Rule of law

INDIA: A person tortured by the BSF again along the Indo-Bangladesh border

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM) concerning yet another case of torture by the Border Security Force (BSF) stationed along the Indo-Bangladesh border. It is reported that the victim in this case was tortured first by the BSF driver who had agreed to […]

INDIA: Police demand bribes to stop torture in West Bengal

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM) concerning the case of custodial torture and fabrication of a false case against two persons by the officers from Baduria and Basirhat police stations. It is alleged that the victims in the case now face a fabricated charge […]

PAKISTAN: A young woman released after a year of assault, abuse and rape

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a 19 year old woman was abducted, raped for more than a year and sold with the connivance of high officials of the police. The officials of the Citizen’s Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), a government agency, were pressuring the young woman and her […]

SRI LANKA: Is shooting at peaceful demonstrators a government policy

Mr. Rajitha Seneratne, the Cabinet Minister for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development, when answering a question to a BBC Sinhala Service correspondent regarding the shooting of a fisherman at a peaceful demonstration in Chilaw stated that the shooting of demonstrators is a usual practice of the Sri Lankan police. Sri Lankan policemen have shot demonstrators […]

NEPAL: Express concern about decaying rule of law framework, prevalent human rights violations, impunity during Nepal visit

An Open Letter from the Asian Human Rights Commission to the US Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Maria Otero Under Secretary, Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, DC 20520 United States of America Fax: + (202) 647-1579 Dear Ms. Otero, NEPAL: […]

SRI LANKA: A man is tortured by a senior police officer and the Attorney General is taking over a private plaint filed by the victim in order to protect the officer

Dear friends, M. Nishantha Fernando Jayawardena of Panadura in Kalutara district was assaulted by the Superintendent of Police (SP) for Panadura, Lesly Hamilton Gregory Cooray on 4 June, 2010 when he went to answer a query. For no reason at all the SP grabbed Nishantha’s shirt collar and struck him on his chest and face. […]

SRI LANKA: A man was falsely charged when he refused to be a witness in a fabricated case

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Santhan Stanys Ramesh (33) was falsely charged by officers of the TID in a fabricated case when he refused to become a witness on their behalf. He was subjected to degrading treatment and remains in detention at the Anuradhapura Remand Prison. The […]

SRI LANKA: A woman faces death threats after a powerful politician uses his influence to grab her property

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Ms. Warnakula Gunawardhana Sellapperumage Mangalika Jayasooriya, of 120/1, Bogamuwa, Kalagedihena in the Gampaha District is facing death threats after her properties have been forcibly grabbed by the henchmen of a powerful politician and a deputy minister of the ruling government of Sri Lanka. despite making […]

SRI LANKA: On the Edge of the Knife

There is always a fallacious belief that, “It would not be the same here; here such things are impossible”1. The morning of Valentine’s Day (February 14) started with the unwholesome smell of the burnt carcass of a person; the incident took place in the central part of Colombo, which is one of most secure places […]

SRI LANKA: Abduction of a torture victim seeking judicial remedies from the Supreme Court

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed that a man who was tortured and illegally detained for 28 months was abducted before the Supreme Court could hear his Fundamental Rights application. The AHRC has in the past documented similar cases wherein police officials were directly involved in abducting and murdering torture […]

INDIA: Rotten corpses symbolise a fallen system

Statement | India | 13-02-2012

Rotten and maggot-ridden corpses lie scattered in compounds; dogs, crows and other rodents run around with human body parts; tables made of broken wooden planks where putrefied human bodies are cut open by Doms (members of a Dalit community known in India for dealing with dead bodies) with crude tools like a chisel or nail […]

INDONESIA: Police killed two villagers and injured 82 others in anti-gold mining protest

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) received information that the police shot local farmers who were demonstrating against the gold exploration plan in several sub-districts in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara Province, on 24 December 2011. Two villagers died and 77 others were injured in the shooting. Five others were also injured by police […]

INDIA: Woman brutally tortured and raped by police while in custody in West Bengal

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from MASUM concerning yet another case of brutal custodial rape at the Hariharpara police station at Murshidabad District in West Bengal, India on 29 and 30 November 2011. In this case, too, it is alleged that the police officers have tortured a poor village […]

BURMA: Appeal for release from jail of former army officer & two other men

Dear friends, As the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has noted in a recent update (UAU-004-2012), we are very happy to see the release in recent months of many people on whose behalf we have campaigned for a number of years. However, many other unjustly imprisoned persons remain in Burma’s jails. As at this time […]

PHILIPPINES: Podcast – Phenomenon of murders in Cebu

(Hong Kong, February 6, 2012) In this episode of cast, the AHRC comments that the phenomenon of murders in Cebu, particularly the killing of a lawyer’s wife and two others, is a result of breakdown of the law in a society. In this report (time code: 02:30-05:09), Virginia Sesbreño, wife of lawyer Raul Sesbreño; her friend Soledad […]

PAKISTAN: Love marriage couple greeted with ‘shoot-on-sight’ order from Jihadi groups

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a couple from Pakistani held Kashmir has threatened with being shot on sight by Jihadi militant groups whenever they are seen at any place in Pakistan. The militants from the Jihadi groups (Islamic holy warriors) have been following the couple from their hide […]

SRI LANKA: Independence without justice

A statement for the commemoration of the independence of Sri Lanka The 64th commemoration of Sri Lanka’s independence takes place at the time when the country’s justice system is in a hopeless crisis. The abuse of the judicial process for political reasons has created doubts about the independence of the judiciary itself. The government shows […]

SRI LANKA: An innocent man was illegally arrested, tortured and laid with a fabricated charge

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Kanahipadi Kankanamge Nalin (29) of Dodamgo, Kaluthara is married and a businessman by profession. He was arrested illegally and severely tortured before being laid with a fabricated charge by officers of the Dodangoda Police Station as he had complained about an officer […]

SRI LANKA: Police refuse to investigate the case of a girl who disappeared after torture by a school principal

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mohamad Rasul (11) is a resident of No: 33/05, Palliyawatte, Poruthota, Koshshikade. Rasul was a student of Palanguthura Al-Fala School. On the 19 January after being subjected to severe torture by the principle Rasul was expelled from the school at 12.30 pm. Up […]

PAKISTAN: The courts and the government bear responsibility for extrajudicial killings in military torture cells

By Baseer Naveed The disappearances, killings in military detention centers and dumping of bullet-riddled bodies including torture marks on the bodies of the victims, by the spy agencies particularly by ISI and military intelligence are no longer a secret. This was exposed during the case of Abdul Saboor (29), which was taken in custody illegally […]