Rule of law

This Week’s Roundup begins in Indonesia, where, despite a murderous attack by the police and military against indigenous Papuans in Paniai Regency, the National Commission on Human Rights has yet to conduct an investigation, as it claims have insufficient funds. Since then, the Independent Student Forum has managed to collect IDR 608,000 so that Commission […]

Yakub Memon is dead and buried. He was legally murdered on Thursday, 30 July 2015. This was after the Supreme Court dismissed the final petition put forward by a group of eminent lawyers pleading postponement of the sentence in a dramatic hearing that took place in the early hours of Thursday, just 2 hours before […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the death of Aslin Zalim in police custody in Bau-Bau Regency, South East Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. The Bau Bau District Court has convicted Police Adjunct Senior Commissioner (AKBP) Joko Krisdianto, former Chief of Bau Bau Police Resort (Polres Bau Bau), to six […]

A Statement from the Friday Forum forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission The country is about to face another decisive Parliamentary election shaping our political future. The Friday Forum wishes to place some crucial concerns before the voters. There is much confusion among the public about what is at stake with the Parliamentary election. […]

Developing states are most affected by climatic change, with weak infrastructure and even weaker disaster mechanism. The disaster-affected are left to fend for themselves. The developing state of Pakistan remains one of the most vulnerable to adverse impacts of climate change like floods, droughts, climate, and weather variability. Every passing year, Pakistan is being hit by […]

On 24 July 2015, the Supreme Court of India, while deciding Criminal Miscellaneous Petition 1606/1997 along with Writ Petition (Criminal 539/1986), in short D.K. Basu (2), has directed the state governments to form State Human Rights Commissions in the states of Delhi, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Nagaland. In the same Order, it has […]

There is a general sense of impunity for the law enforcement agencies, particularly the intelligence and military, the most powerful institution on Pakistan. The victims of the illegal, violent, and cruel actions of law enforcement personnel, and their families, complain that even when clearly identified by witnesses, no investigation is conducted against the perpetrators, let […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the Nepal police has fired 4 rounds of bullets and several rounds of tear gas canons, in addition to a baton charge, on people watching documentaries of Dr. Raut in Baluwa Bazaar of Mahottari District on Tuesday evening at around 8 p.m. Around 25 people […]

Yesterday, the CID filed a report at the Magistrates Court of Colombo, seeking to re-open criminal proceedings regarding the alleged murder of the rugby player Wasim Thajudeen. Wasim, who was a well known rugby player and voted as the most popular ruggerite for the year 2009 by Caltex Observer Touchdown Rugby quiz, was found dead […]

A Statement from TENAGANITA Women’s Force forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission The U.S Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report has, for the past few years, been seen by many organizations tackling modern-day slavery as a tool for governments to undertake structural changes that would end the trafficking and enslavement of persons in their […]

Freedom of the press is the cornerstone of every democracy. However, in states where democracy is little more than fascism in the façade of democracy, press freedom is the first casualty. This is the case in Pakistan, where journalists are suffering from an epidemic of violence. The latest attack has been on Geo News Bureau […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the extrajudicial killing of a disappeared person, Mr. Raja Dahir, who was abducted by Pakistan Ranger personnel on June 4. After they raided his house and abducted him his whereabouts had been unknown. Raja Dahir’s corpse was found 20 days ago in […]

A Press Release from Cambodian Civil Society Groups forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) We, the undersigned civil society groups, condemn the Cambodian People’s Party’s unanimous approval yesterday of the repressive and unnecessary Law on Associations and Non- Government Organizations (LANGO) and call on the Senate to reject the law. The vote at […]

The Prime Minister’s announcement for the need of a new constitution, one that will be in keeping with those found in developed countries, is quite welcome. The 1978 Sri Lankan Constitution is primitive. It is a shame on the nation. And, a change is certainly needed. However, a reminder is in order. The making of […]

Dear Friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about two girls having been forced into the sex trade after being trafficked by a relative. Government officials in a government office and in a private residence repeatedly raped the two girls for two days. The incident came to light after the incident was […]

On Thursday, July 23, police in Indagaw Township in Bago (Pegu) Region of Myanmar arrested human rights defender Ma Su Su Nwe and took her to the local court, where she was remanded in custody charged with trespassing under section 447 of the Penal Code: a section of law now being used with monotonous regularity […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the Nepal Police has clamped down on peaceful protesters at the Shree Ram Naresh Yadav Model Higher Secondary School, located at Dhakdhai 1, Rupandehi District. The incident occurred during an opinion collection drive for the draft constitution. Mr. Salman Khan, a news reporter […]

Dear Friends, The Tarai Human Rights Defenders Alliance (THRDA) has informed the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) that a Muslim man, aged 35, resident of Ward 8, Kamdi Village Development Committee (VDC), Banke District, has been tortured by the police. The man has sustained marked blue bruising on his leg, and his hands have swelled […]

The scope for the right to privacy and freedom of expression is being narrowed further in Pakistan, according to a report published by Privacy International. The report claims that Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies are closer than ever to removing internet privacy and increasing surveillance of the private data of average citizens, an exercise which […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the shooting and brutal attack on 10 indigenous Papuan youth conducted by police officers of Tigi Police Sector (Polsek Tigi), Deiyai Regency, Papua Province. The attack resulted in the death of Yoteni Agapa (19), while Melianus Mote (21) was seriously injured. Furthermore, eight […]