Threats and intimidation

INDONESIA: Two Human Rights defenders receive warning letters after criticizing the Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION – URGENT APPEALS PROGRAM Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-008-2021  September 15, 2021 ——————————————————————— INDONESIA: Two Human Rights defenders receive warning letters after criticizing the Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment. ISSUES: freedom of expression and opinion, access to justice, fair trial —————————————- Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received […]

BANGLADESH: Government Uses Arbitrary Detention and Degenerated Judiciary Against Dissidents

A Written Statement to the 48th Regular Session of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource Centre The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) brings the issue of arbitrary detention and the degenerated justice mechanisms to the United Nations Human Rights Council focusing on the situation in Bangladesh, which is a Member of […]

BANGLADESH: Enforced Disappearances Must Warrant Consequences

A Written Statement to the 48th Regular Session of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource Centre The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) raises the issue of Bangladesh’s rabid enforced disappearances to the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council’s 48th Regular Session. Bangladesh’s incumbent government began using enforced disappearances as one […]

SRI LANKA: UN Human Rights Mechanisms Ought to Explore New Approaches to Protect Rights

For several decades now, the widespread practice of enforced disappearances has been experienced in Sri Lanka in a very large scale Despite many attempts by the UN human rights agencies including the Working Group on Enforced Disappearances, there are hardly any cases where credible investigations or prosecutions have taken place concerning the cases which sometimes […]

BANGLADESH: Pro-government entities create copyright disputes over virtual contents critical of the regime

Governmental repressions continue as Bangladesh keeps curbing the civic space of the people with impunity. The Sheikh Hasina government has systematically using multiple technics and spying technological tools to curb the freedom of expression in online and off-line. The pro-regime cyber-worriers have launched a trend of creating fake copyright disputes over the contents that criticise the government. […]

SRI LANKA: The Complaint by a young mother of sexual harassment suffered at the Padukka Police Station

An Open Letter from the Asian Human Rights Commission to Inspector General of Police, Mr. C. D. Wickramaratne Inspector-General of Police, Mr. C. D. Wickramaratne New Secretariat, Colombo 01. SRI LANKA Fax: + 94 11 2 440440 / 327877 Email: igp@police.lk Dear Mr. C. D. Wickramaratne SRI LANKA: The Complaint by a young mother of […]

ශ්‍රී ලංකා: පාදුක්ක පොලීසියේදී අතවරයට පත් කාන්තාවක් ජනාධිපතිතුමාට හා පොලිස්පතිතුමාට කරන අභියාචනය

මෙය https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2Kf1r9dmP8 ඉහත සදහන් සදහන් යූ ටියුබ් නාලිකාවෙන් නැරඹිය හැකිය. ඇයගේ පණිවිඩය ලේඛණ ගත කිරීමක් පහත සදහන් වෙි. මමයි මගේ දරු දෙන්නයි ලොකු දුවයි පොඩි දුවයි මහත්තයයි ගියා පාදුක්ක පොලීසියට පැමිණිල්ලක් දාන්න ඒ ගියේ මගේ පොඩි දෙන්නා වට්ස් ඇප් එකේ වැඩ කරනවා ඔන්ලයින්. මගේ දුවට පිරිමි ළමයෙක් එවලා තිබුනා නිරුවත් ෆොටෝ වගයක්. අපි ඒ පිරිමි […]

SRI LANKA: A Cruel Government Supports Torture by Opposing Preventive Law

An amendment to the Code of Criminal Procedure allowing the Magistrates to visit places of detention has been turned into a political issue by a section of the government and by some extreme nationalist elements. What this means is that the opposition to the amendment is supporting the continuous practice of torture in Sri Lanka. […]

বাংলাদেশ: পুলিশী নির্যাতনের প্রাতিষ্ঠানিকতা বন্ধ করতে বিচার ব্যবস্থার আমূল সংস্কার দরকার।

২৬ জুন – নির্যাতিতদের সমর্থনে জাতিসংঘ ঘোষিত আন্তর্জাতিক দিবস উপলক্ষ্যে এশিয়ান হিউম্যান রাইটস্ কমিশনের বিবৃতি বাংলাদেশে পুলিশের মহাপরিদর্শক বেনজির আহমেদ দাবি করেছেন “সন্ত্রাস ও জঙ্গিবাদ দমনে বাংলাদেশ পুলিশের পেশাদারিত্ব, সাহসিকতা ও অভাবনীয় সাফল্য সর্বমহলে প্রশংসিত হয়েছে”। ১৪ জনু রাজশাহীর সারদায় পুলিশ সাব-ইন্সপেক্টরদের প্রশিক্ষণ সমাপনী কুচকাওয়াজ শেষে এক বক্তব্যে তিনি এমন দাবি করেছেন। যেকোনো রাষ্ট্রের আইন […]

