Rule of law

An article from The Sunday Times forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission As family members of a murdered ruling party politician travelled to Geneva this week to lay their case for denial of justice before the United Nations Human Rights Council, the ironies are palpable, almost painful. Are we to see in coming months, […]

A Press Release from Front Line Defenders forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) On 13 March 2013, human rights defender Ms Perveen Rehman was shot and killed by armed motorcyclists, close to her offices. Perveen Rehman was a social and economic rights defender, working with communities in the slums of Karachi. She was director of […]

Amir Murtaza In a tragic incident, the well-known social worker, educationist and development expert Parveen Rehman was brutally shot dead in Karachi on 13th March, 2013. She had been working vigorously for the emancipation of the poor and marginalized people in Pakistan, for more than two decades. Parveen Rehman was a very well respected teacher […]

When the case regarding the torture of Chamila Bandara Jayaratne came before the Supreme Court yesterday (March 11) the lawyer appearing for the respondent police officers, Mr. Manohara de Silva, mislead the court by stating that leave to proceed had not been granted by the Supreme Court in this case. In fact, leave to proceed […]

नियमों के प्रभाव – 2 फरवरी 2006 को जब राष्ट्रीय ग्रामीण रोज़गार गारंटी क़ानून लागू किया गया था, तब यह अहसास तो था कि इस क़ानून को लागू करना आसान न होगा. कारण था एक बहुत बुनियादी किन्तु जवाबदेय व्यवस्था की गैर-मौजूदगी. सोच बहुत महत्वाकांक्षी थी. कुछ लोग इस क्रांतिकारी भी मानते थे, क्योंकि इस दौर […]

(Photo courtesy of the Daily Express) The small incident of a quarrel between three Christian and Muslim friends during a drinking session (of alcohol) turned into the ransacking, looting and burning of 180 Christian houses in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province. The fighting between the friends happened on Tuesday, March 5 but after three […]

10 มีนาคม 2556 เรียน    ท่านนายกรัฐมนตรี นางสาวยิ่งลักษณ์ ชินวัตร ดิฉัน นางอังคณา นีละไพจิตร ภรรยานายสมชาย นีละไพจิตร ทนายความสิทธิมนุษยชนที่ให้ความช่วยเหลือทางคดีแก่ผู้ต้องหาคดีความมั่นคงในจังหวัดชายแดนภาคใต้ ซึ่งถูกลักพาตัวโดยเจ้าหน้าที่ตำรวจเมื่อวันที่ ๑๒ มีนาคม ๒๕๔๗ หลังจากที่นายสมชายได้ร้องเรียนเรื่องการที่เจ้าหน้าที่ตำรวจซ้อมทรมานผู้ต้องหา ภายหลังการหายตัวไปของนายสมชาย พ.ต.ท.ทักษิณ ชินวัตร ได้ยอมรับว่านายสมชาย นีละไพจิตรเสียชีวิตแล้ว และกรมสอบสวนคดีพิเศษได้รับคดีสมชายไว้เป็นคดีพิเศษตั้งแต่วันที่ ๑๙ กรกฎาคม ๒๕๔๘ โดยได้มอบหมายให้พล.ต.อ.สมบัติ อมรวิวัฒน์ อธิบดีกรมสอบสวนคดีพิเศษในขณะนั้นเป็นผู้รับผิดชอบคดี จนถึงปัจจุบันผ่านมา ๘ ปีคดีสมชาย นีละไพจิตร ภายใต้ความรับผิดชอบของอธิบดีกรมสอบสวนคดีพิเศษ ที่ปัจจุบันมีนายธาริต เพ็งดิษ เป็นอธิบดีและท่านนายกรัฐมนตรี ในฐานะประธานคณะกรรมการคดีพิเศษไม่ปรากฏความก้าวหน้าใดๆในทางการสืบสวนสอบสวน ที่ผ่านมา ดิฉันได้เคยเรียนถามท่านรัฐมนตรีว่าการกระทรวงยุติธรรม พลตำรวจเอกประชา พรหมนอก ถึงความก้าวหน้าคดีสมชาย ซึ่งท่านรัฐมนตรีว่าการกระทรวงยุติธรรมได้มอบเอกสารสรุปคดีสมชายจากกรมสอบสวนคดีพิเศษเป็นกระดาษ ๑ แผ่น สรุปความได้ว่า ไม่ปรากฏความก้าวหน้าใดๆในการสืบสวนสอบสวนเพื่อหาตัวผู้กระทำผิด ทั้งที่กรมสอบสวนคดีพิเศษรับดำเนินการคดีสมชาย นีละไพจิตร เป็นระยะเวลา ๘ ปี ท่านนายกรัฐมนตรีอาจไม่ทราบว่า […]

