Prosecution system

SRI LANKA: 1972 CJC: The beginning of the collapse of the criminal justice system

By Basil Fernando The Criminal Justice Commissions (CJC) Act, No. 14 of 1972, marked the beginning of the collapse of Sri Lanka’s criminal justice system. The process that started then, gradually expanded further and further, and today, the criminal justice system in Sri Lanka is virtually dysfunctional. What the CJC Act in fact did was […]

INDONESIA: Pretrial detention under the Criminal Law Procedure needs serious reform, having caused torture and ill-treatment

A Written Statement to the 46th Regular Session of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource Centre The Asian Legal Resource Center (ALRC) wishes to draw the attention of the UN Human Rights Council to the problem in the existing Criminal Law Procedure which at present still regulates pretrial detention in […]

नेपाल: अधिकार प्राप्त निकायहरूमा पीडित पक्षीय नीतिगत परिवर्तन र सुधारहरूका लागि समर्पित विभिन्न प्रयासहरूको आवश्यकता छ

Article | Nepal | 23-02-2021

गरिब र न्यायमा कम पहुँच भएका मानवअधिकार उल्लंघनका पीडितहरुलाई कसरी उनीहरुको हक संरक्षण गर्न र न्याय खोज्नका लागि सहयोग गर्न सकिन्छ भन्ने धेरै उदाहरणहरु छन् । हामीले यस अघि छलफल गरेका सामान्य सिद्धान्तहरूमा रहेर यहाँ गरिबीमा रहेकाहरूलाई न्यायको पहुँचबाट कसरी वञ्चित गरिन्छ, उनीहरूका लागि तत्काल कस्ता सहयोग गर्न सकिन्छ, अल्पकालीन र दीर्घकालीन रुपमा के गर्न […]

BANGLADESH: Authoritarian repression in curbing civic space harms more than the pandemic

The Bangladesh Government continues its repressive campaigns of curtailing civic space in the country’s ever-deteriorating human rights situation. The Authorities have been using the COVID-19 pandemic as an additional excuse for encroaching on the freedoms of assembly, expression, including the freedom of the press. Bangladesh’s Law-Enforcement Agencies kept playing their predatory role in detaining the […]

NEPAL: The struggle to establish democracy

Article | Nepal | 18-01-2021

Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari on December 20 sent shockwaves across the country as she approved the Cabinet’s recommendation for the dissolution of the Lower House of Parliament. The president’s move has pushed the Himalayan country deeper into the quagmire of instability even as it had been attempting to find its footing in democratic politics. […]

SRI LANKA: Four years prison term for contempt of court violates the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)

On 12 January 2021, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka found S. V. R. P. P. A. R. L. S. Alphonsu, known also as Ranjan Ramanayake, as guilty of having committed the offence of contempt of court and sentenced him to four years of rigorous imprisonment. The accused is presently a […]

INDONESIA: Discussion on the threat against freedom of expression and opinion of labor activities

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to inform you about the special discussion on the threat against the right to freedom of expression and opinion in Indonesia, in this case, related to labor activists. The discussion presented two speakers: Mr. Kristianto, a labor activist, and Mr. Fathkul Khoir, a human rights lawyer from the […]

INDONESIA: Two Ministers arrested in anti-graft cases, Has Law-enforcement improved?

When the Pandemic COVID 19 hit Indonesia in May 2020, Law-enforcement in Indonesia recorded a unique phenomenon. The Minister of Law and Human Rights, Mr. Yasona Laoly, released 30,000 prisoners! 1 On Tuesday, March 31, 2020, the Indonesian Minister of Law and Human Rights, Mr. Yasonna, issued Ministerial Decree Number M.HH-19.PK.01.04.04 of 2020, concerning the Release […]

SRI LANKA: A submission on the making of a new constitution

The Minster of Justice  Room No.32 {Block 02} BMICH,  Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 07 expertscommpublic@yahoo.com A submission on the making of a new constitution 1.This submission is made on the assumption that the attempt to make a new constitution is an act done in good faith, motivated solely by the attempt to address what has gone […]

