Rule of law

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Garusinhage Priyantha (45) of Nelu-Yaya Kithulkote at Thanamalvila in Monaragala District was extrajudicially killed by officers attached to the Special Task Force (STF). Priyantha was arrested by the police officers at the ‘Morning Side Estate’ in Sooriyawewa and was brought to their […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that VFM, one of the Sri Lanka’s leading national electronic media institutions networks, journalist Mr. Ruwan Sugathadasa of Gangaarama Road, Boralesgamuwa in the Colombo District was assaulted by an unknown group of people on 2 September 2011. Ruwan is a journalist by profession and […]

(Hong Kong, September 19, 2011) The Asian Human Rights Commission announces the publication of a new book, Gyges’ Ring — The 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka by Basil Fernando. This book is a joint publication of the Asian Human Rights Commission, Hong Kong and the Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims, Denmark.  This book […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Kirigalbadage Chaminda Sanath Kumara (38) of No: 171/1, Bodiya Road, Walapola, Papiliwala in the district of Gampaha is married and a labourer by profession. Police officers of the Kirindiwala Police Station came to his house, supposedly to investigate a complaint made by […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward to you the following open letter from International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Union for Civil Liberty (UCL) to Prime Minister of Thailand. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ——- An Open Letter from International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Union for […]

The recent bomb blast near the Delhi High Court has once again revived the debate regarding crime control and law and order in India. Acts of violence in all forms must be condemned. In that, the very reason why the ordinary people in India refuse to cooperate with their local police is due to the […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a man was drowned by police officers while in their custody. He was arrested on 11 August 2011 by the police officers attached to the Athurugiriya Police. Then he was detained there illegally for 19 days. Later on 30 August, according to the […]

Dear friends,  Ms. Weerawila Gamage Sepalika (40) was illegally arrested and severely tortured by the police officers attached to the Ambalantota Police Station on 18 May 2011. Four police officers in plain clothes came to her house and carried out an illegal searched as not warrant had been issued. Sepalika was alone in the house […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to express its concern regarding the Attorney General of Nepal’s recent announcement that the government is preparing to go ahead with its plan to withdraw cases filed against members of the Maoist and Madesh movements. This announcement comes in the wake of an agreement signed between the Maoist […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the 19-year-old daughter of Mr. R.J.K. Niel and his wife Ms. Ajantha Edirisinghe of No: 13, Vijithapura, Magastota, Nuwara Eliya has been abducted by a person on 3 September 2011. When his daughter went missing he made a complaint to the Nuwara Eliya […]

Dear friends,  Mr. Yogarasa Shashheran (22) a resident of Kilinochchi District has been detained in Welikada Remand Prison without being charged for more than 3 years. Yogarasa lost his parents when he was 6 year old and was raised with the charitable help of others. When government forces advanced towards the Northern Region Yogarasa surrendered […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a man who was kept in army detention centers for more than nine months after his abduction by secret agencies and the Frontier Corp (FC) was again abducted, this time with his nephew and both of them remain missing. The police refused to […]

Dear friends,  Mr. Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Chandana (29) of Kosmodara, Deniyaya in the Matara District was severely tortured by police officers attached to the Kosmodara Police Station. Despite being examined by a JMO at the Matara Teaching Hospital and registering a complaint with the Human Rights Commission no action has been taken to investigate the incident.  […]

Dear friends,  Mr. Aadawalage Gayan Indika (26) of No 6th Canal, Kagama in Kakirawa in the district of Anuradhapura is married and father of one son. Gayan was travelling with his brother on his motorbike when they were stopped by plain clothed persons who demanded their identities. When Gayan in turn demanded the identities of […]

Dear friends,  Mr. D.K.K.S. Shehan Fernando, a young man of 22, is in danger of losing his life due to the actions of a wealthy businessman in the Ja-Ela area The officers of the Ja-Ela Police Station are refusing to investigate the victim’s allegations while at the same time aiding the perpetrator of the several […]

(This is the text of a presentation at A Consultation on Peace and Security in Asia and Ecumenical Responses held on August 1-6, 2011, organized by WCC and CCA) As a start we may try to reflect on some of the concerns expressed by the participants of this meeting who have spoken so far. One […]

There is an urgent need to bring military officials under the rule of law after a high police officer was tortured to death and army men attacked a police station in broad daylight and beat the policemen In the recent days it is observed that officials of the Pakistan army and Para-military have been on […]

Dear friends,  According to the information that the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) received around 150 men from Navanthurai, a village in the Jaffna District in Northern Province, were illegally arrested and detained in an operation conducted by the Sri Lanka Army at around 1.15 am on 23 August 2011. The villagers were severely beaten […]

There is surely nothing wrong in demanding an end to the reign of corruption. And yet, for many in India it seems to amount to being “as good as undermining the Constitution”, or resembling “a process to destabilise the establishment”. The religious elite in the country claim that “fasting demanding an end to corruption is a sin, since […]

Dear friends,  Palle Gedara Srinath Saliya Jayaratne (17) surrendered himself to the Panvilla police as he had been accused of theft. After consulting a lawyer and receiving assurances from the police that he would not be ill-treated he accompanied his parents to the police station. At the station he and his parents were verbally abused […]