

AHRC TV: JUST ASIA, Episode 102

Yesterday, December 10 was Human Rights Day. This is the day in 1948 when the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. To mark this day, JUST ASIA brings you a review of the state of human rights in specific Asian countries, with several interviews with relevant experts. In Nepal, adoption of a […]

BURMA/MYANMAR: Will government overcome the grim?

The world is commemorating International Human Rights Day today, 10 December 2015. However, the mood differs in Burma; the situation in the country is absolutely grim. This is despite the fact that just four weeks ago the Burmese people have finally been permitted, by the ruling military junta, to elect a popular government. The Asian […]

PAKISTAN: From the Frying Pan, to the Fire

Human Rights violations remain widespread due to the failings of, and lack of reforms to, the country’s institutional framework, in particular, key institutions of the rule of law – the police, the prosecution, and the judiciary. This is compounded by persisting impunity enjoyed by law enforcement agencies particularly by the Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies. […]

WORLD: Key to eradicate hunger is making public institutions work

Who can enjoy any of the basic human rights guaranteed to them by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 through the United Nations General Assembly resolution 217, if they face chronic hunger, or even worse, starvation? The answer to the question […]

BANGLADESH: Rebuilding justice institutions a must for realising rights

International Human Rights Day offers one more opportunity to streamline the discourse on human rights. The achievements in terms of the development of normative standards have been immense in the last decades. These achievements are not reflected in people’s real life, despite certain public awareness about rights being made. Together with its success in building […]

NEPAL: Protests and violence spiral amidst institutional failure

This year, 2015, did not start off well for Nepal. On April 25, a devastating earthquake hit the nation killing more than 9000 people, injuring thousands and destroying millions of dollars worth of property. Help poured in from all over the world to assist the poor Himalayan nation. Youths and volunteers were reaching out to […]

SRI LANKA: AHRC urges for radical re-engineering of policing, prosecution, and judicial systems

  Two elections were held in Sri Lanka in 2015, one in January and the other in August 2015. One was to elect the President, and the other was to elect members of Parliament. In both these elections, the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa was defeated, and, as a result, a coalition of new parties […]

INDIA: A nation of failed justice institutions

International Human Rights Day is observed each year on December 10. This year the United Nations has declared that the day will mark a year-long campaign for the global recommitment to guaranteeing freedoms and protecting human rights for all. To this end, the UN has called upon member states to revisit commitments made to two […]

BANGLADESH: Government and Justice Institutions owe explanations about enforced disappearances

A Joint Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission and the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) and the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) calls for the return of all disappeared persons to their families. The government of Bangladesh must tell the whereabouts of the disappeared persons, and respond […]