SRI LANKA: A Criminal Justice System in Crisis

By Basil Fernando A constitutional crisis is not just a matter relating to a legal text. It influences all aspects of life and, in particular, the working of public institutions. The Prison Study carried out by the National Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) reflects the magnitude of the problems in the criminal justice […]

SRI LANKA: The duty to stop murder

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the occasion of Human Rights Day In Sri Lanka, the closest event prior to the human rights day on December 10th, is the killing of 11 prisoners and injuring of over 100 other prisoners in the Mahara prisons. That incident clearly speaks about the massive contradictions […]

INDONESIA: Pretrial Detention under the Criminal Law Procedure Needs Serious Reform

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the occasion of Human Rights Day In commemorating International Human Rights Day, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), a regional human rights organization, wishes to convey a strong message to Indonesia concerning pre-trial detention, unfair trial, and torture. The AHRC notes that pre-trial detention under the […]

SRI LANKA: Human Rights Commission’s recommendations regarding Mahara Prison shootings

A Statement from The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission We reproduce below a statement issued by the National Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka on the Mahara Prison shooting on 29 November 2020. Click hereto see the statement.

INDIA: Morning knock at Anchor’s door exposes the rot in justice system

Article | India | 09-11-2020

By Avinash Pandey A morning knock at the door of one of the most popular and powerful anchors of India. A 40-member strong police team armed to teeth including AK 47 rifles. An Encounter Specialist present with the team. For the uninitiated, encounter specialists are the cops known for extrajudicial executions of criminals, mostly in […]

INDONESIA: Limitation of the Supreme Court’s Authority in the Criminal Verdict Imposition in the Draft of Indonesian Criminal Procedure Law (RKUHAP)

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), a regional human rights organization in Asia and the Indonesian Court Monitoring Society/MaPPI-FHUI, a civil society organization based in Indonesia, wishes to inform you about a journal (essay) concerning Limitation of the Supreme Court’s Authority in the Criminal Verdict Imposition in the Draft of Indonesian Criminal Procedure Law (RKUHAP), […]

INDONESIA: Justice Efficiency Improvement Through Special Line Mechanism in the Draft of Indonesian Criminal Procedure Law (RUU KUHAP)

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), a regional human rights organization in Asia and the Indonesian Court Monitoring Society/MaPPI-FHUI, a civil society organization based in Indonesia, wishes to inform you about a journal (essay) concerning Justice Efficiency Improvement Through Special Line Mechanism in the Draft of Indonesian Criminal Procedure Law (RUU KUHAP), written by Mr. […]

PHILIPPINES: Anti-Terrorism Act is reminiscent of the dark history of martial law era, says CCA General Secretary

The Philippines’ new ‘Anti-Terrorism Act’, which took effect on Saturday, 18 July 2020, is reminiscent of the use of repressive force and human rights violations of the dark history of martial law era, stated the General Secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), Dr Mathews George Chunakara. In a statement released on behalf of […]

SRI LANKA: Case of alleged torture, illegal arrest and detention of Liyanage Pasindu Yasantha Perera by some officers of Kalutara District Crime Division

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION – URGENT APPEALS PROGRAM Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC UAC-002-2020  16 July 2020 ———————————————————————————- SRI LANKA: Case of alleged torture, illegal arrest and detention of Liyanage Pasindu Yasantha Perera by some officers of Kalutara District Crime Division ISSUES: Torture, Illegal arrest and detention  ———————————————————————————- Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) […]

PHILIPPINES/WORLD: Her Story Lives: Honoring the Predecessors of the #HijaAko Movement

By: Ma. Hazel Joy Faco Out of breath from running around the city with a big placard in one hand and a heavy, borrowed tripod on the other, I stood in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul with eighty other activists demanding for an official apology and reparation from the Japanese government. After that […]

PHILIPPINES: Acceleration of extra-judicial killings of jurists in the Philippines

A Written Submission to the 44th Regular Session of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council Jointly Submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre and Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (Council), during its 41st Session, adopted Resolution A/HRC/41/L.20, Promotion and protection of human rights in the Philippines (Resolution 41/L.20)1, requesting […]