Rule of law

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC0 wants to inform you updated information about Mr. Premalal, whose torture case was reported by the Asian Human Rights Commission on July 21, 2006. (See further: UA-247-2006) He is seriously ill and undergoing treatment at Karapitiya Teaching Hospital.  The doctors have confirmed that he has suffered severe kidney […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to you in advance of your State on Monday, July 24. While we look forward to what you will be reporting regarding the present situation of your country and future plans, we would like to draw your attention to the state of human rights in the Philippines, which […]

The Philippine National Police have a unique definition of the word “solved”. According to them, once a charge is filed against a suspect with the Office of the Prosecutor it is solved. Suspects not arrested? No matter, it is solved. Investigation flawed? No matter, it is solved. Requests of victim’s family for more inquiries unanswered? […]

[Re: UA-90-2004: SRI LANKA: A boy brutally assaulted by his teachers and denied his right of education; UP-42-2004: SRI LANKA: Update on a boy brutally assaulted by his teachers; UP–003–2006: SRI LANKA: Attorney General withdraws criminal case against school staff who tortured a student] ——————————————————————— SRI LANKA: Severe assault; denial of child rights; government inaction; […]

In a very strange move that will surprise anyone concerned with the global effort to eradicate disappearances and gross human rights violations, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL), which claims to be the country’s prime agency for the protection and promotion of human rights, officially decided to stop further inquiries into disappearance cases […]

On July 17 the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) issued an appeal on the alleged torture, armed robbery, illegal detention, and attempted rape and extortion of two persons in Saraburi, just northeast of Bangkok in Thailand. According to Uthai Boonnom, he and his partner were taken–at gunpoint and blindfolded–to a house in the forest where […]

[RE: UP-20-2005: THAILAND: Human rights lawyer still missing after nearly one year; Action needed today to have case transferred… UP-77-2005: THAILAND: Department of Special Investigation fails to bring justice to Charoen Wat-aksorn case… UA-112-2005: THAILAND: Murder of Thai monk following an environmental and land dispute with local influential business figures; UP-028-2006: THAILAND: Protection withdrawn from […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is deeply concerned by a new bill that was illegally passed by the government in Pakistan in order to drag the country’s workers into conditions of slavery. The so-called Finance Bill is an unconstitutional law that severely undermines basic labour rights and flies against the basic principles […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 7, 2006 AHRC-OL-028-2006 An open letter to the Inter Ministerial Committee on Human Rights The Inter Ministerial Committee on Human Rights Thro- Hon. Mahinda Samarasinghe Minister for Disaster Management and Human Rights Parliamentary Complex Colombo 1 SRI LANKA July 6, 2006 Dear Sirs, SRI LANKA: The case of Chamila Bandara, HC […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission’s (AHRC) Urgent Appeals Programme wishes to remind you of our new urgent appeal online support system. We strongly urge you to use this system and to help pressure government authorities and other relevant persons to intervene and bring justice to all concerned.  The urgent appeals online support system will now […]

[Re: UP-80-2005: SRI LANKA:  Further death threats to torture victim J.V. Saman Priyankara from Matale ; UP-74-2005: SRI LANKA: Torture victim Priyankara received death threats again and urgent witness protection is required; UP-37-2004: A Kandy coordinator of National Police Commission allegedly cooperates with torture perpetrators; UP-34-2004: Priyankara brutally assaulted and arrested with no access to […]

Open letter from the AHRC to the Prime Minister of Nepal Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala Prime Minister’s office Singha Durbar Kathmandu NEPAL Fax. + 977 142 27286 Dear Prime Minister Koirala, Re: The urgent need to disarm and disband vigilante groups in Nepal, following the death of three-year old child The Asian Human Rights […]

The urgent appeals programme has experienced considerable growth over the last years. To ensure that individual support by UA programme subscribers will continue despite the increased issuing of urgent appeals, and to ease the possibilities to support the urgent appeals programme, the AHRC has launched an addition to the existing system. The urgent appeals online […]

The numerous appointments to key national commissions by the executive president, contravening constitutional requirements, are a very clear indication of Sri Lanka’s drift from a law-based society to one in which the law plays a significantly reduced role.  While criticism against presidential actions has pointed to matters including the fact that no person is above […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 12, 2006 AS-107-2006 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission BURMA: The 1974 Constitution and challenge for Burma’s courts U Tin Nyein is among the latest victims of Burma’s courts of injustice. On March 29, the 49-year-old farmer was jailed for two years because he complained that his crops were […]

The electoral victory of Sri Lanka’s United National Party (UNP) in 1977 created what is now commonly known as ‘elective dictatorship’. This dictatorship was made permanent through the legal structure arising from the 1978 Constitution. Additionally, the transformation of democratic rule into tyrannical rule was approved by a vast majority in the parliament. Most of […]

A statement made by Sri Lanka’s Chief Justice, Sarath N. Silva at a recent public meeting is causing many comments, both public and private, on the state of the judiciary and rule of law in the country. In his statement the Chief Justice is reported to have cursed the Sri Lankan police as being highly […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that over recent months, members of various Cambodian security forces have in separate incidents shot and injured young women in Phnom Penh, shot dead a villager in Kompong Cham, and wantonly driven a car into a smuggler there, killing him on the spot. The AHRC has also […]

On the 1st May, 1993, R. Premadasa, the executive president of Sri Lanka, was killed in a massive bomb blast while participating in the May Day public activities.  The blast also killed and injured many others.  Before becoming president he was the prime minister to J.R. Jayawardene who came to power through a huge electoral […]

The speeches by the King of Thailand to the Supreme Court and Administrative Court judges on 25 April 2006 have with good reason been reported all around the world. Among his remarks, he told the judges that “When an election is not democratic, you should look carefully into the administrative issues. I ask you to […]