Rule of law

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Ramesh Kumar, a casual labourer and owner of a three-wheeler which he used to drive for hire, was arrested at this home by officers attached to the Terrorist Investigation Department (TID) of Sri Lanka Police by while he was at home with […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Kaluthanthrige Jesus Deneicios Fernando (15), of No: 22/30, Asarappa Road, Asarappa Watte, Negombo was grievously assaulted by some hotel staff on the instigation of the hotel owner. He underwent serious surgery and remains in hospital. The Headquarters Inspector of the Negombo Headquarters […]

56 more bullet riddled bodies of disappeared persons were found in Balochistan during the last six months The disappearances and extrajudicial killings of Baloch activists continue despite claims from the government and security forces that extrajudicial killings have been stopped. The writ of the state is at its minimal and all the responsibilities of maintaining […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Soriyamoorthy Givoshan (25) was forcefully recruited into the LTTE when they threatened to abduct his sister. At the end of the conflict he surrendered himself to the government forces and has been held in various detention facilities for the last three years. […]

Dear friends, The family members of Mr. L. M. Jagath Kumara (22), a soldier attached to the Vavuniya Army Camp are facing harassment by the OIC and officers of the Thalathuoya Police Station. On 23 December 2010 Kumara was on his way home in a bus accompanied by a friend named Ruwan Chamara. When the […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from MASUM concerning yet another case of torture by the Border Security Force (BSF), stationed along the Indo-Bangladesh border. In this case too, it is alleged that the BSF has tortured a civilian. The victim in the case is Mr. Tabibar Molla, is a […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Ms. Chandramohan Denusha is a student at Ambakotte Tamil Vidyalaya. Twelve year old Denusha was severely beaten by the principal of her school and when she refused to return she was forcefully taken by two of the teachers. Corporal punishment has been banned […]

Dear friends, Mr. Narahenpita Gamage Sisil Weerasinghe (48), a retired soldier was illegally arrested, detained and severely tortured by officers attached to the Wattala Police Station. Sisil had been waiting for a bus to take him home at around 10 pm when the officers accused him of planning to rob a house in the area. […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Muttiah Chandra Mohan was arrested after an incident with officers from the Teldeniya Police Station. The officers had arrived at Chandra Mohan’s village in plain clothes and without identifying themselves or the reason for their attack started beating several young men. As […]

(Hong Kong, January 19, 2012) A workshop was held for the undergraduate students of the Criminology Department of the Sri Jayawardanapura University on December 19 and 20 2011 on rule of law and prevention of police torture. The workshop was held at the auditorium of the Help Age Institute at Gangodavila. Janasansaya , a human […]

The United Nations Human Rights Committee has issued its determination regarding the complaint made by a Sri Lankan citizen, A.S.S. Pathmini Peiris, in connection with the murder of S.K.A. Sugath Nishanta Fernando who was assassinated on 20 September 2008. Previously Mr. Fernando had complained of the torture of himself, his two children and his wife […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding threats to the lives of two producers-cum-investigative journalists of a private electronic media house for unearthing a private detention centre run by a Muslim fundamentalist group. It is being operated under the guise of a rehabilitation center where people, from 4 to 50 […]

All Sri Lankans will wish that the coming year will not be like the last one and, in fact, that it be different from previous years also, years in which deep insecurity has been prevailing due to the failure of the political system, resulting in serious problems in the legal system. People reduced to powerlessness […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding that a lawyer belonging to the Dalit caste of Hindu minority community has been missing since December 23 when he was going to attend the Sindh High Court. His car was found abandoned at a Taxi stand with all court files in it. […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that an army officer of the rank of Captain was sent on a secret mission to Kashmir in 1979 and since then his whereabouts are unknown. The missing officer, who was identified as Mr. Ishtiaq Ali Khan Qaimkhani, told his wife before leaving that […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding a woman named Ms. Anthony Chandra, who is mother of three minor aged girls of below 11 years of age, has been detained for more than forty months in twelve fabricated charges under the Prevention of Terrorism Act of Sri Lanka. The Terrorism […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information a regarding a twenty-eight-years old man’s body was dumped in a river by the Chunnakan police on 26 November 2011. Previously, the Jaffna police arrested the victim, who was identified as Sri Skandaraja Sumanan, and handed over to the Chunnakan police. The Sri Lankan […]

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the Occasion of the International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011 The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) today published its 25-page report containing its analyses on what it has observed as the irreparable ‘social and systemic impact’ of the ongoing violations of human rights in the […]

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the Occasion of the International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011 The international community, including leading human rights agencies and organisations, has failed to understand the depth of collapse of rule of law in Sri Lanka and have failed to make any effective intervention in this […]

Dear friends, Mr. Ranasinghe Arachchige Sanjeewa (33), a driver by profession, has been in police remand and arbitrary detention for more than fifty days following his illegal arrest by the Talatuoya police of Kandy district. Sanjeewa is under the custody of the Welikada Remand Prison. The Dematagoda police have received permission from a Magistrate Court […]