Non-state actors

The people of Bangladesh have created an opportunity for themselves by way of a mass intervention in order to oust the rule of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and as a result, she has fled the country after resigning from her position. The people were mostly led by students and independent movements of people rather […]

By Al Jazeera Investigative Unit 1 Feb 2021 A criminal gang is colluding with Bangladesh’s security forces to extract bribes for state contracts and job positions, all the while maintaining powerful links with the country’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, an Al Jazeera investigation has found. All the Prime Minister’s Men reveals how Haris and Anis Ahmed, […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to inform you about a lecture on International Law and judiciary reform in Indonesia legal system. The lecture conducted by Mr. Basil Fernando with Indonesian law students of International Law Class of the University of Bung Karno, Jakarta. In total, 37 students took part in the lecture and […]

By Basil Fernando SINHALA VERSION Sunil Jayawardene was a representative for three-wheele drivers. He who went to make a representation to a finance company on behalf of one of the vehicle owners, whose three-wheeler had been taken by agents of that company. Sunil was assaulted by eight or more people in front of the company […]

30 years ago, Richard de Zoysa was abducted and disappeared. His dead body was later found on a beach. During the same period, literally tens of thousands of persons throughout the country were also disappeared, and none of the cases relating to such disappearances have been resolved through genuine investigations and prosecutions. Indeed, the process […]

by Avinash Pandey ‘Why do armed women cut off a particular organ of Indian soldiers engaged in combating armed insurgencies across India, be it Punjab, Kashmir, Arunachal, Assam, Bengal or Jharkhand?’ asked senior opposition leader Azam Khan. The insinuation was unmistakable, and it had a basis: armed Maoists had indeed chopped off private parts of Central Reserve […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) strongly condemns the brutal murder of a 23-year old student by lynching on the accusation of Blasphemy by a mob at Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, KPK province. The AHRC also condemns the violence in the name of blasphemy as it is deeply disturbing and sets an extremely dangerous […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information of an 8-year-old boy who was recently kidnapped, sold, and by chance rescued. However, by willfully neglecting their responsibilities, the court, the police, and the Probation Department have returned the boy to the very same vulnerable environment that saw the boy being kidnapped and […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a minor child, 13 years old, has been abducted, allegedly by members of an ethnic minority political group, the Muttaihida Quami Movement (MQM),  to prevent his father, Mr. Ashiq Chandio,  from giving evidence before an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC).  It is alleged that henchmen […]

A Statement from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Lahore, February 04, 2015: The international conference on disappearances in Asia, held in Islamabad on Feb 2-3, 2015, has called upon all Asian states to take effective measures to eliminate the practice of enforced and involuntary disappearances. These states […]

A Divisional Bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) upheld the death penalty of a Christian woman convicted of Blasphemy by a Sessions’ Court in 2010. Ms. Aasia Bibi, was a mother of five. She was arrested in 2009 under blasphemy charges while working in a farm with many other Muslim women. A two-judge bench […]

(Hong Kong, October 14, 2014) “The widespread torture and ill-treatment that prevails in most of the Asian countries is a direct result of the political system and the legal system. Eradication of torture cannot be done merely by education of the police, the military and other security forces who usually engage in committing acts of torture”, […]

State fails once again to protect blasphemy convict, injured by prison guard In a latest incident on 25 September 2014, a 71-year old prisoner who was awarded the death sentence in a blasphemy case was attacked and critically wounded when a cop on duty opened fire at him in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, close to Islamabad. […]

Eighteen days have passed since the tragic incident where the arms of a 10-year-old boy were severed from his body by a landlord and to-date, no positive developments have been taken nor has there been any progress in the case against the perpetrators of this horrific crime.  According to reports, doctors are being tight-lipped to […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a young couple was murdered after they married in a court on their own choice. The local Panchayat decided to kill both, groom and bride, and father of the groom was ordered to handover a girl to the father of bride. The Panchayat […]

Nepal is a country where torture and ill-treatment are widely practised by state and non-state actors. Torture haunts detention centers, and there is no mechanism for the investigation of allegations of torture in the country. The culture of impunity strengthens its hold in Nepal, despite the armed insurgency having ended, and the Comprehensive Peace Agreement […]

It is to the credit of some Buddhist monks that they have taken active role in extending support and protection to the Muslims victim to vicious attacks across Sri Lanka. The attacks began after the Secretary of BBS, Reverend Galagoda-Atte Gnanasara Thera, spoke at a recent meeting at Aluthgama. Image courtesy: The Financial Times, daily […]

by Nilantha Ilangamuwa Many stories revealing many different opinions are coming out. The writers are screaming, refuting, condemning and justifying what has been and their articles show the concerns of many people. Meanwhile, the social media has played a huge role and shared both sides of the story more freely than might have been done […]

The following article was published as the editorial of the latest issue of Torture: Asian and Global Perspectives by Nilantha Ilangamuwa Sri Lanka is once again on the edge of a political crucible in terms of its international relations as well as in its domestic politics. The country is ignoring calls for an independent and credible investigation […]

The killing of senior lawyer, Rashid Rehman, on May 7, 2014 in his office in Multan has once again brought into focus at home and abroad how little the Pakistani state values those who risk their lives for the promotion and protection of fundamental rights for all. Rehman was killed despite having earlier expressed serious […]