Rule of law

SRI LANKA: Technician disappeared in Anuradhapura

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information regarding Sudath Darmapriya (40) of Kalawana, Minuwangoda in Gampaha District. Sudath has been missing since 12 July 2017. He is a permanent resident of Minuwangoda and a technician by profession. He was managing a Pandal, in Anuradhapura from 26 June 2017. He telephoned his wife […]

SRI LANKA: Innocent man illegally tortured and arrested by Padukka Police

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information that Mr. Mahinda Dammika Manawadu was illegally arrested and severely tortured by police officers attached to the Padukka Police Station. After Dammika got into a dispute with the owner of the garage where his three-wheeler was under repair, the owner requested the intervention of the […]

NEPAL: Dearth of honesty

An oped from the Kathmandu Post forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission A country cannot survive in the absence of honesty and integrity. Additionally, there is a need for unity, compassion and eagerness for development among the people. Similarly, the government must observe the rule of law for the regulation of good governance. Nepal has had […]

SRI LANKA: Female migrant-worker expresses harassment in Saudi Arabia

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information regarding Mrs. K A Nilanthi Karunarathna. A resident of Baddegama Police Division, she migrated to Saudi Arabia as a domestic helper on 19 January 2015. Within several months at her employer’s house she started to experience severe harassments and complaints. She requested her family members […]

INDONESIA: Discussion forcibly dispersed by a mob that attacked the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation office.

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about the forced dissolution of a Discussion on truth-seeking and settlement of past abuses. The meeting was held in the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) building. On the first day of the Discussion, Police blocked the main entry. As a result, some participants from […]

INDIA: Enclave dwellers continue to be neglected; the Indian State must prioritise and provide them their entitlements

Statement | India | 18-09-2017

The plight of enclave dwellers and the status of enclaves in India is something that rarely catches the attention of the media and is therefore an issue that few know or understand. The history of enclaves in India, its origin and continued existence is complex and fascinating, dating back to the 18th century. After Partition in 1947, the hurried redrawing […]

SRI LANKA: Innocent man illegally arrested, detained, tortured and produced before the Courts on fabricated charges

Dear Friends, Asian Human Rights Commission has received information regarding Mr. Wasala Munidewage Ruwan Dharshana Premarathne (35) of No: 48/4, Opalgala watte, Pussella, Gammaduwa in the Matale District. He was illegally arrested, detained, tortured and produced before the Courts by Police Officers attached to the Paliyagoda Police Station. There was no evidence to show any […]

AHRC TV: Rohingya injured by landmines as they flee violence and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 188

This week Just Asia begins with Burma, where many Rohingya are suffering horrific injuries and loss of limbs by landmines along the Burma-Bangladesh border in their attempt to flee the violence. After the militant Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa) attacked several police posts on August 25, the Burmese government carried out a brutal counter-insurgency clampdown. […]

PAKISTAN: Police officials refuse to file case against perpetrator for rape of blind woman

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the rape of a blind woman at gun point by the brother of an influential government official. The area police of Pakpatan police refused to file the cases of rape and abduction, torture of her husband and his brother for three days. […]

SRI LANKA: Domestic violence and sexual assault complaint not investigated by Godakawela Police

Dear Friends, According to the information that the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received, Ms. Sashikala Maduwanthi Dharmapalain was severely assaulted by her husband’s family on 14 August 2017. Although she made a domestic violence and sexual assault complaint to the police on the very same day, a month later the police have not […]

NEPAL: Mysterious death indicates police foul play

Statement | Nepal | 14-09-2017

The mysterious death of 35-year-old Dev Bahadur B.K.on 30 August 2017 seems to involve the Ghorahi Sub-metropolitan police, Dang District. Dev was arrested at around 6 p.m. on August 29 by police officers attached to the Ward Police Station, Ghorahi Sub-Metropolitan. Dev was drunk at the time of arrest, and was taken to the police station in […]

