Prosecution system

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 […]

ශ‍්‍රී ලංකාව: පොලීසියට වධහිංසාවට එරෙහි නීතිය උගන්වන ලෙසට ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරණය විධාන කරයි

 ආසියානු මානව හිමිකම් කොමිසම – හදිසි අභියාචනා වැඩසටහන ලංකාවේ  මූලික අයිතිවාසිකම් පිළිබද නඩුවක් විභාග කර එහි තීන්දුව දුන් ශ්‍රේෂ්ඨාධිකරනයේ ත‍්‍රිපුද්ගල විනිශ්චය මණ්ඩලය ලංකාවේ බලධාරීන්ට පහත සදහන් නියෝගයද කරන ලදී.  ‘මෙම අධිකරණය ඉදිරියේ ගොනුකර ඇති මූලික අයිතිවාසිකම් නඩු ප‍්‍රමාණය අනුව පොලිස් ප‍්‍රචණ්ඩත්වය, අත්තඩංගුවේදී  වදහිංසා පැමිණවීම හා මරණ හෙළිදරව් වී ඇත. මෙයින් පෙනී යන්නේ රජය මෙම ප‍්‍රශ්ණය විසිදීම සදහා හෝ එය අඩු […]

WORLD: Global protests demanding police reforms

Statement | World | 25-06-2020

After the murder of George Floyd, the world has seen some of the most powerful protests demanding police reforms. The government of the United States has made some minor reforms, but also responded with force. The larger issue of police reform is now one of the most visible demands, and it calls for much more […]

BANGLADESH: Arbitrarily detained Journalist is at risk of infection with COVID-19 after returning from an enforced disappearance

Arbitrarily detained Journalist, Shafiqul Islam Kajol, is at risk of infection by COVID-19 after a prison guard of the Jashore Central Jail is tested positive for the virus on 17 June 2020, as the Asian Human Rights Commission has learned from its sources. Such risk is apparent in Bangladesh where prisons are overcrowded with more than double […]