Rule of law

SRI LANKA: An innocent man is detained after a Magistrate released him, severely tortured and is still awaiting trial

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Varnakulasingham Arulanandam was rearrested by the Terrorist Investigation Division after he was released by a court of law for lack of evidence. He has been severely tortured, his wife has only been allowed to visit him twice and there is no indication […]

SRI LANKA: Justice denied for a litigant at courts by the corrupt practices of the Peradiniya Police

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Gopalan Surendra (32) was involved in a minor traffic accident. When the police ‘arranged’ a lawyer for him Surendra decided to employ his own. This angered the police and they have intentionally delayed his case which should have been an open and […]

SRI LANKA: A young man was tortured by the Senior Superintendent of Police, Matara

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Janaka Darshana Kumara was arrested on suspicion of rape by Officer-in-Charge of Sub Police Watch, Deniyaya, while Janaka was at his sister’s place. He was taken to Matara Headquarters Police Station where he was tortured brutally, harassed sexually and detained illegally by […]

SRI LANKA: A woman is tortured by Rajanganaya Police and laid with false charges

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Ms. Punchibandage Indrani was severely tortured by the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of Rajanganaya Police Station. On this day police officers including the OIC came to Indrani’s home and assaulted her brother- in-law. Prior to the beating neither the OIC nor any of the officers […]

SRI LANKA: A detainee in the custody of Tangalle Prison was severely beaten by an inebriated prison guard – no medical treatment has been provided

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the custodial torture of Mr. Suntharallngam Ketheeswaran at the Tangalle Prison. Ketheeswaran was severely beaten by an inebriated prison guard and despite the severity of the injuries he has suffered no medical attention has been provided. CASE NARRATIVE: On Saturday February 23, 2013 […]

PAKISTAN: The killings of journalists continue unabated

Two senior journalists were killed during the short span of 48 hours. As is usual, enquiry committees have been formed by the authorities to investigate the killings and the motives behind the incidents. However, as committees have been formed in the past for the same reason which have not shown any results there is not […]

PHILIPPINES: Vendors of the Luneta Park forcibly evicted

[RE: AHRC-HAC-004-2013: PHILIPPINES: Vendors face forced eviction and food insecurity] Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information Defend Job Philippines about the eviction of vendors of the Luneta Park. The National Parks Development Committee evicted the vendors from their livelihood places inside Luneta Park on 27 February, 2013 despite the protest […]

INDIA: Immediately stop evicting and threatening the floating huts-dwellers of Loktak Lake

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Centre for Research and Advocacy, Manipur regarding continued eviction of floating hut dwellers and destruction of their floating huts at Loktak Lake by the Loktak Development Authority (LDA) of the Government of Manipur and Manipur Police on 23 February 2013. Worryingly, the assault […]

BANGLADESH: Police arbitrarily detain a woman and her teenage daughter whom officers sexually abused on several occasions

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the police of Kushtia district tortured five women from one family. Three of them were detained arbitrarily, followed by illegal arrests and raids on their house without a warrant. One of the teenage girls, studying in college, was sexually abused by police officers […]

PAKISTAN: A young man was tortured to death in military custody in Azad Kashmir

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a young man was tortured and killed in military custody within 24 hour of his arrest. The only apparent reason for his arrest was the fact that he passed by a military zone along the Indian border in Pakistani held Kashmir. His body […]

PAKISTAN: Shia genocide — What exactly is preventing the military and the judiciary from performing their duties against militancy?

After hearing the accusations of covert and overt support for sectarian terrorism and the terrorists the state institutions, like the judiciary and the army are trying to clarify their positions. There is of course, the involvement of the civilian set up that, after a total of 32 years of collision between the army and the […]

INDIA: The great thamasha

Bijo Francis* Overcoming initial reluctance, the Maharashtra state police have finally registered a case in the infamous Bhandara rape and murder incident. This is a case, not much discussed in India, other than for sparse reporting in a few Indian dailies, of the rape murder of three sisters, all minors. Missing of three miserable village […]

INDONESIA: Korban penyiksaan di Papua bicara mengenai kekerasan yang dilakukan polisi

(Hong Kong/Jakarta, February 22, 2013) Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) telah merilis video interview dengan dua warga Papua yang telah menjadi korban penyiksaan oleh oknum aparat Polri. Video tersebut dapat diakses di Saluran AHRC di Youtube di http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMI1HouWMv4. Dalam video yang direkam dan awalnya disebarkan oleh seorang aktivis lokal, Eneko Pahabol dan Obed Bahabol mengungkapkan bagaimana […]

PHILIPPINES: Vendors face forced eviction and food insecurity

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Defend Job Philippines about an eviction notice served on the vendors of Luneta Park (also called Rizal Park) in Manila. The proposed eviction will not merely leave the vendors jobless but also jeopardize their food security. It would also render many of them […]

INDONESIA: Torture victims in Papua speak out on how the police had ill-treated them

(Hong Kong/Jakarta, February 22, 2013) The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has released the video of interview with two Papuans who were tortured by the Indonesian Police. The video is available on AHRC’s YouTube Channel on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMI1HouWMv4. On the video which was originally recorded and disseminated by a local activist, Eneko Pahabol and Obed Bahabol told […]

SRI LANKA: Lawyers reject the candidate promoted by the government

At the Bar Association election this year, Mr. Upul Jayasooriya was elected with an overwhelming majority. He won by a margin of over 1,471 votes while the persons who came in second and third received 330 and 77 votes. It was well known that one of the candidates was openly promoted by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. […]

INDONESIA: Allegation on physical threat towards journalists in Padang should be seriously investigated

Brig. Gen. Pol. Wahyu Indra Pramugari Chief of West Sumatera Regional Police Jl. Sudirman No. 55 Padang, Sumatera Barat 25231 INDONESIA info@sumbar.polri.go.id Phone: +62 751 33416 Fax: +62 751 33416 Dear Mr. Pramugari, The AHRC is writing to make enquiries regarding a physical threat directed against seven journalists by a civilian on 13 February 2013. […]

SRI LANKA: The mother’s appeal for saving the life of Sudeshkar facing the death sentence in Qatar

Mangala Samy Pungonda, the mother of Wengadasalam Sudeshkar yesterday, February 19, appealed for the final sum of Rs. 600,000/= (approximately US$ 5,000) for the saving of her son’s life from execution in Doha, Qatar. She thanked those who have already contributed to the raising of the sum of Rs. 3.5 Million and said that about […]

SRI LANKA: The mother’s appeal for saving the life of Sudeshkar facing the death sentence in Qatar

Mangala Samy Pungonda, the mother of Wengadasalam Sudeshkar yesterday, February 19, appealed for the final sum of Rs. 600,000/= (approximately US$ 5,000) for the saving of her son’s life from execution in Doha, Qatar. She thanked those who have already contributed to the raising of the sum of Rs. 3.5 Million and said that about […]

PAKISTAN: Sectarian killings — the nexus between Saudi Arabia and the army of Pakistan is now being openly discussed

The Asian Human Rights Commission strongly protests the murders of members of the Hazaras Shia community. A series of bombings in Hazaras town, Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, claimed many lives, all of them members of the Shia Community. This recent blast on February 17 is the second one. The first one took place […]