Rule of law

The police allegedly demanded Rs. 500,000/= for the release of a young man but as the amount was not paid on time he was tortured severely which resulted in his death. A young man of 18 years died in police custody after being tortured in a private torture cell run by the police. However the […]

Several police officers from the Karandeniya police illegally arrested Chandila Padmakumara Gurusinghe of Kiripedda, Babuwo Kanda, Karandeniya in Galle District, apparently on the instigation of a cinnamon trader. He was arrested without being informed of the reason for his arrest and he learned it only after he was brought to the police station by listening […]

An Open Letter from the AHRC to the President of Sri Lanka: Stop the use of chili by the police during interrogations (The following letter was sent to His Excellency, President Mahinda Rajapaksa) His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa President Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Office of the President Temple Trees 150, Galle Road, Colombo 3, […]

The Council of Islamic Ideology in Pakistan held a meeting on May 29, headed by Maulana Sherani, and warned that if the blasphemy laws are amended, the country’s minorities will be unsafe, but how much worse could the situation get? Minorities have been suffering since these laws were introduced by General Zia Ul Haq in […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward to you the following open letter addressed to Senator Bob Carr, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, from a group of Australian scholars expressing their concern about the abduction and disappearance of Lao activist Sombath Somphone in December 15, 2012. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong […]

Mr. MMD Aruna Nilupul Indika (39) of Welipenna, Kalutara District, was illegally arrested and severely tortured. Chili was applied onto his eyes and genitals. On 27 May 2013, he was arrested and tortured on the instruction of the lawyer Anoma Siriweera and her husband. The lawyer’s family had lost some items and suspected Nilupul Indika, […]

AFAD 15th Anniversary Statement 4 June 2013 – A decade and a half have passed since the founding of the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD). Many Asian governments continue the practice of making people disappear while past cases remain unresolved.  While they fail to hold the perpetrators accountable, victims and their families continue to […]

State media (newspaper, TV and radio) in Sri Lanka has been used often to attack Human Rights Defenders HRDs in Sri Lanka in the last few years. The ITN had started a fresh round of attacks in May this year. Those targeted have included prominent heads of NGOs, lawyers, journalists, clergy, academics and activists in […]

An Open Letter from the Asian Human Rights Commission to the President of the Republic of Indonesia Mr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono President of the Republic of Indonesia Jl. Veteran No. 16 Jakarta Pusat INDONESIA Fax: +62 21 348 34759 Dear Mr. President, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is writing to remind you of your […]

That the United National Party (UNP) has published a few ideas on the changes to the constitution they would bring about if they come to power is an indication that a serious critique that has been made about the 1978 Constitution can no longer be ignored. As it is good to have even an inadequate […]

Torture: Asian and Global Perspectives – Volume 2 Number 01, just issued Torture is endemic! Every moment of every day torture takes place somewhere in the world which shows us the gravity of the social destruction and disorder. Having a dream for a torture free society is not an illusion but something that is attached […]

The District Court Judge of Homagama, Sunil Abeysinghe and his guard Constable were arrested yesterday (May 30, 2013) allegedly while receiving a bribe of Rs. 300,000/= in order to return a favourable judgement to the bribe giver. Immediately after the illegal removal of Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayke and the appointment of Mohan Peiris as the […]

A judge of the Lahore High Court changed his decision less than two minutes after ruling in favour of the accused in a blasphemy case when lawyers and members of fundamentalist groups threatened him. The judge, in the fear of the dire consequences, quickly withdrew his decision of granting bail to the accused persons. May […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Dewasundaralage Thushar was illegally arrested, detained, brutally tortured and laid with fabricated charges. Thushara has been falsely charged with obstructing officers of the Department of Excise and having illegal liquor. The officers concerned asked Thushara to identify the person who was manufacturing […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Krishnaswami Ramachandran was arrested on suspicion of his involvement in the bomb blast at Daladha Maligawa in 1998. He was tortured and the charges were based on the confession he was forced to give under duress. In 2003 he was sentenced to […]

The Fundamental Rights case of Ganeshan Nimalaruban was taken before the Supreme Court yesterday. The Bench consisted of: Mohan Peiris CJ, P. A Ratnayake PC J and S Hettige J. In the course of submissions by the petitioner’s lawyers, Chief Justice Mohan Peiris made the following remarks: “When the prison is under siege do you […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Amarasinghege Priyantha Samanthilake was severely tortured by police officer P.C 51752 Jayasiri who is attached to the Negambo Police Station. On 27 April 2013, at about 9.30 am, Samanthilake was returning home after taking his daughter to her tuition class. Police Constable […]

The twenty first of May 1998 is celebrated by the Indonesians as the birth of reform in their country. It marks the resignation of the then President Soeharto who, at that time had been leading Indonesia for over 30 years. The road to this birth, however, was a bloody one. In May 1998 two gross […]

A Joint Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission and Odhikar on the occasion of the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women’s visit in Bangladesh Two female Members of Parliament of the Opposition were ill-treated by Police on 7 March 2013 in Dhaka, Bangladesh Introduction: 1. Bangladesh has been ruled alternately by two women […]

Serious doubts have emerged regarding the future investigations into the mass grave at Matale where the remains of 156 persons have been found. In today’s press it was reported that the Judicial Medical Officer in charge of the investigation has been transferred (JMO in charge of Matale mass grave also to be transferred — Sri Lanka […]