Rule of law

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received a report from MASUM that a group of Border Security Forces (BSF) in West Bengal, India has shot dead 45-year-old agriculture labourer, Mr. Razzak Seikh on 11 June 2012. This is yet another instance of extrajudicial execution committed with impunity by the BSF, contributing to […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received a report from MASUM that a group of Border Security Forces (BSF) in West Bengal, India has shot dead 45-year-old agriculture labourer, Mr. Razzak Seikh on 11 June 2012. This is yet another instance of extrajudicial execution committed with impunity by the BSF, contributing to […]

Basil Fernando The interview of the Defense Secretary Mr. Gotabaya Rajapakse with the editor of the Sunday Leader on the airlifting of a dog deserves comment not because of anything surprising contained in the interview. Its importance lies in its banality. It reveals something that has come to be quite common and ordinary in the […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information concerning the kidnap and trafficking of the then 16-year-old Sajida Khatun (name changed to protect identity) on 25 March 2011 and the refusal of personnel at Haroa Police Station to render assistance for her recovery. Efforts by Sajida’s father to register a case with […]

For many decades since 1978 there has been talk about many reforms. The basic justification for 17th Amendment to the Constitution was that it promised basic reforms with the view to enable working of the democratic process. There had also been suggestions for reforms to ensure the rights of minorities, particularly the Tamils. The 13th […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from MASUM concerning the torture of Mr Ranjan Mondal by five BSF personnel attached to Kaharpara BSF Outpost No. 5 under 105th Battalion of BSF on 5 January 2012 Unlawful arrest, torture, caste-based discrimination and a culture of impunity amongst law enforcement and paramilitary […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that an attempt was made to abduct Mr. Shantha Wijesuriya, a journalist for Lanka-e-news, Sri Lanka’s most widely read online news publication. Shortly after the publication of a controversial article in which Mr. Wijesuriya highlighted the link between a known criminal and the Rajapaksa family, […]

The Government of Bangladesh plans to immediately arrest members of human rights organisations and activists suspected of providing information for the Human Rights Watch Report “Bangladesh: Torture, Deaths of Jailed Mutiny Suspects”. The Asian Human Rights Commission has learned from reliable sources that there are discussions among some quarters in the Bangladesh government of arresting […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a 16-year old girl was sexually assaulted but because police officers have a connection to the perpetrator, they are refusing to investigate the case and secure protection for the victim and her family. On 12 April 2012, Mr. Gunatunga cut down and stole a […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from MASUM concerning the murder of 21-year-old Jiarul Sardar on 10 June 2012 in yet another case of Border Security Forces (BSF) brutality in West Bengal, India. Torture, extrajudicial killings and acts of impunity are features of everyday life for Indian people living near […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Priyashantha, a married bako operator with a young daughter, was publicly and brutally assaulted by the Officer in Charge (OIC) of the Vanathavilluwa Police Station for a crime that he did not commit. Mr. Priyashantha attended a musical show in which his […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Rongmei Lu Phuam (RLP) concerning the robbery and horrific gang rape of 40-year-old Phool Maya (name changed) on 22 March 2012 by four men, two of whom are Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) officers. It is possible the incident was masterminded by a fifth […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a 17-year old boy was physically and sexually assaulted by intoxicated police officers at Pallama Police Station for a crime that he did not commit. Mr. Chamara (name changed for privacy and security purposes) was accused of stealing jewelry from a neighbour. Despite […]

Hong Kong, July 3, 2012 “For over a year, I was in hiding. My life was empty,” said Myrna Reblando as she shared her story to a group of local and international journalists in Hong Kong. Myrna Reblando, the widow of Alejandro “Bong” Reblando, a journalist murdered in the 2009 Maguindanao massacre, was one of […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Meheran, a married man with two children, was arbitrarily arrested, detained and tortured for a crime that he did not commit. Several police officers attached to the Criminal Branch of Thambutthegama Police Station came into Mr. Meheran’s residence at 4am, woke him […]

Basil Fernando In a previous article, SRI LANKA: The Supremacy of the national security apparatus, we discussed the issue of the Ministry of Defence being the most important institution in Sri Lanka, after the institution of the Executive President. This implies that the ministry is more important than the parliament and the judiciary within the new […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from MASUM concerning the harassment and intimidation of Mr Saiful Molla and Mr Khalil Mondal by BSF personnel attached to Kaijuri BSF Camp on 9.30pm on 21 April 2012 and 3.30pm on 22 April 2012. Unlawful arrest and detention, harassment, degrading treatment, religious discrimination […]

Below is a letter written by Cambidian Ambassador for United Kingdom regarding an article written by Dr. Gaffar Peang-Meth published by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). It is one of many articles that he has written in recent year. We publish it with a note from AHRC. A note from the AHRC It is […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from MASUM concerning the torture of 35-year-old Mr Sudarshan Mondal on 3 November 2011 in yet another case of Border Security Forces (BSF) brutality in West Bengal, India. Torture, extrajudicial killings, religious discrimination and a culture of impunity are features of everyday life for […]

96 hours after the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) firing in Kotteguda panchayat of Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh state, the union government and the state government of Chhattisgarh are on defensive mode, finding excuses to justify the police action that killed 20 villagers, of which at least five are children. The firing occurred on 30 […]