Rule of law

By Avinash Pandey  The Supreme Court’s scrapping of Section 66 A of the Information Technology Act for being “unconstitutional in entirety” is indeed a great moment in the life of the democracy. The Act did, in fact, invade citizenry’s right of free speech “arbitrarily, excessively and disproportionately”. However, is this really a moment to celebrate […]

One of the promises of Mr. Maithripala Sirisena, as common candidate at the last presidential election, was the elimination of corruption, i.e. something the last government was steeped in. Elimination of corruption is therefore a major objective of his newly elected government. His catchwords were Yaha palanaya (good governance), which itself implies radical elimination of corruption. Today, […]

Dear Friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has detailed information on the killing of Sameera Dananjaya Pathirana (39) in the cell where he was detained in Ja-Ella Police Station. Sameera was illegally arrested on 17 March 2015. Later, police officers admitted him to the Ja-Ella Government Hospital due to his precarious medical condition. Immediately […]

In this week’s Roundup, AHRC TV covers stories from Burma, the Philippines, and Pakistan. Police and mob violence against peaceful demonstrators in Burma has sown doubt about the democratisation process in the country. AHRC TV talks to several people on the ground about recent crackdowns in Rangoon and Letpadan and whether police are continuing to […]

Students and their supporters detained in Tharawaddy Prison continue to be denied access to lawyers. In addition, the authorities have refused medical assistance for the detainees that are injured. Thus, the government continues its persecution of the Burmese students who have taken a stand against the government’s plan with respect to education. The background to […]

March 24 marks the fifth annual International Day for the Right to Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed this day in 2010 to honor the memory of victims and recognize the work of countless human rights activists around the world who have devoted […]

Many, including President Barack Obama, have been paying glowing tributes to Lee Kuan Yew since the announcement of his death this morning, 23rd March 2015. However, recalling what Lee Kuan Yew did to Dr. Chia Thye Poh and many other persons who aspired for multi-party democracy and respect for the freedom of expression in Singapore […]

Arrest brings humiliation, curtails freedom and cast scars forever. Law-makers know it so also the police. There is a battle between the law-makers and the police and it seems that the police has not learnt its lesson; the lesson implicit and embodied in the Cr.P.C. It has not come out of its colonial image despite […]

With the people Sri Lanka ousting the Mahinda Rajapaka regime, a path opened for Sri Lanka to return to the rule of law. The 1978 Constitution masterminded by J.R. Jayewardene, of which Mahinda Rajapaksa took full advantage, was aimed at completely displacing governance by rule of law in Sri Lanka.  Therefore, it is a fair […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that human body parts have been found scattered in several parts of Sri Lanka between 14th March and 18th March 2015.  Dematagoda, Nawala, and Diyawanna Oya near Parliamentary Complex are the sites in Colombo where the body parts have been found. Yatiyantota and the […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information, that a business couple from Meetiyagoda, in the Galle District, had been brutally murdered in broad daylight, in cold blood by a criminal gang. Previously, they repeatedly lodged complaints with the police requesting an investigation and protection from the criminal actions of these gangs. […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about Ms. JeyaGanesh Pakeerathy, a legal resident of France and her 14 year old daughter JeyaGanesh Pakalvia, a French citizen. Both had been illegally arrested by police officers attached to the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) of Sri Lanka on 2ndMarch, 2015 at Katunayake International Airport. They […]

Over the last week Burma, or Myanmar, has witnessed the re-emergence of some of the most sinister methods of handling public demonstrations in its modern history. The police and civilian attack mobs have violently broken up demonstrations of workers and students in the former capital, Rangoon (Yangon), and the town of Letpadan to its north. […]

Dear Friends, The Advocacy Forum Alliance in Nepal has informed the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) about the suspicious death of Gyani Raja Thakuri. The family of the deceased suspect direct involvement of the police in the death, as it followed an argument with local police officers. The police have, however, denied involvement and attribute […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a minor child, 13 years old, has been abducted, allegedly by members of an ethnic minority political group, the Muttaihida Quami Movement (MQM),  to prevent his father, Mr. Ashiq Chandio,  from giving evidence before an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC).  It is alleged that henchmen […]

A Press Release from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) On Monday, 23 February 2015, at 13:30 hours, the Criminal Court is going to deliver a verdict on the Black Case no. 3528/2557 filed by the public prosecutor against Mr. Patiwat (last name withheld) and Mrs. Pornthip (last […]

The academic activities of the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science & Technology (FUUAST), where 13,000 students are enrolled, are severely affected by the defunct vice chancellor and suspended registrar who have filed cases against 14 teaching staff. Besides cases, the suspended registrar has issued, on three different occasions, the show cause notices to chairman […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes to inform you about the release of the first comprehensive study that analyses the evolution of the media in post-colonial Sri Lanka. Published by Sage, the book, edited by William Crawley, David Page, and Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena is titled Embattled Media: Democracy, Governance and Reform in Sri Lanka. Contributors to the […]

Women and minorities are the most marginalized faction of the Pakistani society; the Muslim majority is increasingly being intolerant towards people professing religion other than Islam. In a recent case of increasing rape incident of Christian girls, as reported by British Pakistani Christian Association, two minor Christian girls from Jaranwala, Punjab, Farzana aged 14   and […]

“The idea that after the fall of the USSR we would have this liberal democracy spreading around the world was of course naive but, in many cases, these are issues of power. We have a Western elite that isn’t really interested in democracy unless its friends win. Otherwise, they are happier with a dictator whom […]