Her Excellency, the Prime Minister, Ms. Yingluck Shnawatra Dear Madam Prime Minister, My name is Angkhana Neelapaijit, wife of Mr. Somchai Neelapaijit, a human rights lawyer who had given legal aid to alleged offenders in security related cases in Thailand’s Southern Border Provinces. Mr. Somchai was abducted by police officers on 12 March 2004, after […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the torture of a priest in Pania, Papua, which took place on 2 March 2013. The priest was arrested and beaten by five police officers after randomly shouted in front of a police station. As a result, the priest was injured but the […]

The US sponsored resolution against neighbouring Sri Lanka has become a discussion point in India. Debates in the parliament and in the media are about whether India should support or oppose the resolution. Government of India has not decided yet, though some politicians, including the main opposition party, the BJP, have been demanding that India […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received disturbing information from Samaj Chetna Adhikar Manch, Rewa, Madhya Pradesh regarding local goons threatening to kill its activists. The organisation, working in Java block of the district, has been in the forefront of the struggle against malnutrition and the widespread corruption in welfare schemes that […]

The tribunal on war crimes established in March 2010 has pushed Bangladesh to extreme violence. Since 28 February, the events have taken a violent turn in which almost 100 persons including women, children and police officers have lost life. Several hundreds more are injured, and properties destroyed of which no body in the country has […]

A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women Statistics apart, India is not a safe place for women to live. The recent unfortunate incidents of rape reported from the national capital and from other parts of the country have only brought the gruesome reality to the fore. Gender rights groups, the […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Balasundaram Jeyamagudam (32) was illegally arrested, detained and severely tortured by Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) officers for two months without being produced in court. He is married and has a son aged 6. Balasundaram was never involved in the any of the […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Kitnasami Rajendran(57) of Udayarkattu North, Udayarkattu in Mullaitivu District was illegally arrested in 2008 and has been detained without trial for more than four years. He was tortured in the custody of the Colombo Criminal Investigation Division and is now detained at […]

When a business school invites persons to attend one of its functions, that too expecting the person to deliver nothing less than the keynote address, it must be taking into account many factors. Elementary is the invitee’s credentials, and in the background of the sponsors, who contribute to organise the event. It appears that the […]

केवल अपेक्षा ही नहीं थी बल्कि उम्मीद भी थी कि राष्ट्रीय ग्रामीण रोज़गार गारंटी योजना न केवल गाँव के लोगों को रोज़गार का अधिकार देगी, बल्कि हमारी चरमराती शासन व्यवस्था (गवर्नेंस) को भी एक ठोस आधार देगी. यही वह क़ानून भी है, जिसने गाँव को यह अधिकार दिया कि वे अपनी योजना और बजट बनाएंगे, […]

He had to die. Die, because a nation wanted him to, or so were we told by the Supreme Court of the nation. He had to die to satisfy the collective conscience of the nation, the court added for a good measure. So, he did die, nay, hanged till death. His body was left hanging […]

A court in Manipur yesterday has ordered the detention of Ms. Irom Sharmila Chanu, better known as the iron lady of Manipur. Detention is nothing new to this woman, most humble yet so bold, that she has so far successfully challenged the iron fist of the senselessness Indian state and its Manipuri counterpart, the Government […]

A video depicting ill-treatment and excessive use of force by police officers has recently been released to the public. In the video, several men who were suspected of being terrorists were lying down on the grass with their hands bound while the police officers asked them questions. One of the suspects was shot in his leg while […]