Torture

Nepal has successfully conducted the second Constituent Assembly elections on 19 November 2013 with estimated 70 percent voter turnout. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) would like to congratulate voters, the Election Commission, national and international observers, security agencies, media, and civil society for their active participation in election management. The exciting participation of Nepali […]

   The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to announce the launch of its weekly video news bulletin, the Asian Human Rights Commission – Weekly Roundup. The sixth episode, released today, 19 November 2013, covers an exclusive report on the 2nd Asian Alliance Against Torture and Ill-treatment Conference (AAATI), that took place in Hong Kong […]

Many participants have suffered bruised and blistered feet but have not been provided with any medical treatment…..their bleeding wounds have been wrapped with nothing more than pieces of cloth The 730-kilometers Long March of the family members of the disappeared persons from Balochistan has covered more than 600 kilometers and entered its 20th day. The Long […]

The following is a statement by participants of the 2nd Conference of Asian Parliamentarians and Human Rights Defenders, 11-13 November, Hong Kong, organised by the Asian Alliance Against Torture and Ill-Treatment: Parliamentarians and human rights defenders from Sri Lanka, India, Burma, Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines, Canada, Hong Kong, and Denmark have attended a meeting to […]

The extension of ‘disturbed area’ status for north eastern states since 1955, and thereby the activation and extension of emergency laws, has been but a routine administrative exercise for the union government. The legacy was upheld this year. The union has again extended the ‘disturbed area’ status of Assam for another six month period, with […]

As we begin this second meeting let us start with a short reflection on the overall aims of the project to promote the Convention Against Torture (“CAT”) and our progress in working to prevent torture in Asia. In this regard, there have been some historically important achievements this year in the Asian region. The adoption […]

On November 1, 2010, Andaman Mokiding Binago was arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in a lodging house in Davao City. The NBI claimed that he and the actual accused, Danny Mokiding y Mohamad are one and the same person and charged him with murder charges for allegedly bombing a lottery stall in January 10, 2007 killing […]

Nine years after the brutal murder of Faraz Ahmed Naveed on November 8, 2004 his family still awaits justice. No progress has been made in the investigation. The first report was made by the police officer who attended the scene of the incident and stated that Faraz’ body had a bullet wound in his back […]

‘I never justified the use of torture nor, as far as I am aware, did my superior, Secretary of State Powell,’ said, a former official of the Bush Jr. Administration in an interview with Nilantha Ilangamuwa, editor of Torture: Asian and Global Perspectives. The interview will appear in the coming issue of the magazine which will […]

“It has been documented on several occasions: soldiers deployed by the UN end up torturing the civil population they are supposed to protect and help”. This face has been pointed in a research paper written by, Dr. Claus Kold, a senior researcher at the Denmark-based Danish Institute Against Torture (DIGNITY). He goes on to say, […]

Irom Sharmila Chanu’s story is a bizarre, almost schizophrenic, tale of absurdities. It has a woman who has not eaten a morsel for a full 13 years. It has a state that has kept her incarcerated for most part of all these years and is force feeding her through a tube in her nose. The […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission condemns the detention of ASM Nasiruddin Elan and demands his immediate release. Mr. ASM Nasiruddin Elan, Director of Bangladeshi human rights organization, Odhikar, has been detained in prison by the Cyber Crimes Tribunal of Dhaka, today, November 6, 2013. This detention is part of the continued repression against the whistle-blowers […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission has learned from the wife of D.A. Ruwan Kumara (27) that he has been taken into police custody by officers of the Bandaragama Police Station and is being tortured. The wife, Chinthini Nadeesa and Ruwan Kumara’s brother have visited him at the police station and have seen him being tortured […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform that the police tortured, planted evidence of illegal drugs and falsely charged a man who was returning a mobile telephone that he found. The owner and the police conspired in filing charges of extortion and possessing illegal drugs after planting evidence on him during […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to announce the launch of its weekly video news bulletin, the Asian Human Rights Commission – Weekly Roundup. The fourth episode, released today, 4 November 2013, covers an exclusive report on Disappearances in Asia. The report covers extensively on patterns of disappearances in Asia and how, even in states […]

Between 314 and 544 persons have been executed in Iran in 2013 alone 16 Baloch political prisoners were executed in Iran in an act of revenge for an attack on the border security forces. The executed Balochis were already in Zahedan prison and took no part in the attack. It was alleged that the Baloch […]

Civil society must join the peaceful long march in solidarity with the relatives of disappeared persons and provide all possible assistance to the marchers The relatives of missing persons from Balochistan started a 730 kilometre peaceful long march for the recovery of disappeared persons. The participants assembled and started their march from the Quetta Press […]

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission ASIA: Watershed legislation criminalising torture & custodial violence enacted in Bangladesh The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) congratulates the people of Bangladesh for the enactment of the Torture and Custodial Death (Prohibition) Act, 2013. The Jatiyo Shangsad (National Parliament) enacted the draft law, the Torture and Custodial Death (Prohibition) Bill, […]

He is Jejhon Macalinsal. To those who know him he was a young activist, those that did not would fear him. In April 2002, he and two others were arrested, tortured and detained after the police illegally raided their home and planted explosives for which they were charged with possession. They were linked to a […]

The government of Pakistan has – within a short period of less than two weeks – promulgated two draconian laws, ostensibly, to combat terrorism. The first ordinance was promulgated on October 11. It has amended the Anti-Terrorist Act, 1997, and curtailed fundamental rights of citizens. Now the government has gone ahead and promulgated another ordinance […]