Military

Democracy in South Korea is under attack. The ruling Saenuri Party of President Park Geun-hye and the National Intelligence Service have launched a witch hunt to purge progressive voices from the political process. On August 28, the National Intelligence Service (NIS), formerly known as the Korean CIA, raided the offices and homes of the Unified […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the torture of a Papuan man by police and military officers. The victim was detained for 12 hours and subjected to beatings and whippings from which he suffered various injuries on his body. It has been reported that the victim now has difficulty […]

During the last eight months of this year, from January to August 31, in different target killings, militant attacks, incidents of terrorism (including suicide bombs by the Pakistani Taliban and different sectarian groups) and security operations by the armed forces and intelligence agencies 4,286 persons were killed and 4,066 injured. The statistics for this period […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission has in a number of recent appeals and statements (AHRC-UAC-105-2013, AHRC-UAC-101-2013, AHRC-STM-108-2013) pointed to the persistent pursuit and prosecution by the police and local authorities in Burma, or Myanmar, of human rights defenders under draconian legislation old and new. Despite the country’s continued progress away from its overtly dictatorial past, it is […]

The AHRC urges the government of Pakistan to carry out a high powered inquiry into the killings of Christians by a commission of experts rather than the police The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) strongly condemns the two deadly suicide attacks on the All Saints Church in Peshawar, the capital city of Khyber Pakhtunkha province […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has since April followed the case of a couple who were brutally assaulted and robbed by three soldiers in Pyi, central Burma, resulting in the death of one of them. Despite two of the three perpetrators being quickly apprehended, their battalion commander took them into army custody […]

Global Network of Women Peacebuilders, a program partner of the International Civil society Action Network  Tel: 1 212 729 1062  355 Lexington Avenue, 3rd Floor New York 10017 USA  www.gnwp.org A Petition Campaign in Support for Dialogue, Humanitarian Action and Ceasefire WE, THE UNDERSIGNED PEACE ADVOCATES, CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS AND CONCERNED CITIZENS, SERIOUSLY APPEAL IN […]

In the name of peace, for the sake of humanity and in behalf of the innocent civilians who are again bearing the brunt of violence and atrocities, I am appealing to Chairman Nur Misuari and all my brothers in the Moro National Liberation Front to release the hostages and withdraw immediately and unconditionally from the […]

Sunila Abeysekera passed away yesterday in Colombo. Born in 1952 she stood for the liberal values of equality, liberty and human rights at a very dark period in her country. By 1962, at the age of ten, a section of the country’s elite attempted a military coup. This coup symbolised the disillusionment of an important […]

Download the full text of the report ( PDF) (Word) In her media statement from Colombo on 31 August 2013, Dr. Navi Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said, “I am deeply concerned that Sri Lanka, despite the opportunity provided by the end of the war to construct a new vibrant, all-embracing state, […]

(Hong Kong, September 6, 2013) Sylvia Patricia Sarmiento, daughter of torture victim Aristedes Sarmiento, writes about her father, and how she and her family, have struggled because of her father’s torture and repeated arrest and detention on false charges. She wrote this in an article which she shared with the Asian Human Rights Commission. Sylvia, […]

A delegation of the Friday Forum met recently with the Commissioner of Elections Mr Mahinda Deshapriya with a view to initiating a constructive exchange of views on measures taken by him to ensure free and fair provincial elections.  Mr. Deshapriya emphasised the responsibilities of the public and the voters in these elections to be vigilant […]

After the Anti-Torture Law was enforced, there have been two widely publicized torture videos where police officers were caught on camera torturing suspects in their custody. The first was in August 2010; the perpetrator was Joselito Binayug. The second was in June this year and the perpetrator was none other than Alfredo Lim, a former […]

Today, 30 August 2013, is the International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearance. According to the UN Resolution A/RES/65/209 adopted in the Sixty-fifth Session of the General Assembly, the 30th day of August has been declared, and has been so observed since 2011, as the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearance every year. This Resolution […]

“Aquino’s penchant for giving special treatment to high profile and notorious rights violators and thieves is once again illustrated in the case of Janet Napoles and former Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Avelino Razon. The double standard is obvious and sickening, as compared to the inhuman treatment of political prisoners and common offenders,” said […]

On July 3rd 2013, President Mahinda Rajapaksha published a gazette that authorized the armed forces to engage in “the maintenance of public order”. Last week, he announced a new ministry under the title “the Ministry of Law and Order”. By these two acts, the Sri Lankan civilian police have been virtually reduced to nothing, and […]

Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena*, Gehan Gunatilleke** & Prameetha Abeywickreme*** Originally published in the LST Review, Volume 23, Issue 306 & 307, April & May 2013 Introduction The Nature of Impunity Those who abuse power almost invariably enjoy the power to abuse. Impunity is both a corollary of power and a tool for power retention; a phenomenon that, by […]

This article was initially published in LST Review- Vol.306 and 307 in May 2013 1. Introductory Remarks “We have every reason to be proud of the fact that our judicial system has been adopted in so many different parts of the world. At the heart of it is fairness to everyone who holds views with which […]

The Balochistan government has registered a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act against the chief executive and three other employees of a television channel, ARY Digital, for releasing a documentary about the attack on the former residency of the father of the nation. The three other employees are the Executive Director, Owais Tohid, the Quetta bureau […]

Contact: Contact: John M. Miller, +1-917-690-4391 Ed McWilliams, +1-575-648-2078 The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN) and the West Papua Advocacy Team (WPAT) today condemned the U.S. government’s decision to approve the sale of deadly Apache attack helicopters to Indonesia. The sale demonstrates that U.S. concern for greater respect for human rights and justice in Indonesia are nothing […]