Right to fair trial

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received the following information from the Terai Human Rights Defenders’ Alliance (THRDA). On 29 October 2017, a 17-year-old Muslim girl, a resident of the Parsauni Rural Municipality-4, Sakhuwa of the Parsa District, had been gang raped. Mukhtar Ansari, 22, son of Ward Chairperson, Jumadin Ansari, and […]

The weekly Times column, Focus on Rights, titled ‘Tensions unravellingacross the reform road-map’ by Kishali Pinto Jayawardena, in the Sunday Times, Sri Lanka, on 05 November 2017, forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission by Kishali Pinto Jayawardena There appears to be a brisk uptick in the tone of visiting European lawmakers to Sri Lanka this week as compared […]

by Raksha Ram Harijan The routine practice of torture in Nepal is nothing new; decades of work by human rights organizations working on torture and impunity can provide solid examples of the Nepal Police and Nepal Army practicing torture during their work. Despite the government’s ratification of the Convention against Torture (CAT) on 14 May […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about a fabricated case lodged by police officers of the South Aceh Police Office and Sawang Police Office in South Aceh regency, Aceh province. Without proper investigation and a lack of evidence, the police accused Mr. Abas Rizal bin Agusmar alias Sibay of illegally […]

This week Just Asia begins with Sri Lanka, where a man was shot dead Monday by the Special Task Force of the police while travelling with his friends in a car. The police later claimed that they only began firing after the vehicle fired on them first, but there is no evidence to support this […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from our local partner in Papua about the torture and ill-treatment of a high school student, Yunus Manauri, in Teluk Wondama regency, West Papua province. After Yunus refused to hand over his motorcycle for not having the vehicle’s document as well as a driving […]

This week Just Asia begins with India, where the Supreme Court ruled that sex with a wife younger than 18 is rape. This is a much needed legal development for child rights, and will help in the fight to end child marriage in the country. Sadly, the fight against marital rape for adult women continues. […]

The table given below sets down 09 extrajudicial killings, 01 attempted killing – 09 of which are at the hands of the police at various police stations and the other, in a prison. These 10 incidents are the ones reported to the Asian Human Rights Commission based in Hong Kong during this year. However, at […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about the extra-judicial killing of Mr. D P Premasiri (65) of Stace Road, Grandpass, Colombo 14 in the Colombo District. On 9 August 2017, Premasiri was illegally arrested, severely tortured at his house in front of his relatives and neighbors. Later, he was handcuffed […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the stagnant investigation of the acid attack case against Mr. Novel Baswedan, a senior investigator of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). Even after six months, the police investigation has still produced no results. Despite family and public requests for President Joko Widodo […]

This week Just Asia begins with Nepal, where a distressing case of caste discrimination saw a 14-year-old Dalit girl paraded in Belbari Municipality-2 of Morang district with shoes around her neck, soot smeared on her face, and the tag of ‘thief’ stuck on her body. She was also beaten with nettle greens, causing her body […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the decision issued by the police investigators of South Jakarta Police Office discontinuing the investigation into a brutal attack against Mr. Aldo Felix Januardy, a public lawyer at Jakarta Legal Aid. Since the attack was reported to the police, there has been no […]

रक्षाराम हरिजन नेपालको सार्वभौम संसदले देशलाई छुवाछुत मुक्त राष्ट्र घोषणा गरेको एक दशक पूरा भइसकेको छ । वि. सं. २०६३ जेठ २१ गते संसदले नेपाललाई छुवाछुत मुक्त घोषणा गरेको थियो । तर छुवाछुत मुक्त घोषणा कागजमा मात्रै सिमित रहेको देखिन्छ किनभने जात, वंश, समुदाय वा पेशाका आधारमा हुने छुवाछुत तथा जातीय भेदभावको घटनामा खासै कमी […]

This week Just Asia begins with Pakistan, where a teenage student, Tania Khaskheli, was murdered for turning down a marriage proposal from an influential feudal lord in Sindh province’s Sehwan city. The Sehwan police only filed murder charges after strong civil society protest. While two persons have since been arrested, the feudal lord is still […]

An oped from the Kathmandu Post forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission A country cannot survive in the absence of honesty and integrity. Additionally, there is a need for unity, compassion and eagerness for development among the people. Similarly, the government must observe the rule of law for the regulation of good governance. Nepal has had […]

This week Just Asia begins with Burma, where many Rohingya are suffering horrific injuries and loss of limbs by landmines along the Burma-Bangladesh border in their attempt to flee the violence. After the militant Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa) attacked several police posts on August 25, the Burmese government carried out a brutal counter-insurgency clampdown. […]

Dear Friends, According to the information that the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received, Ms. Sashikala Maduwanthi Dharmapalain was severely assaulted by her husband’s family on 14 August 2017. Although she made a domestic violence and sexual assault complaint to the police on the very same day, a month later the police have not […]

The mysterious death of 35-year-old Dev Bahadur B.K.on 30 August 2017 seems to involve the Ghorahi Sub-metropolitan police, Dang District. Dev was arrested at around 6 p.m. on August 29 by police officers attached to the Ward Police Station, Ghorahi Sub-Metropolitan. Dev was drunk at the time of arrest, and was taken to the police station in […]

A Statement from Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Darker and more dangerous: High Commissioner updates the Human Rights Council on human rights issues in 40 countries Human Rights Council 36th session Opening Statement by Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, United Nations High […]

‘In India, Another Government Critic Is Silenced by Bullets’, is how the New York Times reported the murder of Gauri Lankesh, a gutsy journalist known for her fierce opposition of the religious right wing regime currently in power in India. The heading that the New York Times chose says it all. Yes, Lankesh is ‘another’ victim of […]