Rule of law

The Asian Human Rights Commission reproduces below the full text of a circular issued on 3rd July 2015 by the Director General of Police of our neighbouring Indian state of Kerala. It announces a historically important initiative to modernise the police, so that the institution will become able to perform its functions within a modern democracy. […]

Dear Friends, The Jagaran Media Center (JMC) has informed the Asian Human Rights Commission that A Dalit woman, who queued up to receive relief materials after suffering loss in the Great Earthquake of 25 April, has been beaten black and blue. The beating by local non-Dalit Deepak Bhattarai’s family members has resulted in Saraswoti Sunar, […]

Dear Friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes with deep concern about the endorsement by the Department of Education Region XI to shut down at least 24 accredited community schools, which will affect 2,896 Lumad children. Furthermore, concern is also being expressed at the decision to allow military personnel to operate as para-teachers in […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a final student in University, named Toqier Mashori, has been tortured to death in the Central Prison of Hyderabad, Sindh, within three days of his arrest. His family was asked by the police and prison authorities to pay large bribes for Mashori’s relief […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the brutal murder of Mr. Jopi Teguh Lasmana Peranginangin (39), an environmental activist who used to work with the Indigenous People’s Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN). He was kicked, beaten, and stabbed to death by Indonesian navy personnel on 23 May 2015 at […]

Owing to a mountainous topography, many parts of Nepal are inaccessible during monsoon season; travelling to those more accessible can also be perilous at this time due to landslides. The problems that monsoons bring are more severe this year in aftermath of the devastating earthquake on April 25, and its destructive aftershock on May 12, […]

Burma got a new government in 2010, after decades of military dictatorship. The change, by general election and under a new constitution, converted Burma from a military to a semi-military government. Some things changed, but most have remained the same.  Torture is still part and parcel of the way the military and law enforcement agencies […]

This week’s special Roundup coincides with International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. The programme tunes in to AHRC partners from around the Asian region as they deliver their message to the world on this special day. Viewers can also watch AHRC TV’s special short video produced for DIGNITY Day, which is being celebrated in Copenhagen today. The […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has over the past 15 years documented close to 3,000 cases of torture from Asia. Most of these cases are reported through AHRC’s Urgent Appeals Programme by partner organisations working in Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, China, Philippines, and Thailand. Having documented and closely followed […]

Throughout the world, June 26 is marked as international day in support of torture victims. In Pakistan, the Asian Human Right Commission has played an active role in mobilizing civil society with support from many partner organisations. Several activities have been planned to commemorate the day and raise awareness amongst the masses about the implications […]

June 26 is observed as the international day in support of victims of torture. Torture is a crime under international law, just as is slavery and genocide. When committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack, torture also qualifies as a crime against humanity. Torture […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the abduction of Raja Dahir, the son of a prominent intellectual and the writer, from his home by uniformed Pakistan Ranger personnel and those wearing civilian clothes who identified themselves as State intelligence agents. Following Dahir’s abduction, his whereabouts are unknown. Mr. Raja […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the deteriorating health of Asia Bibi, who is on death row for allegedly committing blasphemy. The 50-year-old mother of five is suffering from intestinal bleeding and is being denied medical treatment by the jail authorities. She urgently needs medical care and her family members […]

An Open Letter from the Asian Human Rights Commission to Dr. Zafrullah Chowdhury of Ban I am writing this short letter to express my appreciation with regard to the statement reported in the media; you have been quoted to have said, “you [referring to tribunal judges] misused your power”. We, in South Asia as well […]

Dear Friends, The AHRC has received information about deepening cycles of violence in Manipur. A 12-year-old boy, Bishal, has been subjected to torture by the Kuki Revolutionary Front (KRF), a militant group based in Manipur. KRF suspected Bishal to be the member of Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP), another Valley-based insurgent group. This act of torture […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the torture to death of Ramadan Suhuddin, a sixteen-year-old boy, in the Municipality Police Office, Samarinda City, East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. The alleged perpetrators remain unpunished. The police are protecting their fellow officers, who tortured the boy. CASE NARRATIVE: On 16 October 2011, […]

In a letter dated 10 April 2015, the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission—an innovation of the current period of political change in Myanmar, or Burma—wrote to the Asian Human Rights Commission concerning the death in police custody of Ma Than Than Aye, and alleged torture of her and her husband Ko Nan Win (AHRC-UAC-128-2014). According […]

A Press Release from Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) Lahore, May 21: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) have expressed deep concern that following the 21stamendment, juveniles suspected of committing offences related to terrorism could end up being […]

Pakistan, in a short time, has witnessed several positive laws being promulgated in favour of equality for women. The women selected to special seats at the federal and provincial levels, including the few elected directly have been asserting their position to increase women’s participation in every walk of life and to eradicate violence against women, […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information regarding a brutal attack on farmers by the Indonesian Army. The alleged attack in Ramunia Village, Pantai Labu Sub-district of North Sumatera Province, came with the intent of grabbing farmers’ land. Army personnel of Regional Military Office, North Sumatera Province (Kodam I Bukit Barisan), along […]