Police violence

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the brutal murder of Mr. Suherman, for reasons yet unknown, by Police Officers of the Medan District Police on the 11th April 2007. On the 11th April 2007, at around 3:30a.m., around 30 yet unidentified men claiming to be Medan District Police Officers […]

As the country’s prosecution service has long been confronted by the overloading of cases, as well as insufficient resources and manpower, the police commission and justice department have decided to give powers to the Chiefs of Police (CoPs) to act as prosecutors. Under this system, the CoPs are required to first secure permission from any […]

As the campaign period is ongoing and elections will be held on May 14 there is also an increasingly alarming trend of election-related violence. Targeted killings and ambushes of sectoral and local candidates, either a result of fierce political rivalry or threats, had since been taking place–a cycle of violence that has become a subconsciously […]

The government has recently announced that police powers will be granted to the military by way of further emergency regulations. When the BBC Sinhala Service questioned the government spokesman, Minister Keheliya Rambukawella, as to whether the giving of police powers to the military will not result in the re-emergence of torture chambers inside military camps […]

Over two and a half years have passed since Kietisak Thitboonkrong was found tortured to death and dumped in a rural area of northeastern Thailand. Investigations by the National Human Rights Commission and others have pointed the finger of guilt straight at the Kalasin district police, in whose custody he was last seen a few […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is writing to inform you that a young woman was arrested and charged with theft without proper police investigation or concrete evidence against her. Ms. Paththiyadva Amali Chandrika Gunawardena (21) is arrested by the police based on a neighbour’s complaint, but no other investigation was carried out […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from its local partner the PVCHR, a human rights organisation based in Varanasi, in Uttar Pradesh state, India regarding the rape of a 13 years old girl. It is alleged that police has failed to register a case against the criminals despite several complaints. […]

Dear friends The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from KONTRAS Sumatera Utara about the severe torture of Mr. Aditya Panji Akbar, an 18 year-old boy while undergoing treatment at the Mental Health Ward of the Bhayangkara (Police) Hospital, by Brigadier Officer Simarmata of the Medan City Police on the 11 January 2007 […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from its local partner in West Bengal, MASUM, regarding a missing 13 year-old girl from Basanti Colony in Kolkata, West Bengal.  It is alleged that the Ultadanga police refused to register the complaint of the girl’s disappearance lodged by her seriously ailing mother, Mrs. […]

Dear friends The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the kidnapping and gang-rape of a 15 year-old-girl by more than a dozen attackers from Town Layyah in Punjab province beginning on 30 January 2007. The heinous crime, which was committed over a four-day period, has still not been registered by the police […]

Dear friends The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that two human rights activists are facing death threats in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh state, India for their work against women trafficking in the state. It is alleged that the perpetrators are the same persons who were charged for trafficking after a complaint lodged by […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from local human rights organisation KONTRAS about the alleged violent disturbance at a conference organized by the National Liberation Unity Party (PAPERNAS), by a group called the Indonesian Anti-Communist Front/Front Anti Koumnis (FAKI) at Batu in East Java on 4 March 2007.  The incident […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from its local partner in West Bengal, India, MASUM that a family was brutally assaulted in the presence of police in Parganas District, West Bengal on 20 November 2006. The alleged reason behind the assault is due to a land dispute between the victims […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the alleged assault of three men after illegal arrest by Galgamuwa police on 25 November 2007 in Sri Lanka. Police allegedly asked them to pay a bribe for release. One was released after paying whereas others refused. Others were forced to sign a […]

I refer to the complaint made by Dr. Lenin Raghuvansi [please refer to your case number 5840/24/97-98] of a well planned assassination attempt on his life. The attempt was on 18.02.1998. He has given detailed information that his house was surrounded by police officers from Ramnagar police station in an attempt to assassinate him the […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a female was severely beaten by the police and, raped by her cousin in open view in August 2007 in Punjab province, Pakistan. She miscarried due to police’s beatings and later underwent a forced abortion when she became pregnant after having been raped […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes with deep concern regarding the failure to conduct a proper postmortem examination by the police before they buried a female corpse recovered from a forest in Battambang province. There were indications that the woman could have been raped before she was killed. However, the police chose […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from its local partner organization MASUM in West Bengal regarding an alleged brutal attack on a couple by persons who are reportedly cadres of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) in West Bengal on 12 October 2006. We were informed that despite the […]

A press release issued by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) on January 12 quoted Chief Superintendent Geary Barias, director of the Police Regional Office 6 as justifying the death of Hernan Baria and wounding of his companion, Romeo Catalan, on 23 July 2005 in Balasan, Iloilo on the ground of ” legitimate police operations”. Barias […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Surendra Thapa was severely beaten up by senior police officers of the District Police Office (DPO), Surkhet district in Nepal on 15 October 2007. After he disclosed this incident to the public, he has faced constant threats of dismissal from his job. […]