Right to fair trial

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information that Ms. Sirikan Charoensiri, a lawyer at Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), reported herself to the public prosecutor on 12 May 2016, relating to the case in which she was charged for providing legal assistance to 14 pro-democracy activists. Ms. Sirikan’s case […]

Discrimination and abuse from police and government officials continues to be faced by transgender rights defenders. Furthermore, many activists have been abducted, beaten, and raped for raising their voice against the atrocities meted out to them. Pakistani society by and large ostracises persons of transgender. Being social outcastes and shunned by their families, many transgender […]

An article by Bijo Francis and Urmila Pullat The press has reported on three rapes in Kerala in the last month. The one that everyone is talking about is the brutal rape and murder on April 28 of the Dalit law student, whose dismembered body was found by her mother in their home. The ones not discussed […]

May 17, 2016 Share| We are pleased to release a short video of Mr Basil Fernando reciting his poem“Looking for Raju” which is among the 15 winning poems selected by Amnesty International in their poetry competition “ Silenced Shadows” regarding forced disappearances. On 14th May 2016, the Amnesty International announced and made available these 15 poems, 05 each […]

Strengthen protection mechanisms and ensure accountability for human rights abuses (Bangkok, 9 May 2016)—We, the undersigned organizations and community-based networks, urge the Thai authorities and several mining companies to drop legal proceedings against community-based human rights defenders and call on Thai authorities to strengthen mechanisms to protect human rights defenders and ensure accountability for human […]

In this month five-year-old Hindu girl, Shazia Bheel, was murdered by Zahid Sheikh, a man who was dressed as a woman when he raped and murdered the child in Hyderabad. An FIR (# 22/2016), was lodged for murder and rape against the culprit on the compliant of the father of the deceased child. Women and […]

This week Just Asia begins with Pakistan, where three cases of honour killings have been reported from the country over the last 15 days, killing five women. Such acts are the result of a typical mindset that women must be killed for disobeying men, and besmirching their honour. The year 2015 saw more than 7,010 […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is concerned about the recent political move in Nepal. The political parties have ganged up to undermine the ongoing transitional justice process, to flout the verdict of the Supreme Court of Nepal – on how those involved in crimes committed in the conflict period can be given amnesty, and […]

The UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment Mr Juan E Mendez, published his preliminary findings on 7th May 2016 following an official visit to Sri Lanka. He has observed that torture is a common practice in Sri Lanka and structural reforms are required to prevent it. In […]

Dr. Deepika Udagama Chairman, National Human Rights Commission Head Office,  No. 165 Kynsey Road,  Borella, Colombo 08 Sri Lanka Dear Dr. Deepika Udagama, Request for special action regarding Ms M K Malani, presently being held at the Dumbara-Bogambara Prison – tortured, sexually abused and incarcerated under fabricated charges by Nawalapitiya Police The Asian Human Rights […]

Ms. Patnaree Chankij, a 40-year-old single mother of four children, including anti-junta student activist Mr. Sirawit, aka, ‘Ja New’, has been charged with defaming the monarchy. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) deems Ms. Patnaree’s arrest a new low in the junta-ruled country. Mr. Sirawit is a Thammasat student activist who has been actively involved […]

Militants in Karachi assassinated a prominent human rights defender, Khurram Zaki, on May 7. He was on the hit lists of ISIS, Taliban, and their affiliated outfits. He had informed the police, and the governments of Sindh Province and Pakistan, about the death threats he had been receiving. But as per usual, in the policy […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Independent Journalist Alliance (AJI) of Yogyakarta province, that the police along with vigilante groups forcibly dispersed the commemoration of the world press freedom day. By taking sides with vigilante and intolerant mobs, the police have failed to guarantee the freedom of press, […]

On 27 April 2016, Ms. Sirikan (“June”) Charoensiri, a lawyer at Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, received a summons to report to the public prosecutor at the Office of Special Prosecutor at Subdistrict 3 Court (Dusit) in Bangkok on 12 May 2016 at 10.00. Under Thai law, after the police have concluded an investigation and decide […]

This week’s episode covers World Press Freedom Day, marked annually on May 3. Journalists are at risk in many Asian countries, facing either threats to their lives or legal repression. According to Reporters without Borders’ 2016 World Press Freedom Index, the media freedom situation has worsened significantly or stagnated in the region. The majority of […]

Now, there is a new Attorney General and a new Inspector General of Police. Whatever be the disputes about the manner in which their appointments were made, they are now the operators of two of the most vital systems of the state apparatus in Sri Lanka, the Attorney General’s Department and the police service. That […]

A senior political activist, Mr. Aftab Ahmed, working for the fourth biggest parliamentary party, MQM, has been allegedly extrajudicially executed in Rangers’ custody. He ostensibly died due to a heart attack, but his body bears evidence of torture, including burns. As their first response, the Pakistan Rangers denied Aftab was tortured and claimed he suffered […]

Torture is inhumane and ineffective, and its continued use as part of investigations in India needs to be re-examined. In this photo, reviewed by a Defense Department official, a Guantanamo detainee’s feet are shackled to the floor as he attends a “Life Skills” class inside the Camp 6 high-security detention facility at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, […]

Saturday, 30 April 2016, was the fifth anniversary of the imprisonment of Somyot Prueksakasemsuk, a long-time labour rights activist and human rights defender. On 30 April 2011, Somyot was arrested on allegations of violating Article 112 of the Criminal Code. He was held for six months of pre-trial detention and then hearings in his case […]

Keynote address at the Conference on Human Rights Solidarity Bangladesh, May 2016, Bangkok, Thailand Discussing Bangladesh’s situation from the human rights perspective is no doubt a difficult issue, given the chaotic situation that has developed in both the country’s political and criminal justice systems, during recent times. It may not be of much comfort to […]