WORLD: Many senior officials and diplomats indulge in attacks against the human rights mechanisms, or deny the existence of serious violations

A Statement from Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Darker and more dangerous: High Commissioner updates the Human Rights Council on human rights issues in 40 countries Human Rights Council 36th session Opening Statement by Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, United Nations High […]

INDIA: The murder of the ‘other’

Statement | India | 08-09-2017

‘In India, Another Government Critic Is Silenced by Bullets’, is how the New York Times reported the murder of Gauri Lankesh, a gutsy journalist known for her fierce opposition of the religious right wing regime currently in power in India. The heading that the New York Times chose says it all. Yes, Lankesh is ‘another’ victim of […]

PAKISTAN: Teacher’s hateful remarks led to killing of a Christian student

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the death of a 17-year-old Christian student, after the continuous hateful remarks of a teacher. The student was killed for drinking water from the school’s water cooler. Police still refuse to book the schoolteacher and head master for spreading religious hate among […]

PAKISTAN: Missing Persons!

By: Salman Ali The executive and judicial branches of Pakistan’s state must take serious actions against enforced disappearances and on cases of missing persons As a citizen of Pakistan, I am very much concerned about the increase in cases of enforced disappearances in Pakistan. The state has utterly and miserably failed to restrain law enforcement […]

INDONESIA: Tumpang Pitu villager in mining operations is the victim of a fabricated case

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding a fabricated case against Mr. Heri Budiawan. He is known as Budi Pego, a villager of Sumber Agung village, Banyuwangi, East Java Province. Budi took an active part in advocacy efforts for a safe and protected environment for Tumpang Pitu, Banyuwangi Regency. […]

NEPAL: An Open Letter from the Asian Human Rights Commission to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and to the relevant authorities

06 September 2017 Mr. Krishna Bahadur Mahara Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singha Durbar, Kathmandu, Nepal Phone: 977-1- 4200182/183/184/185 Toll Free No: 1660-01-00186 Fax: 977-1- 4200061/056/160 Email: info@mofa.gov.np Dear Mr. Mahara, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) would like to inform you that we are aware that your office […]

PAKISTAN: Policing system plagued by pervasive corruption

When thinking of police officers in Pakistan, inept, corrupt and intimidating are some of the first thoughts that come to mind. Their attitude towards complainants and victims of crime are particularly devoid of civility. In fact, complainants are harassed for daring to report crimes and demanding justice. The country’s justice delivery mechanisms largely fail victims, […]

INDONESIA: Government must make public the 2005 fact-finding report on Munir’s case

A Joint Statement by Asian Human Rights Commission, Amnesty International Indonesia, Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances, Asia Justice and Rights, East Timor & Indonesia Action Network, The Observatory for Protections of Human Rights Defender OBS, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development, Human Rights First, Human Rights Watch, Protection International, TAPOL UK and International Federation […]

SRI LANKA: නීතිඥ වෘත්තියේ හා අධිකරණ පද්ධතියේ වැරදි වසන් කිරීම නොව ඒවා නිවරදිකරවා ගැනීම කාටත් ප‍්‍රයෝජනවත් වනු ඇත.

ලංකාවේ සමස්ථ අධිකරණ පද්ධතියේ ප‍්‍රතිසංස්කරණ සම්බන්ධයෙන් දැන් මතුවී තිබෙන විවාදය මේ පිළිබඳව පැවතී ඇති සාකච්චා වල වැදගත් අවධියක් ලෙස සැලකිය හැකිය. රන්ජන් රාමනායක මහතා හා ලංකාවේ නීතිඥ සංගමය අතර ඇතිවූ විවාදයක් සේ මෙය පටන් ගැනුනත් මේ වන විට එය පළල් ක්ෂේත්රකයක් කරා පළල් වී ඇත. මේ පිළිබඳ මහජන අවධානයද ඉතා බලවත් ලෙසින් ඉස්මතු වී ඇත. සමස්ථ […]