Rule of law

An Interview with Fr. Robert Reyes on the murder of Gerry Ortega (Hong Kong, January 26, 2011) In the interview linked below, Fr. Robert Reyes, an associate of the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), talks about his close friend and associate, Gerry Ortega. Gerry was murdered on January 24 at a market in Puerto Princesa […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been closely following the case of a father and son both of who have been imprisoned because the latter was arrested while taking photographs of a bombing in Rangoon during April 2010. The authorities have accused the two of intending to send the photographs abroad and […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a man named Samarasinhage Sudath Pushpakumara was illegally arrested by police officers attached to the Beruwala Police Station in the district of Kaluthara, illegally detained and severely tortured on 1 November 2010. Then he was shown to a group of witnesses of the […]

Alarmingly as it may be, it is now a well-known fact that lawlessness has spread to all aspects of public as well as official life in Sri Lanka. The critical role played by the police system is further recognized as being one of the principal factors causing this situation. The failures in the system are […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) sends it sincere condolences to the family of Gerry Ortega, a broadcast journalist and mining activist. He was shot dead at a market place while buying clothes in Puerto Princesa City yesterday, January 24. The policemen present in the area reportedly arrested the gunman, Malvin Alcaraz, after the shooting. […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Egodawattege Ruwan Niroshana was illegally arrested and severely tortured continuously for three days during which he was hung from a beam in the Police Baracks and beaten. When he was brought before the Government Hospital of Iththapana with a large number of […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that two policemen from Pachuwarghat police station, Kavre District, tortured an eleven-year old boy, Lakpa Tamang, while interrogating him in relation to a theft case. After the torture was revealed, a case was filed at the Dulhikel District Court against the two alleged perpetrators […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a man was illegally arrested by police officers attached to the Kiribathgoda Police Station in the district of Gampaha after making a complaint to the police regarding a death plot. He was severely tortured and the OIC of the Kiribathgoda Police Station later […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Suranjiv Chrishantha Fernando (21) of Elkaduwa Estate, Elkaduwa in Matale district was illegally arrested and severely tortured by the police officers attached to the Terrorist Investigation Division of Kandy Headquarters Police Station on 16 August 2008. Later he was sent to Bogambara […]

In November 2010, in Hatton, Sri Lanka, Devarathnam Yogendra cooperated with the Bribery Commission to catch police officer IP Wijesuriya accepting bribes. A representative from the Bribery Commission watched as Wijesuriya accepted a bribe, then arrested him on charges of bribery (Case No.: 50600/01 in the Chief Magistrate’s Court of Colombo). Now Yogendra is being […]

The Kerala High Court Advocates’ Association, in an extraordinary general body meeting held yesterday, resolved to request the Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India to undertake an investigation about the charges of corruption alleged against the former Chief Justice of India, Mr. K. G. Balakrishnan and the members of his family. The resolution […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a complainant of a bribery case (No.: 50600/01 in the Chief Magistrate’s Court of Colombo), received death threats from the police officers attached to the Hatton Police Station. The complainant made a complaint against the IP Wijesuriya of the said police station on […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the Detective Branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police illegally arrested a female labour rights activist named Ms. Moshrefa Mishu (46) on 14 December 2010. She has been arbitrarily detained in three fabricated criminal charges since her arrest. Ms. Moshrefa Mishu, is a leftist […]

A YouTube presentation recently found on the internet shows Mumtaz Quadri, the assassin of the slain governor, Salman Taseer, singing in the custody of the police during his interrogation. The officers are seen standing by and sitting next to him, enjoying the performance. Quadri was reciting ‘Naat’, a poem in praise of the Prophet Mohammad, […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned of another case of 12 persons in Burma given long jail sentences for alleged anti-government activities. In fact, the state prosecution had no evidence against the accused and the judge convicted them, as in other cases of this sort, on the say-so of the police. […]

Sofie Rordam Sri Lankan citizens are protected against torture and arbitrary arrest in sections 11, 12 and 13 of the Constitution of Sri Lanka. In addition Sri Lanka has ratified the United Nations Convention against Torture and Cruel and Inhuman Treatment in 1994. While the legislation is there, the effectuation is not. The gap between […]

The act of solidarity by Egyptian Muslims towards Egyptian Copts is a glowing example for countries and communities around the world. And it must be particularly noted that Pakistan could be one of the main beneficiaries of this attitude. As Egyptian Copts prepared to attend mass at churches across the country, thousands of Muslims, including […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission received information that on 9 January 2011 according to police officials over 40,000 people gathered in the streets of Karachi, the capital of Sindh Province for a rally. The speakers of the rally announced over their public address system that anyone showing support for the amendments to the […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the torture case of Gyan Bahadur Balami (Gyanu), Hermin Ratu Lama and Makar Bahadur Gharti Magar (Iman) at the hands of a police team from the Metropolitan Police Crime Division in Kathmandu. Following their arrest under allegations of theft and drug smuggling […]

No action has been taken against the high ranking police officials responsible for hiring the killer of Salman Taseer and for allowing him to be a part of the assassinated governor’s security detail. Similarly, no questions have so far been raised amongst the killer’s colleagues, including the high police officials, about how they listened to […]