Rule of law

by Basil Fernando The existence of a mass grave may come to the notice of the public by many different ways; a statement by a witness made during a court hearing – as in the case of Chemmani Mass Graves: discoveries of some scattered remains of bones by workers when digging a site for constructions […]

A group of human rights defenders in northeast Thailand are facing death threats and a defamation case in court over their attempts to protect community resources against a gold mining operation. According to Rights Coalition and Community Resource Centre Foundation (CRC), the Khon Rak Ban Kerd group of human rights defenders was formed in 2007 […]

A Statement from Hong Kong Campaign for the Advancement of Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines (HKCAHRPP) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission The starving and unarmed farmers of Kidapawan cried for rice. They were given bullets. Photo credit to HKCHRPP The Hong Kong Campaign for the Advancement of Human Rights and Peace […]

Interview Part 2 Interview Part 1 On behalf of the Asian Human Rights Commission, we are sharing with you the second part of the interview, with Basil Fernando, on the origins of the present political crisis, in Sri Lanka which is being traced to the manner in which the developments that took place in 1931 […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a 14-year-old girl was gang raped by influential persons from a political party, and the matter was settled with compensation of 1200 kilograms of wheat through the illegal jirga system. The girl’s father says he had no choice but to accept the compensation, […]

In medical science a placebo effect means a remarkable phenomenon in which a placebo–or a fake treatment, an inactive substance like sugar, distilled water, or saline solution, can sometimes improve a patient’s condition simply because the person has the expectation that it will be helpful. These days many people question as to whether the electoral […]

A Press Release from the Cross Cultural Foundation (CrCF) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has issued the order no. 13/2559 on 29 March 2016 titled, “The Prevention and Suppression of Certain Offences Detrimental to the Maintenance of Public Order or Harmful to the National […]

This week’s episode of Just Asia begins in Pakistan, where Easter Sunday was marked with a suicide bomb blast killing 78 persons, mostly Christian women and children, and injuring more than 350 others, including Muslims. The blast occurred in a park, devastating families who had come to enjoy their holiday. A local organization with links […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information provided by Padang Legal Aid (LBH Padang) regarding the civil service police unit (Satpol PP)’s brutal attack on public lawyer Mr. Asrul Azis Sigalingging, and seven students of the University of Andalas, in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia. The police has not shown any significant […]

Twelve years after the disappearance of Somchai Neelaphaijit, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) calls upon the Thai authorities to begin a new investigation into Somchai’s case, and to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. Somchai Neelaphaijit was a noted a lawyer and human rights defender in Thailand. […]

An article from International Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances (ICAED)forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission The International Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances (ICAED) has published a Primer on the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance for NGOs. Prof. Emmanuel Decaux,President of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED)has written the Preface of […]

Nuclear armed Pakistan is falling into the hands of Islamic militants who continually threaten India and other neighbouring countries with nuclear power Photo by AFP, courtessy to Dawn The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) strongly condemns the Easter day carnage in Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab, and urges for a high powered judicial inquiry […]

A Press Release from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) On 26 March 2016, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has ordered military officers to arrest Mr. Worachai Hema, a former MP, at his residence. The officers did not inform his family and relatives of […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding a vigilante group sealing off the Santa Clara Church in Bekasi, West Java province, Indonesia. Despite the congregation having fulfilled all legal requirements to build a Church, the vigilante group has demanded the Bekasi Mayor cancel the Church’s official permit. The police have […]

This week’s episode begins with Indonesia, where the trial of 26 human rights defenders began on March 21. The criminal charges against them are believed to be part of the government’s effort to end demands for labour welfare and for the cancellation of Government Regulation No. 78, which supports cheap labor in Indonesia. Just Asia […]

Cutting off electricity, water, and Internet facilities, closing down messes, chasing all the media persons out, and then calling in the Paramilitary to swoopdown on students in the campus sounds like routine work in a dictatorship, not a democracy. Yet, this is exactly what the University of Hyderabad administration, which works under the Union Ministry […]

A Statement from Human Rights Lawyer Association (HRLA) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) by Gen. Chalermchai Sitthisat, Deputy Chief of Staff of the NCPO, acting on behalf of the Chief of Staff, issued a most urgent letter dated 16 March 2016 addressed to the director […]

An article by Basil Fernando published in the Colombo Telegraph on 21st March 2016 and translated by “Good Governance Lanka” forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission An Article by Basil Fernando, translated by Good Governance Lanka.

We wish to share with you a discourse by Basil Fernando, on YouTube, titled “The crisis in Sri Lanka, was it in 1931” By Basil Fernando

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Indonesia Environment Forum (WALHI)’s branch office of West Nusa Tenggara province regarding the brutal attack and intimidation of protesters against sand mining. The protesters were conducting a peaceful protest in front of the local parliament of East Lombok regency, calling for the […]