Threats and intimidation

AHRC TV: Thai student activist Pai Dao Din sentenced and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 184

This week Just Asia begins with Thailand, where student activist Pai Dao Din has been sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment for sharing a BBC biography of King Vajiralongkorn. Despite more than 2,000 people sharing the controversial BBC article on Facebook and millions reading it, Jatuphat was the only one arrested for lèse majesté. A […]

SRI LANKA: පොලිස්පති පොලිස් නිලධාරියෙකුට වදහිංසා කිරීමේ සිද්ධිය හා පොලිස් සේවයේ කීර්තිනාමය

“නයෙක් කෑවොත් කළ හැකි වෙදකමක් නැතැයි” සමහරුන් කියන්නා සේ පොලිස්පතිවරයා පොලිස් නිලධාරියෙකු වදහිංසනයට ලක්කල විට එයට ද ලංකාවේ නීතිය කරින යාත්මක වන ආකාරයට අනුව කල හැකි දෙයක් නැතුවා සේ පෙනේ. එය නීතියේ ඇති අඩුපාඩුවක් නිසා නොව ලංකාවේ නීතිය කරිය යාත්මක වන ආකාරයේ ඇති බරපතල පැහැරහැරීම් හා මගහැරීම් නිසාය. පොලිස්පතිවරයා පොලිස් මූලස්ථානයේ නිළධාරියේකුගේ කොළරයෙන් අල්ලා ඔහුට තර්ජනය […]

SRI LANKA: Torture and fabricated charges by Mahiyangana Police with the view of land grabbing

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding continuous harassment meted out by the Mahiyangana Police and the Badulla Police to Herath Mudiyanselage Podi Kumarihami, in order to grab a land which Podi Kumarihami owns and where she has been living for a long time. Police officers attached to the […]

SRI LANKA: When the law ceases to be a command that must be obeyed

By Basil Fernando A lawyer practicing in Negombo was abducted on the night of 12 July 2017 and taken to a deserted field. There six persons, two of whom were wearing camouflaged uniforms, beat him thoroughly on his back and his head, threatening him that, “you should not be messing with us,” and “you should […]

PAKISTAN: State failure allows jirga to order ‘revenge rape’

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is horrified by the news of the rape of a 17-year-old on the orders of a jirga (tribal council). The girl from the Rajpur area of Multan, Punjab province, was raped to avenge the rape committed by her brother. When a jirga was convened and informed that Umer sexually […]

AHRC TV: Bangladesh rights defender detained by Malaysian authorities and other stories in JUST ASIA, Episode 181

This week Just Asia begins with the case of Bangladeshi lawyer and human rights defender Adilur Rahman Khan, who was detained by Malaysian immigration authorities for more than 12 hours at Kuala Lumpur airport last week. Without giving any reasons for the detention, the authorities finally deported him back to Dhaka. Just Asia speaks to […]

BANGLADESH: Police gouge eyes of a man in custody

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the Khalishpur police of the Khulna Metropolitan city has gouged eyes of a detainee for failing to pay bribe. The victim, Mr. Mohammad Shah Jalal (Jibon). The Khalishpur police arrested him from the street near Boalkhali of the Khulna city when he went […]

SRI LANKA: The death of Sub-Inspector Sarath Premachandra a Kafkaesque episode

Justice M. Ilancheliyan is one of the greatest judges to be produced in Sri Lanka for the last many decades. He is still a High Court Judge, but he deserves to be raised to the Supreme Court. If that were to happen, he would be a great asset not only to the Supreme Court, but […]

INDONESIA: Army officers torture indigenous Papuan with no consequences

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the local network in Papua about torture against Mr. Niko Hisage, committed by army Sergeant Major Lucas and two other army personnel from the sub-district military command of Wamena city. Without any evidence, the military accused Mr. Niko, an indigenous Papuan, of selling […]

SRI LANKA: Arrest of another DIG indicates a serious crisis in the state’s machinery

DIG Lalith A Jayasinghe was arrested and is now being remanded for harbouring an offender and aiding the escape of the chief suspect Swiss Kumar, for the gang rape and the murder of 18 year old Sivaloganathan Vidya on 13 May 2015. The DIG is suspected of having committed an offence punishable under Section 209 […]

PAKISTAN: Young woman gang raped and blackmailed into marriage by traffickers

Dear Friends The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the gang rape of a young woman. The rape was recorded and she was blackmailed into marriage. The perpetrators have links to a trafficking gang operating under the patronage of the Gujrat city administration and police. The modus operandi of the gang […]

SRI LANKA: Young man tortured by Kantale Police

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding Mr. Kariyawasam Wickramarachchilage Milan Saman Wickramasinghe (21) permanent resident of Kantale Police Division. He was severely tortured by two Police Officers attached to the Kantale Police Station and two other assailants who allegedly participated in the torture following the instructions of the Police. […]

INDIA: Poor lottery ticket seller tortured by police in Thrissur, Kerala

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information from its partner organization in Kerala, Nervazhi, regarding the torture and violence meted out to a poor lottery ticket seller by the Thrissur police on a false charge. CASE NARRATIVE: Sajeevan is a lottery seller and his wife goes for domestic work. On […]

PAKISTAN: Call for action against district police officers in gang rape of constable’s daughter

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the gang rape of a constable’s daughter by influential persons. The district police of Jacobabad, Sindh province, are trying to protect the perpetrators. They have tampered with evidence and are making it difficult for the victim’s family to seek justice. At the same […]

NEPAL: Hong Kong based Nepalese investigative journalist manhandled and threatened

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a Hong Kong based Nepali investigative journalist and NepalKhabar Hong Kong Editor, Mr. JB Pun Magar, has been attacked and threatened for writing on issues relating to the Nepalese community residing in Hong Kong. Mr. Komal Gurung (Thapa), a Hong Kong based businessperson has been targeting JB […]

INDIA: Abduction and sexual abuse of an actress, and the cacophony so far exposes the putrid social culture in Kerala

Statement | India | 06-07-2017

On 17 February 2017, in Kerala, a criminal gang abducted and sexually assaulted an actress. The lady was travelling in a car, when a group of persons brought the car to a stop creating an accident, and forced themselves into the vehicle in which the lady was travelling. It is alleged that the men sexually […]

WORLD: A New Book – Torture: as an entrenched part of Cruel, Inhuman & Degrading Legal Systems

A Study on the use of torture as a routine part of criminal investigations in developing countries; lessons from the situation in Sri Lanka Basil Fernando The Asian Human Rights Commission is happy to present its latest publication which is now available in print and as an e-book. The book is based on over 20 […]

AHRC TV: Torture within the region in JUST ASIA, Episode 177

This week Just Asia focuses on the situation of torture in Asia, in commemoration of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Beginning with Pakistan, the UN Committee Against Torture has condemned the widespread practice of torture in the country and called on the government to enact urgent reforms. The government however, is […]

INDIA: What has been done to prevent criminals serving in the state police?

The State Police Chief in the Indian state of Kerala, has openly said that “there are more criminals in the state police service in the IPS cadre than within the constabulary.” State Police Chief, (SPC) Mr. Senkumar, in a speech delivered in a public function held at the state capital today (30 June 2017) has made this […]

INDIA: Weed out the rogues in uniform rather than trivialising rape

by Avinash Pandey ‘Why do armed women cut off a particular organ of Indian soldiers engaged in combating armed insurgencies across India, be it Punjab, Kashmir, Arunachal, Assam, Bengal or Jharkhand?’ asked senior opposition leader Azam Khan. The insinuation was unmistakable, and it had a basis: armed Maoists had indeed chopped off private parts of Central Reserve […]