Torture

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the wife and daughter-in-law of Dehiwatte Gedera Jayathilaka, who was allegedly killed by police torture at the Mahawela Police Station on 9 March 2004, were arrested by the officers from the Matale Police Station at around noon of 14 October 2004. The wife’s […]

The obstacles to eliminating torture in Bangladesh were foremost in the discussion at a recent meeting in Dhaka organised by Odhikar, a well-known national human rights organisation. There was consensus that grave torture exists throughout the country and that its causes are systemic: these include the following.   Torture is not a crime under national […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received a letter of response from the National Police Commission (NPC) of Sri Lanka regarding the case of Channa Prasanka Fernando. In the letter, the Chairman of the NPC confirms that action has been taken against a perpetrator of torture. The AHRC had sent an appeal letter to […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information of the alleged torture of Mr. Ranawaka Arachchige Hemasiri (40) by Police Constable Sunil and another police constable (who can be identified if seen again) at the the Kuruwita Police Station on 19 September 2004. Due to the brutal torture inflicted upon the victim […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is gravely concerned by a case regarding the severe torture of Mr. Horathelpedige Vijitha Dammika Nimalasiri (25) by the Veyangoda police on 5 September 2004. The victim was illegally arrested by the Veyangoda police in the early morning and brutally tortured by five police officers including the […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is deeply concerned by the safety of a torture victim, Mr. Channa Prasanka Fernando, and urges the local authorities to provide full protection to him. According to the updated information we have received, Mr. Channa Prasanka Fernando went into hiding in order to safeguard his life. On […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a man named Heeralu Mohottalalage Punchi Banda (39) was illegally arrested and tortured by the Sub Inspector (S.I.) Dhammika Bandara of Samanalaweva Police Post in Balangoda on 26 August 2004. Due to brutal torture, the victim still suffers from severe pain on his […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a torture victim, S. Channa Prasanka Fernando (27) was kidnapped and tortured for three days by Sergeant Subasinghe of the Negombo Police who forced the victim to write letters withdraw complaints against him. Previously, the victim had been tortured by the same sergeant […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information of alleged torture of Mr. Welgama Ralalage Wijitha Herath (40) by the Officer in Charge (O.I.C.) and one constable attached to the Polgahawela police station on 5 September 2004. Due to severe torture, the victim has been receiving treatment at the hospital until now. […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a man named Mr. Ganesh Kshetri (44) was severely tortured by the Balaju Ward Police on 28 August 2004. The victim’s family reported that Mr. Kshetri has completely lost his mental control due to brutal torture and needs urgent medical treatment. The victim […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Mr. R.K.L.G. Dingiri Banda on the serious security threat by two unknown men on 3 September 2004. Mr. Dingiri Banda is pursuing three cases against two army officers who are now captains regarding the severe assault on him which took place on 21 […]

Dear friends, It has come to the attention of the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) that Mr. Wijesekara Pathiranage Lionel Weerasinghe (33) was arbitrarily arrested and brutally tortured by police officers attached to the Yatawatta Police station on 16-17 July 2004. Mr. Wijesekara Pathiranage was allegedly charged of stealing cinnamon worth Rs. 80,000 without any […]

The lack of qualified criminal investigators hampers the criminal investigations in Sri Lanka, C.R. de Silva, the Solicitor General of Sri Lanka was quoted as saying in an interview with the BBC Sinhala Service Sandeshaya on Sunday, 5 September 2004. What the Solicitor General said on this occasion is what all spokesmen for government agencies, […]

Reports from the Maldives in recent weeks indicate increasingly disturbing use of authoritarian powers by its government intended to suppress popular calls for democratic reform. After protests on August 13, President Gayoom declared a state of emergency, and mass arrests by the security forces followed, including of members of the National Human Rights Commission, former […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that A G Ravindra (26) was assaulted and illegally detained again on 23 July 2004 by the Katupota police for making a complaint against them regarding his previous torture and arrest (see UA-63-2004). The police also filed false charges against him in court, for which […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from a human rights organization in Bangladesh that Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) officials arbitrarily tortured and arrested Sha Newaz Tito, Munir Hossain Talukdar and Ziaul Alam Dipu in the Agrabad area of Chittagong, Bangladesh on 4 August 2004. The brutal torture led to the […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from its partner organisation in West Bengal, Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM) that a pregnant Dalit woman, Lilabati Chowdhury, was brutally beaten by a police patrol party of the Beharampore police station at midnight on 7 August 2004. After the assault, Lilabati was admitted to […]

Dear friends It has come to the attention of the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) that a cleric, Qari Mohammad Noor, arrested last week for suspected al-Qaeda links has died in custody in controversial circumstances. While the post-mortem reports have not been disclosed to the public, human rights groups claim that there were marks of […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is happy to inform you that on 26 July 2004 the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka awarded one million rupees to the wife and three children of Mr. Lamahewage Lal Meddagoda (36) who had been tortured to death by the Negambo Prison officers on 7 November 2002. […]

SUMMARY The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is deeply concerned that four out of five torture victims represented by missing Thai lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit remain in custody, while the police officers allegedly responsible for their torture continue in their posts. The five men, who were accused of involvement in terrorist activities, were allegedly heinously tortured […]