Rule of law

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about the attempt to extra-judicially kill Mr. Ranhotigedara Vajira Kumara (41), at the Negombo Police Division in Gampaha District. At 5:30 p.m. 12 August 2017, Vajira was driving to his business with friends on Colombo-Puttalam Road towards Chilaw. Without warning, a group of Police […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding Mr. Alawaththa Kamkanamge Tharindu Madusha (31) a resident of the Ragama Police Division. Madusha was illegally arrested and detained 15 August 2017, by Officers of the Negombo Police Station. On 16 August, he was produced before the Negombo Magistrate on fabricated charges which […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information regarding Pitawalagedara Chandrarathna (47), resident of Bakamuna Police Division. Chandrarathna was arrested on 4 May 2017 charged with participation in a murder. After being detained for 14 days, he was found dead on 18 September 2017–murdered inside the Polonnaruwa Remand Prison.   Prison Authorities said that they […]

By Madhavi Gopalakrishnan* In August this year, proceedings were initiated to discharge Sabi Giri, a sailor with the Indian Navy, on grounds that she had undergone sex reassignment surgery in the previous year. Sabi, who had joined the Navy as an 18-year-old, had felt uncomfortable with her gender identity for some time; in October 2016, she […]

On 8 October 2017, the Kerala State Public Service Commission (PSC) announced the list of candidates who have been recommended by the PSC to be appointed as priests in Hindu temples in the state. Out of the 62 persons named in the list 36 are non-Brahmins. Out of this, 6 persons are from the Dalit […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about the extra-judicial killing of Mr. D P Premasiri (65) of Stace Road, Grandpass, Colombo 14 in the Colombo District. On 9 August 2017, Premasiri was illegally arrested, severely tortured at his house in front of his relatives and neighbors. Later, he was handcuffed […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding Mr. Randeer Kaushalya (22), resident of Ragama Police Division, Gampaha District. On 15 August 2017, Randeer was illegally arrested by Police of the Ragama Police Division. He was not given any reason for his arrest. After detaining him at the Police Station, he […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information regarding the case of Mr. Rayan Jayalath, Convener of the Medical Faculty Students Action Committee (MFSAC) of Sri Lanka. Rayan is a medical student at the Ruhuna University, and has played a pivotal role in organizing the peoples’ movement against privatizing free education in Sri […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information. It regards the hate speech against a religious minority group, the Ahmadi Muslims. It was delivered by a member of the ruling political party, the PML-N. He is the son-in-law of the former Prime Minister, Mr. Nawaz Shareef. The speech resulted in dangerous […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding Mr. Vedamahagedara Janaka Aruna Shantha (40) of Udispaththuwa, Theldeniya a resident of Theldeniya Police Division. On 15 August 2017, Aruna was illegally arrested by Police Officers attached to the Negombo Headquarters Police Station. At the time of arrest he was not given the […]

Dear Friends, Mr. S H Pushpakumara (32) of Uragasmanhandiya Police Division was a resident of Galle District. He went missing on 12 August 2017. He was a regular soldier attached to the Gajaba Regiment of the Sri Lanka Army. He visited his home on a one day pass. He had permission to visit his mother […]

This week Just Asia begins with Nepal, where a distressing case of caste discrimination saw a 14-year-old Dalit girl paraded in Belbari Municipality-2 of Morang district with shoes around her neck, soot smeared on her face, and the tag of ‘thief’ stuck on her body. She was also beaten with nettle greens, causing her body […]

Dear Friends, Asian Human Rights Commission has received information regarding the case of 31 Rohingya refugees. They were harassed, threatened and warned with more violent assaults unless they left the country. These actions were carried out by a well-organized group. The refugees comprised 16 children, 7 women and 8 adult men. They were all under […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from our partner in East Java province, the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS), Surabaya office. It is regarding the case of Mr. Sugeng Sugiono, a victim of wrongful arrest and a fabricated case. Police Officers in Surabaya city, East Java […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about the extra-judicial killing of Mr. Naiwala Appuhamilage Gamini Edwad (50) resident of Divulapitiya Police Division. On 2 October 2017, he was illegally arrested by Crime Branch Officers of the Police Station. Later, during his interrogation, he was tortured and pressured to admit committing […]

ඉහතකී කෙටුම්පත සම්බන්ධයෙන් සිදුකරණු ලබන කරුනු දැක්වීමකි. ඉහත සඳහන් කෙටුම්පතේ රීතීන්ට අනුව ඕනෑම අගතියටපත් පුද්ගලයෙකුට හෝ එම පුද්ගලයෙකු විසින් බලය පැවරූ තැනැත්තෙකුට පොලිස් නිලධාරියෙකු හෝ පොලිස් සේවය විසින් ඔවුන්ගේ නිල කටයුතු වලදී සිදුවු කිරaනියාවක් සම්බන්ධයෙන් පොදු පැමිණිලි පරීක්ෂේණ අංශය වෙත පැමිණිල්ලක් ඉදිරිපත් කොට ඒ ස`දහා සහන ඉල්ලා සිටිය හැකිය. මෙම අංශය පී සී අයි ඞී […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding Mr. Andige Lakshitha Piyumal Peiris (26), a permanent resident of the Trincomalee District. On 6 July 2017, Piyumal was illegally arrested by Police Officers attached to the Kantale Police Station. He was accused of assaulting two Police Officers which he vehemently denied. He […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information regarding Mr. D M Jayawardena Minipe in the Badulla District. He was a migrant worker who went to Saudi Arabia from Sri Lanka in 2013. On 14 November 2013 he was involved in a traffic accident which resulted in minor damage to the other vehicle. […]

On 10 October 2017, the 15th World Day Against the Death Penalty aims at raising awareness about the reasons why people living in poverty are at a greater risk of being sentenced to death and executed.  Pakistan is one of the states in Asia that continues to carryout capital punishment. It is also a country […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) would like to inform you about the case of excessive police force against a peaceful public protest at Hambantota Town on 6 October 2017. The protest was attended by thousands of people, including religious leaders, political party leaders, members of parliament, provincial council members, local government body […]