Rule of law

SRI LANKA: Principal who committed torture promoted to Ministry of Education

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a 16 year-old school child, Lahiru Madushan Suriarachchi of Horana Royal College was ill-treated by the principal of his school. The child had his cut his hair and was beaten severely by the principal. When the parents went to make a complaint to […]

BURMA: Supreme Court rules that judges holding trials inside prisons have no authority over their own courtrooms

In an astounding ruling that underscores the extent to which the judiciary in Burma has abdicated its authority in favour of the security services, a Supreme Court justice has ruled that permission or refusal of observers to attend trial hearings held inside prison facilities is not a matter for the presiding judges to decide. The […]

BANGLADESH: Government fails to protect freedom of religion and assembly of Ahmadiyya community

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the administrative authorities of Gazipur district cancelled permission for the holding of the 87th Annual Convention of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at, Bangladesh, a religious community having conflicting identity with the majority Muslims, on 6 February 2011 in a sudden decision without any prior notice. […]

SRI LANKA: OIC forced disabled rape victim to accept Rs. 10,000 in settlement

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a 23-year-old physically and mentally disabled woman was raped by a neighbour. When the victim’s mother brought her to the Dodangoda Police Station the officers recorded the complaint and arrested the suspected rapist. However, later the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) threatened and forced the mother […]

INDIA: Two persons tortured in Kerala for no reason

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the Kerala State Police has illegally arrested and tortured two persons on 11 February 2011 in Anthikadu Police Station of Thrissur district. According to the information received by the AHRC from Nervazhi, a human rights organisation based in Kerala, the police took into […]

PAKISTAN: A couple is missing after their arrest by policemen – the 70-year-old father of the bride is demanding a girl from the groom’s family in compensation

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a couple is missing after their arrest by police officers from two stations on the instructions of a high ranking police official. The couple was married in a civil court and was declared as Karo Kari (black and blacky, liable to be killed). […]

PAKISTAN: A human rights defender and his friend are missing after their abduction by the officials of Frontier Corps in the presence of police

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a human rights defender was abducted by the officials of the Frontier Cops (FC) while he was going to attend court proceedings in the session court on December 21, 2010 and has been missing since then. Before his abduction he had told his […]

SRI LANKA: Two young men beaten in public by drunken police officers

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. D G Suthisa Kumara Jayalath (25) and Mr. W V Mahendra Uppalawanna (18) of Pahalawela, Pareigama, Via Matugama were illegally arrested and severely tortured in public by three drunken police officers attached to the Welipanna Police Station. Later they were brought to […]

NEPAL: Police ask for bribes and beat a couple in Kathmandu

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the torture of a shop owner and his wife after they had refused to give bribes to the police in Kathmandu Valley. The police also reportedly stole an important sum of money from their shop. Two days after the torture, the victims went […]

NEPAL: Stop denying justice to Maina Sunuwar

(Hong Kong, February 17, 2011) Today, February 17, 2011, marks the seventh anniversary of Maina Sunuwar’s illegal arrest and subsequent death due to torture by Royal Nepalese Army soldiers during the conflict. Maina was arrested to force her mother to present herself at the army barracks, after she had been a witness to the killing […]

PAKISTAN: Four more disappeared persons bullet riddled bodies found and four are abducted

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that four disappeared persons bullet riddled and torture marks bodies were found from Balochistan province who were previously arrested by the law enforcement agencies. Their bodies were thrown in different places of Baluchistan and Four more persons were abducted by the Frontier Corps (FC) […]

PAKISTAN: A student leader abducted and four bodies of disappeared persons are found

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a student leader from Balochistan was abducted from the check post of the Frontier Corps in Quetta while he was returning from an interview for internship at Pakistan Telecommunications, a public sector company. In the campaign of killings of disappeared persons four more […]

SRI LANKA: Victim of rape continuously denied justice now lives in fear

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a 10 year-year-old girl was the victim of attempted rape by an influential person. The child was admitted to the Nawalapitiya Hospital and later transferred to the Kandy Teaching Hospital for treatment because of the severity of her injuries. She was subsequently treated […]

SRI LANKA: A man is severely tortured by Pamunugama Police

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Herath Mudiyanselage Suranji Sampath Kumara (35), the driver of a three-wheeler vehicle was severely tortured by three police officers, including the Sub-Inspector of Police, at the request of a private party. The officers tried to fracture his leg and beat him about […]

BANGLADESH: Pallabi police of Dhaka has killed an 18-year-old college student

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that the Pallabi Police of Dhaka killed an 18-year-old college student named Imtiaz Hossain Abir in so called “cross fire” on 10 January 2011. Abir was a student of higher secondary level at the Northern College of Mohammadpur in the city of Dhaka. The police […]

SRI LANKA: Fighting together against unlawful acts of lawful authorities

Basil Fernando For the last 20 years I have been living in Hong Kong. Here over 98% of the population is Chinese. I belong to the small minority which includes many other races and will try to illustrate some issues by using this experience. In any country there is a formal legal system and an […]

BURMA: Five men and two women given long jail sentences for alleged bomb plots

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) brings you details of the latest case in which a group of democracy and human rights activists has been accused of involvement in a series of bombings. The seven were already sentenced to over 30 years in prison in 2008 and have again been sentenced to another […]

NEPAL: Prolonged unabated harassment of a policeman torture victim for nine years require legal redress

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to share with you the latest developments in Hom Bahadur Bagale’s case. This former police officer was initially tortured and illegally detained in 2002. His only reward for attempting to find legal redress has been dismissal from his job, further torture, arbitrary arrest, continuous threats and […]

SRI LANKA: Mentally retarded person tortured by Thalawakele Police

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Alagumail Mohan (25) of Line-10, Thalawakele Estate, Thalawakele in the Nuwara Eliya District who was diagnosed as being mentally retarded was tortured whilst under treatment. Mohan was illegally arrested and severely tortured by police officers attached to the Thalawakele Police Station on […]

SRI LANKA: Victim of rape and her family live in fear due to influence of the suspect

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a 9-year-old girl was raped by a influential wealthy businessman. The child was admitted to the Kandy Teaching Hospital for treatment and the Judicial Medical Officers also examined the child. Powerful people behind the suspect are trying to suppress justice by making a […]