Rule of law

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a 13 year old girl was brutally gang raped during an entire night, by six infamous criminals who belong to a political party. The station head officer (SHO) has been suspended and thereafter transferred for filing charges of gang rape and assault against the […]

by Avinash Pandey The phone calls were going unanswered. A group of men had broken into a female friend’s house and were holding her hostage. I was frantically calling the Senior Superintendent of Police, the local police station, and officials in the district administration. Every passing minute sent shivers down my spine. I thought to […]

In the recent case of three Rupandehi boys being tortured by two police personnel deployed in the Area Police Offices of Suryapura and Rupandehi, the Court delivered a verdict on 22 June 2014 ordering departmental action against the guilty police personnel and NRs. 3000 compensation to be paid to each of the three victims pursuant […]

Nepal is a country where torture and ill-treatment are widely practised by state and non-state actors. Torture haunts detention centers, and there is no mechanism for the investigation of allegations of torture in the country. The culture of impunity strengthens its hold in Nepal, despite the armed insurgency having ended, and the Comprehensive Peace Agreement […]

Yarsagumba (caterpillar fungus), a herb prized for its medicinal value, and cash worth NRs. 40 million has been looted from the Phoksundo Village Development Committee (VDC), located in the highlands of Dolpa district in Nepal. This incident of gang robbery is within a day’s walk from the site where a violent police crackdown on the local […]

The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, Professor Surya P. Subedi, on Tuesday ended his 11th fact-finding mission to Cambodia, noting progress in some human rights areas and commending the Government’s response to a recent sudden and massive return of Cambodian migrant workers from Thailand. He called on the Thai […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the student of a prestigious college in the Kandy District was assaulted by a state educational officer in public. She was subsequently treated at the Kandy Hospital and later examined by a Judicial Medical Officer. The victim complained to the police authorities in […]

The Friday Forum has urged the Inspector General of Police to respond as a matter of urgency to the current public concern, including that of the Bar Council, on the deaths that are taking place in police custody. A particularly shocking recent incident involves the death of a 17year old minor after assault in police […]

by Bushra Khaliq Torture in police custody is a serious problem in Pakistan, rupturing the serious standards of social contract between the state and society. The menace of custodial torture has become endemic and adversely impacts on the individuals as well as society as a whole. This results in the loss of rule of law […]

The President has addressed the nation and stated that the law will be strictly enforced. He has also called upon the police and other agencies to enforce the law. That is certainly a good thing to do. However, the critical question is as to whether the President has the will and the capacity to enforce […]

For the third time, torture victims Raymond Manalo and Oscar Leuterio asked the Ombudsman to resolve the case of kidnapping, arbitrary detention, torture, physical injuries, threat and involuntary servitude and violation of RA 7438 (Rights of Persons Arrested, Detained or under Custodial Investigation) against their military torturers. Manalo and Leuterio were both victims of enforced […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Terai Human Rights Defenders Alliance (THRD Alliance) regarding the police having tortured two persons on 30 April 2014. The police took Kalu and Hikmat Chaudhari on their private motorcycles to the Bhasi Police Station and ordered them to sign a document. When they raised […]

by Avinash Pandey “If she had been killed on a street corner in this village, would you even be here?” was the question put to journalist Mehreen Zahra-Malik, by the husband of Farzana Iqbal, a young woman bludgeoned to death in front of the Lahore High Court. Probably not, as violence against women is not […]

It is to the credit of some Buddhist monks that they have taken active role in extending support and protection to the Muslims victim to vicious attacks across Sri Lanka. The attacks began after the Secretary of BBS, Reverend Galagoda-Atte Gnanasara Thera, spoke at a recent meeting at Aluthgama. Image courtesy: The Financial Times, daily […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is gravely concerned to have learned that Professor Worachet Pakeerut, an associate professor in the Faculty of Law at Thammasat University, leader of the Khana Nitirat, and human rights defender (HRD), has been charged in the Bangkok Military Court with violating an order of the National Council for Peace […]

by Nilantha Ilangamuwa Many stories revealing many different opinions are coming out. The writers are screaming, refuting, condemning and justifying what has been and their articles show the concerns of many people. Meanwhile, the social media has played a huge role and shared both sides of the story more freely than might have been done […]

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the Officer-in-Charge of the Thalathuoya Police Station failed to take action on a legitimate complaint of assault by Ms. Shashikala Madubashani Kumari Herath. The complaint was made against the companion of her mother, one Samson Perera. As a result of the police failure to follow the […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Forum for Protection of People’s Rights Nepal (PPR Nepal) regarding the police having tortured a Tamang family living in Jivanpur Village Development Committee (VDC)-6, Dhading district. The police took two children, Ruben and Prabesh, in custody on 7 February 2014 and tortured […]

The National Council for Peace and Order  (NCPO) has seized the power since 22nd May 2014. Now it is almost a month that the NCPO has issued many orders and announcements, as of 16 June 2014,  there were 68 orders/announcements. Particularly, Order No.  59/2557 and Order No.  60/2557, dated  11 June 2014, regarding the administration […]

The Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) vehemently condemns the violent incidents and complete breakdown of law and order that transpired in Aluthgama on the 14th and 15th of this month. While condemning all forms of religious and ethnic intolerance, discrimination and violence, FUTA sees the Aluthgama incident as an individual expression of a larger […]