Rule of law

Comments on the views of Rajpal Abeynayake and Nath Amarakoon on judicial review Basil Fernando The SLBC programme inappropriately entitled “People’s Power” is continuing with its misinformation campaign against basic principles of constitutionalism. On the programme that aired on the 13th of December, there were amusing misinterpretations of the constitutional history of the United States, […]

Dear friends, Mr. RHMPB Udangamuwa of Kobbakkaduwa, Yahaletenna in the Kandy District is the Coroner at the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital. While attempting to conduct his professional duties he was prevented from doing so by officers of the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens. He made complaints to the Peradeniya Police Station and a case was filed in the […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to inform you of the case regarding the torture of a Papuan in Mimika, Papua. The victim was arrested by officers from the Mimika Sub-District Police wearing civilian clothes without any warrant. The police randomly accused him for being involved in the separatist movement organised by […]

Once a ruler told one of his country’s citizens, Mr. Thinking citizen, you have told me some very beautiful principles. For example, you have said that any inquiry against anyone must be fair, and you have explained what fairness means. But you do not seem to understand that I do not like principles. The thinking […]

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following article from the Asian Tribune, written by Tisaranee Gunasekara. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- An article from the Asian Tribune, forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Tisaranee Gunasekara “The first waves of a sea of fire….” Ivo Andrić (The Bridge over the […]

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following article from the Sunday Times, Colombo, Sri Lanka, written by Kishali Pinto Jayawardena. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AHRC-FAT-051-2012 December 9, 2012 An article from the Sunday Times, forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission SRI LANKA: Reducing of Sri […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward you the following statement from the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ———————— A Statement from the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) SRI LANKA: Chief Justice’s impeachment hearing violates due process […]

The letter written by the senior and well-respected lawyer SL Gunasekara provides a very thought-provoking approach to dealing with the present impasse created by the government’s wish to proceed with the impeachment against the Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake, which they are doing irrespective of the request made by the Supreme Court to delay proceedings on […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission is concerned by a recent wave of arrests in Burma, signaling that continuation of repressive practices from earlier periods of direct military rule. Among those arrested are a number of leaders of recent demonstrations against a copper mining project in the north of the country, and a former […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a wave of persecution against the religious minority groups has again started with the connivance of military and local authorities. In the recent days more than 100 graves of Ahamadis were desecrated by excavating the graves and breaking the headstones bearing the names […]

We call upon the people, in particular the judges and lawyers, to grasp the historic significance of this moment It is news now that the Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake and her legal team, led by Romesh De Silva PC, walked away from the Parliamentary Select Committee proceedings, expressing no confidence in the manner in which […]

The Speaker’s ruling relating to the Supreme Court’s notice to the Speaker and the members of the Parliamentary Select Committee does not in any way prohibits the constitutional right of the Court to entertain and to determine the Reference made by the Court of Appeal for a specific question relating to the scope of Article […]

The Surendranagar firing that killed three Dalit youth on 21 September this year has once again brought to light the concern, that in India, the police do not have adequate training nor the government has necessary resolve to overhaul the police service into one that fits a modern democracy. An affidavit filed by the Gujarat […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received the information regarding a torture case took place in Medan, North Sumatra. The victim was blindfolded by the police and taken to an unidentified place where he was severely beaten with a wood block on his head and back. The victim’s mother submitted complaints in […]

Daily life in Pakistan is today marred by terrorist attacks that range from bombings to shootings and execution-style killings. All these are taking place in an environment where the law enforcement agencies are helpless to intervene. Little in the way of investigation takes place and even when the identities of the perpetrators are known no […]

Dear friends, Mr. T. A. Erantha Srinath is a clerk by profession. He was illegally detained and tortured by the Giriulla Police on 31 August 2012. Erantha Srinath and his colleagues were at Hettipola to worship the Kapilawasthu Relics, his mother & a little child who came with them went missing so he pleaded for […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Porawakara Arachchilage Pramesh is being harassed by officers of the Thambuththegama Police Station because he assisted a friend to file a fundamental rights application. The Officer-in-Charge of that station has personally threatened Pramesh with arrest and false charges if he continues his […]

Even the worst of criminals have a right to a fair trial before an independent judiciary. A judge in an impeachment proceeding in Sri Lanka does not have that right. Article 107 of the Constitution and the standing orders as they stand now preclude that right. Is the quality of citizenship of a judge of […]

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following article from the Sunday Times, Colombo, Sri Lanka, written by Kishali Pinto Jayawardena Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AHRC-FAT-044-2012 November 18, 2012 An article from the Sunday Times, forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission SRI LANKA: Drawing back from […]

SDPI’s study on poverty shows that every third Pakistani is living his life below the poverty line. This is very shocking revelation for all of us. About 58.7 million out of 180 million Pakistanis are living below the poverty line. This below the poverty line population is living 52% in Balochistan, 33% in Sindh, 32% […]