Torture

A statement on the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture In Pakistan, torture has become a norm, for oppressive means of government by successive regimes; it is used mainly as a means of oppressing opposition and against youth irrespective of gender, in the suppression of their freedoms, their freedom of thought and […]

The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, Professor Surya P. Subedi, on Tuesday ended his 11th fact-finding mission to Cambodia, noting progress in some human rights areas and commending the Government’s response to a recent sudden and massive return of Cambodian migrant workers from Thailand. He called on the Thai […]

The Friday Forum has urged the Inspector General of Police to respond as a matter of urgency to the current public concern, including that of the Bar Council, on the deaths that are taking place in police custody. A particularly shocking recent incident involves the death of a 17year old minor after assault in police […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding another case of torture and the fabrication of charges in Jakarta. The victim was reported to have been taken to an unidentified location and tortured before finally being taken to Jakarta District Police station. His family was not promptly informed on his arrest […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is pleased to inform you that the charges against Fernando Obedencio, a human rights activist whom we reported to have been tortured, falsely charged and held for nearly nine years, have been dismissed. The court granted his petition to dismiss the fabricated charges of possession of illegal […]

For the third time, torture victims Raymond Manalo and Oscar Leuterio asked the Ombudsman to resolve the case of kidnapping, arbitrary detention, torture, physical injuries, threat and involuntary servitude and violation of RA 7438 (Rights of Persons Arrested, Detained or under Custodial Investigation) against their military torturers. Manalo and Leuterio were both victims of enforced […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Terai Human Rights Defenders Alliance (THRD Alliance) regarding the police having tortured two persons on 30 April 2014. The police took Kalu and Hikmat Chaudhari on their private motorcycles to the Bhasi Police Station and ordered them to sign a document. When they raised […]

by Avinash Pandey “If she had been killed on a street corner in this village, would you even be here?” was the question put to journalist Mehreen Zahra-Malik, by the husband of Farzana Iqbal, a young woman bludgeoned to death in front of the Lahore High Court. Probably not, as violence against women is not […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is gravely concerned to have learned that Professor Worachet Pakeerut, an associate professor in the Faculty of Law at Thammasat University, leader of the Khana Nitirat, and human rights defender (HRD), has been charged in the Bangkok Military Court with violating an order of the National Council for Peace […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Forum for Protection of People’s Rights Nepal (PPR Nepal) regarding the police having tortured a Tamang family living in Jivanpur Village Development Committee (VDC)-6, Dhading district. The police took two children, Ruben and Prabesh, in custody on 7 February 2014 and tortured […]

‘Lawyers for Democracy’ views with alarm the spate of attacks on civilians by the police during the recent past.  The case of the torture of Udaya Kumara of Udawalawe police station, the killing of Subash Indika of Pasyala and the shooting at a Three Wheeler at Katunayake are serious incidents of police excesses.  From the […]

Dear friends,  We wish to share with you the following article from The Sunday Times, written by Kishali Pinto Jayawardena. Asian Human Rights Commission  Hong Kong ————- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AHRC-FAT-017-2014 June 15, 2014 An article from The Sunday Times forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission SRI LANKA: Advocating A Different Political Project by […]

Since India’s general election, Uttar Pradesh has witnessed sharp escalation of sexual violence and lawlessness. The rape of a session court judge in her official residence, guarded by the Provincial Armed Constabulary round the clock, highlights the extent of violence and lawlessness in the state. There is no indication that the Uttar Pradesh state government, […]

A side event at the human rights council organised by the Asian Legal Resource Center (ALRC), Franciscans International (FI), International Coalition for Papua (ICP), Pro Papua Foundation, Tapol, Vivat International, West Papua Netzwerk (WPN), on Thursday, June 12, 2014  14:30 – 16:30 (CEST, UTC+2), Room XXII  Palais des Nations, Geneva Live Webcast West Papua in Indonesia […]

On the night of June 11, officers attached to the Nittambuwa police station gunned down Subash Indika Jayasinghe, a 24-year-old man, for no reason. A friend named Saveen Chathuranga, 18-years-old, was accompanying Indika. Saveen describes the incident as follows: Indika and Saveen were travelling on Indika’s motorcycle. As there was significant traffic, they were moving […]

Today,AHRC TV releases the 31st Episode of the Human Rights Asia WeeklyRoundup. In this episode, we bring you a panel discussion between three human rights activists, from India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, on the causes of systemic and barbaric violence that occurs with impunity in Asia on a daily basis. Gruesome stories of gang rape, custodial deathfollowing […]

Danilo Reyes, deputy director of the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) in Hong Kong, was invited by the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines (CHR) to attend the National Consultation Workshop and Writeshop for the National Preventive Mechanism for two days beginning on April 29, 2014, in Quezon City, Philippines. While attending this program […]

The rape of a judge in her residence, located in a high-security area in the city of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, speaks volumes about both the epidemic of sexual violence and the respect for law in India. Such an incident cannot occur in a jurisdiction where a citizen is convinced that the law will play its […]

Today, AHRC TV releases the 30th Episode of the Human Rights Asia Weekly Roundup. The episode opens with analysis of the post-coup situation in Thailand. Tyrell Haberkorn, Thailand expert and Fellow at The Australian National University, speaks with AHRC TV about the military crackdown, continuing arrests, and the ingenious ways of the Thai people to show […]

The following article was published as the editorial of the latest issue of Torture: Asian and Global Perspectives by Nilantha Ilangamuwa Sri Lanka is once again on the edge of a political crucible in terms of its international relations as well as in its domestic politics. The country is ignoring calls for an independent and credible investigation […]