Torture

BANGLADESH: Man arbitrarily detained and tortured to death by paramilitary force and police in Dhaka

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested a man named Md. Mohiuddin Arif from his house. Arif was arbitrarily detained for 54 hours in the custody of the RAB and tortured there as well as in his own house during a search conducted by […]

INDIA: A human rights defender tortured and electrocuted in Manipur

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about the case of a human rights defender tortured by the police in Imphal, Manipur state. It is reported that the police arrested and tortured the victim, Oinam Bikramjit, in custody. The victim fears that he will be re-arrested and tortured if he takes […]

BURMA: Eleven people illegally detained, tortured and tried without evidence

Dear friends, Even as the military government in Burma is preparing for a general election, it is imprisoning more and more groups of people for allegedly setting up illegal organisations. In this appeal we bring you the details of a case that is ongoing against 11 such persons who have all been accused of being […]

INDIA: A lawyer’s life is at risk after custodial torture

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that a lawyer in Manipur is in a severe condition following torture in custody. So far no proper investigation has been conducted and no complaint has been registered. It is believed that the victim’s injuries may be fatal.  CASE DETAILS:  Mr. Ramananda Taorem is a […]

PHILIPPINES: Tortured doc performs free surgery, gives away medicines to poor patients

(Hong Kong, February 18, 2010) Necta Montes, the niece of Dr. Alex Montes, speaks of her uncle’s compassion of helping poor patients during a demonstration at the Philippine Consulate today. Alex is one of the 43 health workers whom the military and police have illegally arrested, tortured and falsely charged on February 6, 2010.  “My […]

SRI LANKA: From Manorani Saravanamuttu to Sandya Eknaliyagoda – the cry of women on the forced disappearances of loved ones

Basil Fernando The voice of Manorani Saravanamuttu was heard loudly during the last decade of the twentieth century, protesting strongly against disappearances in Sri Lanka. The voice of Sandya Ekanaliyagoda is now heard on the same issue. Both voices are echoing the similar voices of tens of thousands of mothers, wives, sisters and daughters of […]

UPDATE (Philippines): More details of procedural flaws and torture have surfaced in arrest of 43 health workers

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received further details of how the military and police used psychological torture methods on the 43 health workers who are continuously being held in a military camp. The 43 victims, two of whom had been tortured in the past, were illegally arrested on questionable charges in […]

BURMA: Nine people imprisoned on confessions obtained from torture

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has already issued an open letter on the case of Dr. Wint Thu and eight other people who in December 2009 were given long jail terms for alleged offences against the state in Burma after they were tortured into giving confessions that the police used in court. […]

UPDATE (Philippines): Two torture victims rearrested with 41 others on questionable charges

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you that two activists, whose illegal arrest and torture we reported in September 2008, have been rearrested and are being held in a military camp with 41 others. The two were illegally arrested together with 41 others while they were conducting training on health […]

NEPAL: General Richards’ visit could trigger a new debate on impunity

Statement | Nepal | 05-02-2010

General Sir David Julian Richards’ official trip to Nepal which includes a visit to the Panchkal army training camp has raised issues concerning the British government’s responsibilities in dealing with a foreign government and an army that is accused of disappearances. The visit will also trigger new discussions in Nepal and outside concerning the government […]

SRI LANKA: In this land of assassinations and threats of assassinations, what does independence mean?

(Statement on the Sri Lankan Independence Day) This picture, which has become familiar to all Sri Lankans, is a symbol of the collapse of Sri Lanka¡¦s policing system and the loss of a sense of security among the Sri Lankan people. To understand this collapse and what has happened to the policing system one has […]

BANGLADESH: Journalist tortured in police vehicle in Rangpur

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is concerned about the health and security of a journalist who was extensively tortured by the Kotowali police in Rangpur, and is now in hiding. He sustained various injuries while being tortured in a police van, and was arbitrarily detained, before being faced with clearly fabricated charges […]

UPDATE (Philippines): Appellate court due to decide on the 43 health workers habeas corpus petition

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed that the Court of Appeals (CA) in Manila, where the 43 health workers filed a petition for habeas corpus questioning the legality of their continuing detention at the military camp, is due to decide on the petition this week. The other 22 victims have […]

UPDATE (Philippines): Court acquits four torture victims after nearly seven years of trial

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is pleased to inform you that four of the five torture victims whose illegal arrest, torture and trial under fabricated charges we reported earlier, have been acquitted by a local court. The victims, two of whom were minors at the time of their arrest, were prosecuted for […]

PHILIPPINES: Torture and filing of questionable charges against three peasant community organisers

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you that three peasant community organizers who were illegally arrested, tortured and laid with questionable charges in November 23, 2009 are still being detained. They were held for 17 days in a military camp on the pretext of being a security risk where they […]

PAKISTAN: A young Christian man has been tortured to death by Karachi police and jail officials for not paying bribes in time for Eid

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the torture and extrajudicial murder of a young man in Pakistan. The man was reportedly beaten and abused in a number of police stations and Karachi central prison for not paying bribes in the lead up to Eid, and was beaten unconscious in […]

PAKISTAN: A tribal court announces the murder of a couple and the High Court has proved impotent before the feudal society

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission received information that a tribal leader of Sindh province has held three women and two children in his private jail and one woman has been continuously raped for more than three years. She has had two children whilst in custody. The Sindh High Court and the provincial police […]

INDONESIA: Police officers torture a young woman to force her husband’s surrender

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) continues to receive reports of police torture in Indonesia, the latest of which involves the illegal arrest and torture of a young woman by Jakarta Metropolitan police officers and sector police in Natar, South Lampung. The woman was allegedly tortured over two days with electric shocks to […]

SRI LANKA: Mahiyangane police arbitrarily arrest an indigenous man after allowing him to be beaten by a priest

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that Mahiyangane police officers witnessed the severe beating of a man by a priest and refused to intervene. The act constitutes torture under international law. The victim was then arrested with scant evidence of his crime and his allegations of torture were not addressed by […]

PAKISTAN: An army colonel has had four men abducted and tortured due to a personal dispute, in Pakistan-held Kashmir

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that four young men have been illegally arrested, detained and tortured by Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officials because of a minor personal dispute. The first victim was allegedly taken hostage by an ISI colonel so that his uncle would pay a debt, and the other three […]