SRI LANKA: A Sister’s 20 Year Long Struggle For Justice For Her Brother Killed By The Police

By Basil Fernando On the universal day for torture victims, this year, a book will be launched by The Right to Life organization working in collaboration with the AHRC on a long standing case, which is continuing in courts, regarding a man who was killed extra-judicially, inside a Police station. The author of the book […]

BURMA/MYANMAR: Myanmar Situation Update (17 to 23 May 2021)

A Statement from ANFREL forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Download the Full Statement here The Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) released the final comprehensive report of its international election observation mission to the 2020 Myanmar general elections and said “it is its informed opinion that the results of the 2020 general elections were, by and […]

BURMA/MYANMAR: Myanmar Situation Update (3 to 9 May 2021)

A Statement from ANFREL forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Download the Full Statement Here The pro-democracy protests continued across the country in different townships despite the continuing lethal attacks by the junta forces and arrets of protests and the youth. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) figures showed that as of 9 May, […]

INDONESIA: Long Journey of the Work of AHRC Empowering and Inspiring

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) and its sister organization, the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), have long history of journey working with local human rights networks and organizations in Indonesia. In addition, the AHRC also has long experiences working with association of victims and family of victims of past human rights abuses such as […]

SRI LANKA: Institutional theories about the use of torture

By Basil Fernando There are a number of entrenched beliefs which have become institutional doctrines within the policing system which contribute to the continuing practice of torture. No suspect will ever tell the truth. Therefore, it is better not to waste time asking questions before torturing the person. This is a practice almost invariably followed […]

SRI LANKA: Why do Sri Lankan Police officers torture suspects? Part II

By Basil Fernando “Police officer” refers mostly to persons working for the Sri Lanka Police Service. But in the context of custodial torture, it also includes others who at times are called upon to do Police-related duties such as conduct interrogations, similar to the military and other agencies. Another aspect, relevant to this discourse, generally […]

SRI LANKA: Why do Sri Lankan police officers torture suspects?

By Basil Fernando “Police officer” refers mostly to persons working for the Sri Lanka Police Service. But in the context of custodial torture, it also includes others who at times are called upon to do police-related duties such as conduct interrogations, similar to the military and other agencies. Another aspect, relevant to this discourse, generally speaking, […]

BANGLADESH: Gang close to Bangladesh PM extracts bribes for state contracts

By Al Jazeera Investigative Unit 1 Feb 2021 A criminal gang is colluding with Bangladesh’s security forces to extract bribes for state contracts and job positions, all the while maintaining powerful links with the country’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, an Al Jazeera investigation has found. All the Prime Minister’s Men reveals how Haris and Anis Ahmed, […]

INDIA: Democracy detained even as COVID is on a free run

Statement | India | 10-12-2020

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the occasion of Human Rights Day Covid has been a tragedy for 7 billion people, for the entire world. Or, perhaps, it has not been for a few. It has rather been a godsend for illiberal governments around the world. A study by Freedom House found, the condition […]

SRI LANKA: Abduction and demands for ransom by some officers of Kuda oya Police Station

Two young men named Wicramage Shanaka Chathuranga and Wicramage Eishan Chintaka Lakamal both from Ambilitiye were abducted under suspicion of the theft of four buffaloes. At the police station, they were severely tortured. According to the family, the family members were denied access to the suspects and the police denied having abducted or taken them […]

INDONESIA: 55 Tahun Genosida, Mana Tanggungjawab Negara?

A Joint Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission & the 1965 Murder Victims’ Research Foundation (YPKP 65) Pada tahun 2012, penyelidikan pro-justicia Komisi Nasional Hak Asasi Manusia (Komnas HAM) untuk Tragedi Kemanusiaan 1965-66 (Genosida 1965) telah merekomendasikan langkah penyidikan sebagai tahap lanjut atas dugaan kuat terjadinya kejahatan HAM berat pada masa lalu di Indonesia. […]