Torture

(Hong Kong, October 25, 2011) The United Nations Committee against Torture is due to examine the Sri Lankan government’s performance under the CAT Convention on November 8 and 9, 2011.  The government has submitted its report and the CAT Committee has in turn submitted a long list of questions to the government. These questions are […]

Dear friends, Mr. Henegoda Vithanachchige Gamini (41), of Udugama in the District of Galle was illegally arrested and severely tortured by the police officers attached to the Udugama Police Station on 16 June 2011. On that day when the officers asked him to accompany them he did so without hesitation as he was innocent. Regardless […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Pathrage Don Jayathilaka (56) of Molkava, Baduraliya in Kalutara District was illegally arrested and severely tortured by the police officers attached to the Baduraliya Police Station on 21 October 2003. Then the police officers forced him to accepted crime of possession of […]

Dear friends, On 13 August 2010, Mr. Suriyaarachchige Lakshman de Silva was illegally arrested, detained and severely tortured by the police officers attached to the Kiribathgoda Police Station. His wife, B.M. Ajantha Weerasinghe, was illegally arrested, detained and verbally abused. Lakshman, a painting contractor by profession, agreed to do a number of contracting tasks for […]

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following article from the BBC Sinhala Service. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- An article from the BBC Sinhala Service forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission 23 October, 2011 – Published 15:04 GMT Hundreds of people were tortured in police custody since January this […]

Pakistan rights-based organizations, groups and human rights defenders to synergize efforts to combat torture. (Hong Kong, Lahore October 21, 2011) Forty human rights defenders held a joint consultation on the issue of torture and ill-treatment at Lahore, capital of Punjab province and decided to become part of a regional alliance against custodial torture and ill-treatment. […]

Dear friends, On 28 September 2011, Mr. Battharamulla Gamage Susantha Buddhika (19) of No: 243/3, Pelahela, Dekatana, Dompe in Gampaha District was illegally arrested, detained and tortured. He was tortured on two occasions; he was hung from a ceiling beam and beaten with pipes and poles by three officers, including the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the […]

Dear friends, The AHRC has received information regarding the killing of at least one person and the arrest of hundreds of participants at the Third Papuan People’s Congress including Forkorus Yaboisembut and Edison Waromi on 19 October 2011 in Abepura, Papua. Concerns about the safety of the arrested persons and the need for an investigation […]

Fabrication of Charges, delayed for 08 Years.  Pathrage Don Jayathilaka is a 56 years old unmarried farmer. He is a resident of Molkava, a village in the Kalutara district. His brother P. D Sunil, is a stickman and also a drunker. Because of his brother’s illness, the Baduraliya police used to arrest Jayathilaka instead of his brother. In every […]

An article from The Express Tribune forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Shamsul Islam ”Torture is the only way many police officials know of extracting a confession. They don’t care about whether it is true or not,” Criminal lawyer Ch Muhammad Zulfiqar. Incidents of water boarding and other forms of torture in police custody […]

A Joint Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission and the Center for Victims of Torture-Nepal As Lapka Tamang’s torture case will be heard on October 24, 2011 in Dulikhel District Court, Kavre, the Center for Victims of Torture-Nepal (CVICT) and the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) expect the hearing will take place according to […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Subramaniam Thavapalasingham, President of the Jaffna University Students Union (JUSU) was severely assaulted by members of an unknown group in Jaffna on 16 October 2011. Thavapalasingham was seriously injured, and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Jaffna Teaching Hospital. […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has once again received information from MASUM, a human rights organisation working in West Bengal, concerning the murder of an innocent person who was attempting to cross the Indo-Bangladesh border. The victim in the case Mr Khalil Sk. is a local medical practitioner who went across the […]

The Indonesian military and police started shooting at around 2:37pm West Papua time, yesterday 19 October. Information about what exactly transpired are still sketchy but at least one person was shot (believed dead), scores have been arrested, hundreds have fled to the hills and jungle surrounding the capital, and the capital is in a state […]

Dear friends, Mr. Sathira Dharshana Jayawickrama (22) of Manigawatta, Ketagoda, Udugama is single and a driver by profession. On 6 June 2011Sathira was arrested by police officers attached to the Udugama Police Station who severely tortured him. He was remanded for 42 days after the police filed a fabricated case against him. After he was […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Nervazhi, a human rights organisation working in Kerala, concerning the case of police assault upon a tribal woman. It is reported that Mrs Paru, aged 65 years went to the Malakkapara Police Station concerning a complaint Paru had filed at the station of […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is disappointed by a local court’s unnecessary delay in concluding the habeas corpus writ of torture victim Abdul Khan Ajid. The purpose of the writ was to question the legality of Ajid’s detention in the place of the real accused, Kanneh Malikil, member of the Abu Sayaff Group (ASG), an illegal […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Madabavitage Samantha (38) of No: 127/A/1, Paliyatiyana, Devalapola, Minuwangoda in the Gampaha District was assaulted and robbed of a gold ring by two people in the town of Thambuththegama in the Anuradhapura District while he was on his way home from a […]

(Hong Kong, October 14, 2011) This report is entitled the Alternative report to the committee against torture in connection with the third periodic report of Sri Lanka. The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), Hong Kong, REDRESS Trust London, Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims (RCT), Denmark and Action des chrétiens pour l’abolition de la torture (ACAT France) […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes with deep concern regarding the continued detention of another man whom soldiers illegally arrested and tortured in custody in the place of the real accused. The soldiers, who have no police power to implement an arrest took him into custody supposedly for a bomb blast in […]