Torture

Dear Friends,  We would like to send you a copy of the 18th open letter sent by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) to the Jesuit superior general in Rome regarding Fr. Pallath¡¦s case.  Readers are encouraged to write to the Jesuit superior general and call for an inquiry into Fr. Pallath¡¦s case.  For further […]

A Joint Statement By JanaSansadaya, Sri Lanka and the Asian Human Rights Commission AHRC Sri Lanka will celebrate the 54th anniversary of its independence from the British Raj on 4th February 2002. It is appropriate that it also be celebrated as Torture Elimination Day, to highlight the problems that need to be eliminated if the […]

This Urgent Appeal is regarding a high level police attack on the National Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka on 22 January, 2002. 

AHRC draws your attention to the casse of Angline Roshana who was arrested and tortured on 3rd December 2000. Despite many interventions, the Attorney General of Sri Lanka has refused to act Under Act No. 22 of 1994, which gives him the power to prosecute offenders for Torture or other forms of Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

Dear Friends We are forwarding you an appeal from the highly respected Task Force Deteinees of the Philippines, regarding the torture of a fisherman in Cebu by the police of that region. Please read the short account of the incident and take the action requested. Urgent Appeals Desk ——————————————————————— URGENT ACTION TITLE : Alfredo Bantecil […]

AHRC welcomes the recent capture by the Indonesian police of Tommy Suharto – fugitive son of Gen. Suharto, accused of crimes ranging from corruption and graft to bombings and the assassination of a judge. However, we have serious doubts about the ability of the criminal justice system to proceed effectively, as the system is fundamentally flawed. Time and time again the influential elite and members of military and police charged with horrendous human rights crimes are not prosecuted or let off with ridiculously light sentences; while the poorer sections calling for decent wages and conditions, land for peasants or self-determination for indigenous peoples are harshly punished for raising their voices. 

There has been another instance of severe torture of a ‘suspect’ at the hands of the Sri Lankan police on the 6th of October. The person who suffered the torture was Mr. Namal Fernando, 37, a fulltime social worker and father of three from Pitipana Duwa, Negombo, 32 km from Colombo. It appears to have been a case of mistaken identity – he has now been released from without charge and has been recovering in hospital. We are asking you to write letters on behalf of the torture victim. Details of the incident are as follows:

Dear Friends, We’re forwarding you the following appeal made by Beginning a Solidarity Electronically in the 21st Century (BASE21) in South Korea. After President Kim Dae-jung took office, the South Korean government set up the Presidential Truth Commission on Suspicious Deaths (PTCSD) to bring to light suspicious deaths that took place during the last dictatorial […]

AHRC MEDIA Release  28 June 2001  Australia: High Commissioner Appointee responsible for atrocities  Former detainee under General Perera speaks out  Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is issuing today an eyewitness account [attached] of extreme physical and psychological torture, overcrowding and hundreds of disappearances/extrajudicial killings at an illegal military detention camp (in Wehera, Kurunegala district, 25 […]

(This statement is also available in Chinese and Korean, Please check your attachment)   UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL DAY IN SUPPORT OF VICTIMS OF TORTURE Invest Money to eradicate Torture; Mere talk is just hypocrisy! Perhaps, the only day that really reflects the reality of Asia is this day which remembers the victims of Torture. This […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission brings to your notice the following 3 cases of torture and extra-judicial killings, committed by the police in Sri Lanka. These 3 cases demonstrates blatant violations of right to be protected from torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment. In the international law, torture is considered one of the gravest crimes. However, torture by the law enforcement officers in Sri Lanka is rampant.

Dear Friends,  We are sending you a copy of an third open letter sent today by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) to the Jesuit Supeior General in Rome regarding Fr. Pallath’s case.  This letter is also available at: http://jjpallath.ahrchk.net  Thank you.  Urgent Appeal Desk  Asian Human Rights Commission  ———————————————————————–  ( This is the third […]

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka decided on May 29, 2001, that the fundamental rights of H. B. Sriyawathie have been violated by the Mirihana police. She had been illegally arrested, wrongfully detained and tortured while she was in police custody. She was pregnant at the time of her arrest. The court upheld her application and ordered that 150,000 rupees (about US$2,000) be paid to her as compensation.

A Sri Lankan judge has recently ordered the arrest of four members of the security forces (three policemen and one naval officer) for the following gang rape/torture case. The two women victims are currently taking refuge at the Bishop’s residence and there are also fears for the safety of the main witness in the case. This is now the time to act to ensure that the investigation is independent and transparent, that all of the perpetrators are arrested quickly and followed through to prosecutions using the full force of the law. Many members of security forces in Sri Lanka are allowed to go free for horrendous crimes such as this because pressure eases once arrests are made. Please apply pressure now by reading the following information and sending letters as suggested below.

UCHITHA THUSSARA KUMAEA, 33 years old, married and the father of two children, was tortured to death by Police at Ja-ela Police station, Sri Lanka on 24th March, 2001. Mr. Kumaea was arrested by the officers from Ja-ela police station on the morning of 24th March, using a warrant for a minor offence. Mr. Kumaea was sent to the remand prison in Negambo on the evening of the same day.

We have received information about two further cases of torture in Sri Lanka, details of which are following. The Sri Lankan government was praised by the international community for ratifying the UN Convention Against Torture, and for enacting a Law in 1994 making torture punishable by a minimum of 7 years imprisonment. Six years later, there has still not been a single conviction under this law, despite many credible cases of severe torture, such as those described in this appeal. While impunity continues, torture continues. Please read the following cases and take the small action suggested below to push the Sri Lankan government to address this crisis.

URGENT ACTION URGENT ACTION URGENT ACTION URGENT ACTION URGENT URGENT ACTION  ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION – URGENT APPEALS PROGRAM  AHRC UA Index: 001206 06 December 2000  ———————————————————————  UA 41/00: A extreme abuse – need to call for inquiry  SRI LANKA – Kidnapping, Torture and Illegal Detention by Police  ———————————————————————  A group of people arrived at […]

We have received very reliable information describing the torture, molestation and illegal detention of at least 12 women, and 2 minors, in connection with the torture, illegal detention and murder of a man in Chennai, Tamil Nadu State in the South of India. The man murdered is one Nathan, s/o Nagappan of Chennai, who died on Febraury 17, 2000. All of these serious human rights violations were at the hands of the police at the F-1 Chintadripet Police Station, Chennai between the 10th and 17th of February 2000. The events are summarized below. 

AHRC has received a testimony of severe torture from a prisoner, Mr. Michael Edward (Prison No. 2143) of Kandy, who is currently being held at Bogambara Prison and previously at Kalutara Prison. He was taken as a  terrorist suspect by Talathu-oya Police on 21st May 1998. He was kept in police custody until he was […]

AHRC UA990204 Sri Lanka 04 February 1999 ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION URGENT APPEAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Name of the Victim : K. R. ANURA SAMPPATH of Veera Puranappu Mawatha, Lakshapathiya, Moratuwa Age : 24 Date of Death : 30 December 1998 Place Of Death : Police Station, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka Anura Sampath was taken to the […]