Police violence

Dear Friends  Following is an update with some progress on the case of Mr. Lalith Rajapakse, a torture victim in Sri Lanka. We are not requesting any further action at this stage, but we may request this in the near future is there is no positive action for his state of health and the prosecution […]

MAJOR COLOMBO EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS FAILURE TO PREVENT TORTURE A major exhibition on ‘elimination of torture’ opened at the Public Library auditorium in Colombo, Sri Lanka on the 16th of April. The exhibits depict individual cases of torture, paintings on the theme of torture, and posters explaining the reasons for torture and laws against torture, highlighting […]

Urgent medical help needed for torture victim  SRI LANKA – Torture by police, impunity, denial of proper rehabilitation  ——————————————————————–  Latest update available: Court orders Release Of Lalith Rajapakse  A young torture victim from a poor family is fighting for his life in Sri Lanka. We are asking you to write today to the Sri Lankan authorities […]

10 years impunity for Convent well murder of young nun INDIA – Impunity for murder ——————————————————————– There is an astounding case regarding a decade of justice denied in Kerala state of India. The 21 year-old body of Sr. Abhaya was found at the bottom of a Convent well in 1992. The Church authorities claimed that […]

State violence and repression in Asia INDONESIA/MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE/AUSTRALIA: Repression and violence against human rights defenders on May Day 2002 ——————————————————————– Last Wednesday was International Labour Day – the day to remember and continue the struggle for basic human rights for workers around the world. Far too often the efforts of worker activists for justice end in […]

PAKISTAN: The Referendum to Complete Pakistan’s Journey to the Dark Ages – PEOPLE’S RIGHT TO RESIST Today, Pakistan’s military leader General Pervez Musharraf mocked the nation and the international community by holding a referendum as to whether he could remain as the Head of State for another five years. This is an absolute abuse of […]

Richard Cook, Director of UNRWA operations in the West Bank: 
“The reports we are getting are of wholesale destruction of a kind more normally associated with natural disasters such as earthquakes…. We implore the Israeli authorities to open up the camp to allow our relief teams to help its desperate population.” 

We reproduce below the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) statement calling for the immediate dispatch of peacekeepers and human rights monitors to the Occupied Territories of Palestine to implement a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the escalating violence. This statement is a declaration of support for the proposal put forward by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson. We urge everyone to participate in urging all parties concerned to expedite these missions.

(RE: UA-11-2002: Attacks on human rights defenders, destruction of property, public use of weapons with impunity)  UPDATE (INDONESIA): Further attacks on human rights defenders, public threats made with impunity  ———————————————————————-  Dear Friends  We are including here a joint statement by 48 Indonesian NGOs in response to another attack by the FBR (Betawi Brotherhood Forum) on […]

Dear Friends,  Following is an appeal which was signed by more than 30 NGOs in Sri Lanka, to urge the Sri Lankan government to take impartial inquiry and action against a high level police attack on the NHRC on 22 January, 2002. The Sri Lankan government, as well as the National Human Rights Commission of […]

Dear Friends  We are pleased to inform you of great success thanks to your efforts in support of the ‘Bandung 19’, wrongfully arrested on June 15 2001, tortured, held incommunicado and subject to unfair trial. You will recall that the young workers, students and activists were protesting the government’s planned increase in oil prices. The […]

Dear Friends,  As the National Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka has not yet taken any action on this matter, AHRC has written to the Chairman of the commission about the powers of the commission to act on this mater. AHRC has explained the legal provision under which HRC must act. It has also requested […]

Dear Friends  For your information, following is a letter AHRC has written to the National Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, to urge them to take action against Assistant Superintendent of Police Kodithuwakku (himself the subject of a separate inquiry for allegedly beating a person to death in custody) for interfering with an official inquiry […]

Dear Friends We are forwarding you an appeal from the highly respected Task Force Deteinees of the Philippines, regarding the torture of a fisherman in Cebu by the police of that region. Please read the short account of the incident and take the action requested. Urgent Appeals Desk ——————————————————————— URGENT ACTION TITLE : Alfredo Bantecil […]

Dear Friends  Thank you for your continued action for justice for the 19 persons arrested and detained in Bandung, Indonesia, for their legitimate protest against impoverishing labour laws and fuel prices. It seems that the cases against the 12 remaining in prison pending trial were found by the court to be so weak that all […]

Dear Friends  This is a matter which requires your immediate attention and action.  We have discovered with dismay that despite a previous Supreme Court stay of execution on the young Pakistani mother Robina Khan (also known as Rubina Ansari), the sentence may still go ahead. President Musharraf has apparently stated that the sentence could be […]

Dear Friends, We would like to send you a copy of the ninth open letter sent by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) to the Jesuit superior general in Rome regarding Fr. Pallath’s case. For further information, including this letter, please visit http://jjpallath.ahrchk.net.   Thank you.   Urgent Appeals Desk Asian Human Rights Commission   […]

24 July 2001  Gen. Colin Powell  US Secretary of State  Dear General Powell,  Every minute, one human life is snuffed out because of small arms. At the United Nations Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons, John Bolton, the US Undersecretary of State for Arms Control, stated that the US will […]

Secretary of State  US Department of State  Washington, DC 20520  Sir,  Due to these Small Arms one life per minute has been stamped out because of small arms, resulting in destroyed families, destabilized societies, weakened countries. These was a serious issue because the life of the people in the under developed countries were declining due […]

“In the course of this speech which has lasted for only a few minutes, one life per minute has been stamped out because of small arms, resulting in destroyed families, destabilized societies, weakened countries. To those watching and listening to us, let us give a concrete and bold response. Let us be willful,. Let us be responsible.” 
— Hon. Charles Josselin, Minister Delegate for Cooperation and Francophonie, at the UN conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons. [1]