Rule of law

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Vidana Mahaduralage Somarathne, a farmer by possession, was illegally arrested, detained and severely tortured by the four police officers attached to the Polpithigama Police on 20 March 2013 at Ma Eliya Junction. Mr. Vidana started screaming in pain in the early morning […]

We reproduce below the inauguration address of Upul Jayasuriya, president of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, delivered on 30th March 2013. Ven. Maha sangha, Your Lordships Judges of the Supreme Court Hon. Attorney General, Your Lordship President of the Court of Appeal and judges of the Court of Appeal, other judges Your Excellencies of […]

An article from The Sunday Times forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Kishali Pinto Jayawardena With a foreign policy in tatters, the judiciary and the legal system in deep crisis and the state of the economy looking more perilous with each monumentally wasteful government extravaganza, the seasonal call of the koha heralding the Sinhala […]

Dear friends,  We wish to share with you the full text of the speech of former Supreme Court Judge C. V. Wigneswaran at the 39th Annual Convocation of BASL. Asian Human Rights Commission  Hong Kong ————- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AHRC-FST-017-2013 March 31, 2013 A Statement from the United Nations forwarded by the Asian Human Rights […]

A Statement from the United Nations forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission GENEVA (29 March 2013) – A group of United Nations independent human rights experts today called on all parties in Bangladesh “to cease violence immediately and return to peaceful demonstrations,” after worrying levels of violence have been reported following large-scale protests across […]

Dear friends: The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information regarding the murder and probable rape of a 16-year-old girl in Imphal West District, Manipur State. On the 5 March 2013, local fishermen found the body of pregnant girl, deceased, Ms. C1 (name withheld), floating in Haorang cannel. Although a confessor has emerged and taken […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received deeply concerning information from Stateless Watch for Research and Development Institute of Thailand (SWIT) regarding a recent draft ministerial regulation proposed by the Ministry of Interior. If it enters into law, the draft Ministerial Regulation Specifying the Status and Conditions of Residing in the Kingdom of Thailand […]

The Law Society of Hong Kong notes the Court of Final Appeal (“CFA”) published its judgment (“Judgment”) in the case of Vallejos Evangeline Banao and Domingo Daniel L. v. Commissioner of Registration and Registration of Persons Tribunal (“Vallejos”) and has the following observations: 1.  Foreign Domestic Workers – Right of Abode We note the CFA […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the attacks on the houses belonging to Ahmadis. The attackers were from two religious organizations, the Sipah-e-Sahaba (SP) and Khatm-e-Nabowat (KN) and were provided with protection by the police during the attack. The local in-charge of the Ahmadiya Jamat was seriously injured when […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the murder of a young man in Chitwan in 2004 by Maoist cadres in the midst of the civil war, following a personal dispute. No investigation has been held into the circumstances of his death as the alleged perpetrators have benefited from high […]

Yesterday the United Nations Human Rights Council approved the resolution on promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka. The gist of the resolution is that the Human Rights Council welcomes the report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights offering advice and technical assistance to the government of Sri Lanka for promoting […]

Some in India would consider the country’s honour preserved, and finally respected, once the marines from Italy return to stand trial in India. The marines’ return is an issue, in which the Supreme Court of India sailed through unchartered waters, at the risk of a complete breakdown of bilateral relationships between India and Italy. The […]

“When a dog howls at the moon, we call it religion. When he barks at strangers, we call it patriotism.” — Edward Abbey Another howler has emerged from Sri Lanka. And, neither laughing nor crying will make any difference. In reply to the recent attack on Buddhist monks in Tamil Nadu, by politically motivated extremists, […]

19 มีนาคม 2556 เรื่อง ขอเชิญเข้าร่วมเวทีเสวนา เรียน สื่อมวลชน และผู้ที่สนใจ กองทุนรางวัลสมชาย นีละไพจิตร มูลนิธิยุติธรรมเพื่อสันติภาพ โครงการฟื้นฟูนิเวศในภูมิภาคแม่นน้ำโขง (TERRA) และ แอมเนสตี้ อินเตอร์เนชั่นแนล ประเทศไทย ขอเชิญสื่อมวลชน และผู้ที่สนใจ เข้าร่วมเวทีเสวนา หัวข้อ “สิทธิมนุษยชนในอาเซียน: กรณีศึกษา การสูญหายของ สมบัด สมพอน และ สมชาย นีละไพจิตร” ในวันพุธที่ 27 มีนาคม 2556 เวลา 09.30 – 12.00 น. ณ ห้องประชุมจิตติ ติงศภัทิย์ ชั้น 1 คณะนิติศาสตร์ มหาวิทยาลัยธรรมศาสตร์ ท่าพระจันทร์ โดยมี อังคณา นีละไพจิตร, ศรีประภา เพชรมีศรี และ วิฑูรย์ เพิ่มพงศาเจริญ ร่วมเสวนา […]

Somchai Neelapaijit Memorial Fund, Justice for Peace Foundation, Towards Ecological Recovery and Regional Alliances (TERRA), Amnesty International Thailand will host a panel discussion entitled “Human Rights in ASEAN: Lessons Learned from the Disappearance of Sombath Somphone and Somchai Neelapaijit.” The event takes place on March 27, 2013, from 9.30-12.00, at Jitti Tingsapat Meeting Room, 1st […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Ms. Kumarapperuma Arrachige Dileeka Shanthi Kusum, a 33-year-old mother of two was beaten in public by the Chairman of the Co-op Lanka, Kotapola. Dileeka Shanthi Kusum was hospitalised due to the injuries she received in the incident and has made complaints to the […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) appreciates the proposed reforms to the criminal law in India – Penal Code, 1860; Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, and the Evidence Act, 1872. Amendments to the three legislations, collectively known as the Criminal Major Acts, partially address some of the pitfalls in India’s criminal law architecture with regard to […]

On March 12, 2013, the ninth anniversary of the enforced disappearance of Somchai Neelaphaijit passed. The Asian Human Rights Commission chooses to note this anniversary with continued sorrow for the enforced disappearance of Somchai Neelaphaijit and deep concern for the persistent failure to secure justice in this case. This is nine years in which the […]

In two separate incidents, two Sri Lankan monks have been attacked in India. These two attacks are a continuum to previous assaults upon Sri Lankan nationals visiting India. These incidents are criminally shameless and display a despicable disregard to foreigners traveling to India. They are an affirmation of the inability of a few individuals to […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a newlywed Pakistani couple was abducted from Nepal by agents of the Indian intelligence agencies while they were leaving for Pakistan. They were quickly shifted to India where they were kept in a private torture cell for 17 days where they suffered severe […]