Rule of law

Dear friends,  Mr. Kalappam Manoharan (32) of Ratwatte Lower Division, Ukuwela in the Matale district was illegally arrested by officers attached to the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) branch of Kandy Headquarters Police Station on 11 August 2008. Monoharan, a casual labourer, lived in the same village his whole life. After he was arrested he was severely tortured and later forced to sign a document prepared bythe police officers. Later he was produced before three Magistrate’s Courts; Kandy, Matale and Dambulla accused with fabricated […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received details about a private company in Burma that with the backing of retired army officers sent bulldozers in the dead of night to destroy an historic Muslim cemetery so that the land can be claimed for commercial activities. The destruction was stopped after interventions from […]

Dear friends,  A wealthy businessman was killed by a relative of his second wife who later attempted to abduct his two daughters. Prior to his murder the deceased complained to the Ragama Police requesting protection but as is usual in Sri Lanka no action was taken. The suspected mastermind behind the killing and abduction, the […]

Dear friends,  Tamil detainees in Bogambara Prison were severely tortured by the prison officials on 14 June 2011. They were threatened that they would face the same difficulties as Kuttamanni and Thangathurai, two former detainees who were killed. The prison officials later admitted the seven detainees to the Prison Hospital at Bogambara Prison. Neither the […]

Dear friends,  Ms. N. Agnes Malini of No:18, Gala Landa, Manikhinna in the district of Kandy is a widow and the mother of a 17-year-old boy named T. Yoganathan. Yoganathan was illegally arrested and severely tortured by police officers attached to the Manikhinna Police Station on 8 December 2010. Yoganathan lost his father in his […]

Dear friends,  Mr. Basil Champika and Sunethra Kumari of No: 100, Kandy Road, Manikhinna in Kandy district are the parents of a 15- year-old girl, Malathi. Malathi was abducted on 2 June 2011, by her school van driver and the parents made a complaint to the Manikhinna Police Station in Kandy. Basil and Sunethra were […]

Dear friends,  A six and a half year old girl was abducted by dacoits, said to be the henchmen of a tribal leader four years ago and her whereabouts remain unknown. All the persons involved in the abduction who were named in the First Information Report (FIR) were released on bail by the Supreme Court […]

Dear friends,  Mr. Saliya Chandrasena and Padma Jayanthi are the parents of an 11 year child, Aruna Dinujaya Chandrasena. They wanted to admit their child to a better school for his education so in May 2011 they admitted their child to Lakpahana Adventist College Mailapitiya to year 6. During the process of admitting the child […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding alleged illegal arrest and torture of a 21-year old man whose spine was broken as a result of the abuse. Mr. Nijamuddin Sekh was arrested on 21 July 2011 in Nepalgunj from police officers from the District Police Office, Banke under allegations of […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the torture of a woman, Ms. Harkali Pun, by two policewomen following order from a higher-ranking officer in District Police Office, Banke, on 12 July 2011. The victim’s hand was broken as a result of the torture but the police have consistently refused […]

Dear friends,  Mr. Madasamy Vishwanadan (42), was the principal at Rosella Tamil Maha Vidiyalaya. When his mother died in 2008 he informed his brother who lived in Kilinochchi but the man failed to attend the funeral. However, his nephew was able to come and he stayed a few days in Vishwanadan’s home. On his way […]

Dear friends,  Mr. Sathiyaseelan Jegadishan (24) of Sogana Upper Division, Pussellawa in the Nuwara Eliya District was illegally arrested by officers of the Pussellawa Police Station on 2 June 2010. Jegadishan, an employee of the Pussellawa Post Office received a message that there was a commotion in his village. Accordingly he to the police station […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) takes exception to the information that the government of Nepal has asked the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in writing to halt investigations it had undertaken into allegations of gross human rights violations dating back to the time of the conflict. The AHRC is seriously concerned by this additional […]

The long struggle of a female worker has drawn the attention of both the local and international community. Ms. Kim Jin-suk, a member of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) has been occupying the cabin of Crane No. 85, which is 35 metres high, in the shipyard of Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction (HHIC) […]

Basil Fernando  In Plato’s Republic Glaucon narrates a story about a ring of invisibility.  The man who found the ring used his power to enter the palace, rape the queen, kill the king and to take over the throne. ‘They’d have the scope I’m talking about especially if they acquired the kind of power which, […]

According to reports yesterday, July 5, 2011, about 2,000 persons from the Kahawatte area participated in a protest demanding the removal of the police working in the area. The reason behind this protest is the inability of the police to effectively investigate the murders of seven women who were killed in separate incidents. The people […]

Keynote address delivered at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Citizens Movement for Good Governance (CIMOGG) — June 29 2011 by Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena, Attorney at Law, Media Columnist and Author.  Introductory Comments Mr Chair, members of CIMOGG and friends, when Dr A.C. Visvalingam initially spoke to me in regard to delivering the keynote address […]

On April 19, 2011, a 14-year-old tribal girl was gang-raped by four alleged security force officers in Narayanpatna of Koraput district, where there is an ongoing conflict between the government and Naxalites over land and power. Additionally, Operation Green Hunt has increased hardship for the villagers following greater incidents of police violence. In November 2009 […]

Dear friends,  Ms. Q. Mahendra Devi (42) is a widow and the mother of three children. She resides at No: 100/36, Dharmaraja Road, Kandy and works as a cleaning labour working for a private company. After the death of her husband she built a house in above mentioned address. Several years later a senior police […]

Dear friends,  Mr. George Jayakody (55) of No: 24, Kundalagama, Kundasale, Kandy is a businessman. In 2008 he wanted to sell his land he came to an agreement in the presence of a lawyer. The second party who happened to be the relative of a police officer reneged on the contract and instead of abiding […]