Rule of law

An Open Letter to His Excellency the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Saudi Arabia The Asian Human Rights Commission has sent the following letter to His Excellency the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. We encourage others who are concerned with the life of Rizana Nafeek to communicate with the Ambassador and support him in order […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) illegally arrested a lawyer named Mr. Mantu Ghosh detained him in a number of fabricated charges for 72 days. Mr. Ghosh is a central committee member of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and an advisor to the […]

Nothing can be worse for a country in the modern world than to have a bad constitution. Anybody with common sense would not find it difficult to understand that proposition. The constitution lays down the underlying organizing principles of a society. A bad constitution creates a badly organized society. To be badly organized, in a […]

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following article from Professor Angana Chatterji on Kashmir. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- An article from Professor Angana Chatterji forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission By Prof. Angana Chatterji* The 8-point Plan, New Delhis political initiative to address the crises in Kashmir, attests […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that the Gosairhat Police of Shariatpur district, around 120 kilometers far from Dhaka, have brutally tortured a man to death. The relatives and witnesses allege that the body of the torture victim, Mr. Mokles Matbor, bore several marks from the injuries sustained. The police had […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and other rights groups about brutal form of torture to the prisoners. The male organ of three prisoners were taped for many hours in such a way that they could no longer urinate. Each was then forced […]

*Avinash Pandey  Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of Sri Lanka was the guest of honour at the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games 2010, New Delhi. He presided over the extravagant ceremony that would declare the arrival of India on the big stage, conclusively. Presiding over something is nothing new for the President. He has presided over […]

SRI LANKA: How does the constitutional question affect the question of Sri Lankan identity? Basil Fernando  The question of ‘identity’ means who is a Sri Lankan? It could be spoken of purely in sentimental terms and by that sense it might work in a particular territory. We can all call ourselves Sri Lankans and that […]

Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza Endemic over-simplification by internal and external actors and purposeful attempts to reframe political debates have ensured the conversation concerning Sri Lanka’s government continues to be conducted in democratic terms. Yet that categorization is presumptive. Using the lexicon of democracy to discuss Sri Lanka presupposes that the state is fundamentally democratic or accepts that […]

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following article from the Sri Lanka Guardian. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong   ————- An article from Sri Lanka Guardian forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Posted by Sri Lanka Guardian statement 7:41:00 AM A new paper by the Sri Lanka Campaign charts destruction […]

Basil Fernando Robberies- Police and 18th Amendment October 11 Anuradhapura – Rs. 1,100,000 — Rs. 1.1 million October 8 Nugegoda – Rs.1,400,000 — Rs. 1.4 million October 5 Rawathwaththa – Rs.100,000 — One Hundred Thousand October 3 Paliyagoda Wanawasala – Rs.70,000,000 — Rs. 70 million   Above mentioned incidents are just a few of the robberies […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a man was shot dead by police officers attached to the Pitigala Police Station on 27 August 2010. A wood cutter by profession the victim was shot at Wadumulla, Delpawana in Benthota State Plantation and later succumbed to his injuries. Police claim that […]

Basil Fernando The Constitution Places the Executive President above the Courts This picture shows the executive president sitting above the Supreme Court Complex. The Supreme Court is the highest court but the post of the executive president is above it. Article 35 of the Constitution specifically places him outside the jurisdiction of the courts. The […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a man was shot by police officers while in the custody of Mihintale Police. He was arrested on 9 June 2009 and brought to a location in the forest at Netiyagama in Mihintale by the police officers where he was shot. He was […]

Basil Fernando   The Degeneration of police into “licensed thugs”   This is a photo of Mr Ganegoda Sinhage Haritha Lakmal (30) of No. 590/2A, Middle Gate Upper Road, Addunkelle Watte, Ahangama, who became an unfortunate victim of an assault by Sub Inspector (SI) Nelumdeniya and several other officers of the Ahangama Police Station, for […]

(Part One)   The first election in post Pol Pot Cambodia was held in May 1993. The new constitution promised a liberal democracy and a system of governance based on the rule of law. However, the country is still in a state of abysmal lawlessness and ordinary Cambodians are powerless. There are no institutions in […]

(Part One)   The first election in post Pol Pot Cambodia was held in May 1993. The new constitution promised a liberal democracy and a system of governance based on the rule of law. However, the country is still in a state of abysmal lawlessness and ordinary Cambodians are powerless. There are no institutions in […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that police officers attached to the Ahangama Police Station have illegally arrested, detained and tortured a civilian. Later the police refused to provide necessary urgent medical treatment. After the victim sought justice by filling a fundamental rights application at the Human Rights Commission he […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a 15 year old school going girl was abducted by the driver of a three wheel but later rescued by passers-by. The culprit managed to escape but the rescuers took the three wheeler to the Rattota Police Station where they were also able […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a man was illegally arrested by the police officers attached to the Ma Oya Police Post in the district of Polonnaruwa when he went to make a complaint. He was severely tortured and denied medical treatment. He only received medical treatment at the […]