Torture

The Government has announced another attempt at constitution making in Sri Lanka which, this time is to begin, with the hope to complete the process, by the end of this year. A resolution to this effect has already been introduced in the Parliament and a Drafting Committee has been named. A valid question that begets […]

In this first episode of Just Asia in 2016, AHRC TV covers stories of disappearances and shrinking spaces for the freedom of expression. However, first up, the programme reports on the conclusion of a rape case in Sri Lanka, more than 14 years after the case began being heard. Rita, unlike many other rape victims, […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from a local network in Papua regarding the arbitrary arrest and torture of three indigenous Papuans, namely ElieserAwom (26), Yafeth Awom (18) dan Soleman Yom (24). They were arrested by four police officers in plain clothes at 11 pm in Deplat, Base-G Jayapura. The […]

A Statement from Front Line Defenders forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission On 5 January 2015, the transgender human rights defender Adnan (also known as Adnany), was shot and critically wounded near the Pir Zakori Bridge in the city of Peshawar. Adnan is a transgender human rights defender and co administrator of theTransAction Page, […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a political activist has disappeared following his arrest, allegedly by Pakistan Ranger personnel. The activist was arrested on 18 November 2015 and has not been produced in any court of law. The missing activist’s wife is pregnant and has threatened that if her […]

This is Just Asia’s final episode for 2015. It begins with a report from Sri Lanka and the long struggle for justice of a torture survivor. Rohitha Liyanage was after 10 years finally able to see the perpetrators tried and convicted for their crime. Two police officers tortured Rohitha so brutally that his leg was broken […]

A Press Releasefrom Gwangju Human Rights Laureates, Imparsial, IKOHI and the May 18 Memorial Foundation (Gwangju, South Korea) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) On Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (12-14 December, 2015) 8 laureates of the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, and human rights defenders from Asian region and Indonesia participated in an […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about the custodial assault and death of a young man in northeastern Burma over a personal dispute. According to the information, police detained Phyo Thura in October 2015 after he fought with a traffic officer’s son. The day after his arrest when his father […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Desk of Evangelical Christian Church, Papua Province regarding the assault and maltreatment conducted by Indonesian Air Force personnel. On 5 June 2015 at 2:20 p.m., a member of the Air Force heavily maltreated 22-year-old Amsal Marandof, […]

Human Rights violations remain widespread due to the failings of, and lack of reforms to, the country’s institutional framework, in particular, key institutions of the rule of law – the police, the prosecution, and the judiciary. This is compounded by persisting impunity enjoyed by law enforcement agencies particularly by the Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies. […]

International Human Rights Day offers one more opportunity to streamline the discourse on human rights. The achievements in terms of the development of normative standards have been immense in the last decades. These achievements are not reflected in people’s real life, despite certain public awareness about rights being made. Together with its success in building […]

This year, 2015, did not start off well for Nepal. On April 25, a devastating earthquake hit the nation killing more than 9000 people, injuring thousands and destroying millions of dollars worth of property. Help poured in from all over the world to assist the poor Himalayan nation. Youths and volunteers were reaching out to […]

Today, celebrating international human rights day, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) expresses its concern about various forms of human rights violations still occurring in Indonesia, despite the Soeharto dictatorship having ended 17 years ago. Major human rights violations abound. There is impunity for past abuses, torture and fabricated cases (unfair trial), assorted violations in […]

  Two elections were held in Sri Lanka in 2015, one in January and the other in August 2015. One was to elect the President, and the other was to elect members of Parliament. In both these elections, the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa was defeated, and, as a result, a coalition of new parties […]

International Human Rights Day is observed each year on December 10. This year the United Nations has declared that the day will mark a year-long campaign for the global recommitment to guaranteeing freedoms and protecting human rights for all. To this end, the UN has called upon member states to revisit commitments made to two […]

(Hong Kong, 4 December, 2015) “The surviving, present day youth in Northern Sri Lanka face a grim future. Society is just recovering from three decades of devastating civil war. In the current post war context, the future of the community depends on rebuilding broken social structures in which youth can play a crucial role”, writes Dr. […]

Courtessy from daily Pakistan Freedom of religion is a fundamental right that exists only on paper in Pakistan. Each year thousands of Christians, forming 13% of the total population, suffer at the hands of religious bigots who use blasphemy as an excuse to ruin their life. Christian girls are increasingly being forced to convert to Islam. According […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) regrets to inform you of a further incident of harassment and assault by the military against three indigenous Higaonons in Misamis Oriental. The victims were beaten and doused with water and accused of being members and couriers of the rebel New People’s Army. CASE DETAILS: (Based on the […]

The weekly Times column, Focus on Rights, titled‘The Loss of Sri Lanka’s ‘Truth-Telling’ Monk’ by Kishali Pinto Jayawardena, in the Sunday Times, Sri Lanka, on 08 November 2015, forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Kishali Pinto Jayawardena George Orwell once reminded us that ‘in a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.’ […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that police officers of the Municipality Police (Polrestabes) and the Tamalate Police Sector (Polsek Tamatale) Makassar, South Sulawesi Province, have tortured to death Mr. Abdullah. For the last 6 days before his death, the victim was in a local hospital (RS Labuang Baji) in […]