Rule of law

Three Ahmadis were sentenced to death on blasphemy charges by the Islamabad court of sessions on 12 October 2017, for allegedly tearing down a poster outside their place of worship. Incidentally, the sentence came within hours of a hate speech delivered on the floors of the National Assembly, by the son-in-law of deposed Prime Minister […]

By Basil Fernando This article is a response to an article titled “International Convention on Enforced Disappearances violates the Constitution” published in a reputed newspaper The Island of 22nd October 2017, written by Neville Ladduwahetty. The crux of the argument in that article is that the definition of enforced disappearances as contained in the International Convention on […]

A Sinhala translation of a Statement issued by the Asian Human Rights Commission, published by Lankanewsweb.net මාස 10ට ජීවිත 10 ක්! පහත දැක්වෙන වගුවෙන් දැක්වෙන්නේ 2017 ඔක්තෝබර් මාසය වන විට ගතවූ මාස 10කට ආසන්න කාලයක් මුළුල්ලේ අධිකරණයෙන් පිටත සිදුකළ ඝාතන 09 ක් සහ ඝාතන උත්සාහයන් 01 ක් පිළිබඳව ය. එම ඝාතන 09 සිදුවී තිබෙන්නේ පොලිස් ස්ථාන […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from our local partner in Papua about the torture and ill-treatment of a high school student, Yunus Manauri, in Teluk Wondama regency, West Papua province. After Yunus refused to hand over his motorcycle for not having the vehicle’s document as well as a driving […]

Dear Friends, Mr. Lalsiri Sampath Sugathapala (33) of Meehonda Wewa, Horowpathana was a resident of Horowpathana Police Division. He went missing on 14 April 2017. He was a regular soldier attached to the Sri Lanka Army. After resigning from the military he joined a company in Colombo. He was happy in his job. On 11 […]

Dear Friends, According to information received by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), a 15-year-old girl in 10th Grade at A/Madatugama Sri Rewatha Navodya Vidyalaya, Madatugama, Kekirawa was arbitrarily expelled by the Principal. When she began vomiting during an outdoor celebration of International Children’s Day on 2 October 2017, a group of students misinformed the Principal that […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information regarding the case of 14-year-old Kahingala Waduge Kanidu Minsara Silva, who was illegally arrested, detained and tortured by the Moratuwa Police Station on 10 October 2017. Minsara is a student at Uyana Kanishta Vidyalaya. On October 8, he had a non-violent dispute with a senior […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information that around 500 residents in Dharamsal village, a small village on the Line of Control (dividing the State of Jammu Kashmir into Pakistani and Indian administered parts) have been living in equivocal situation since August 13, 2017. The Indian Army is unremittingly targeting […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about the extra-judicial attempt to kill Mr. Pathirana Champika Kumara Jayatunga (28), a resident of Biyagama Police division by SFT Officers. The victim went out with his friend to purchase a new vehicle. Their rented van was fired on by a group of STF […]

This week Just Asia begins with India, where the Supreme Court ruled that sex with a wife younger than 18 is rape. This is a much needed legal development for child rights, and will help in the fight to end child marriage in the country. Sadly, the fight against marital rape for adult women continues. […]

The table given below sets down 09 extrajudicial killings, 01 attempted killing – 09 of which are at the hands of the police at various police stations and the other, in a prison. These 10 incidents are the ones reported to the Asian Human Rights Commission based in Hong Kong during this year. However, at […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information regarding Mr. Nalaka Danushka Kumara (33) of Moragasmulla, Rajagiriya. He is a resident in the Rajagiriya Police Division. He was abducted by a group of powerfully-built men in a Blue Van at 7 p.m. on 15 October 2017. Relatives of the victim lodged a complaint […]

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 […]