Violence against women

INDIA: Irom Sharmila’s ‘attempted suicide’ enters 14th year, democracy’s murder 56th

Article | India | 07-11-2013

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 […]

INDONESIA: ‘Genosida yang diabaikan’ – peluncuran laporan tentang rangkaian pelanggaran HAM di Papua tahun 1977 – 1978

UNTUK DITERBITKAN SEGERA (Hong Kong/Wuppertal, Kamis, 24 Oktober 2013) Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) dan Human Rights and Peace for Papua (ICP) meluncurkan sebuah laporan mengenai pelanggaran hak asasi manusia (HAM) yang terjadi di Pegunungan Tengah Papua, Indonesia, selama tahun 1977–1978. Laporan ini membahas pelanggaran-pelanggaran atas Konvensi Pencegahan dan Penghukuman Kejahatan Genosida yang dilakukan pemerintah […]

INDONESIA: ‘The Neglected Genocide’ – a report detailing series of abuses in 1977–1978 in Papua is launched

Indonesian (Hong Kong/Wuppertal, Thursday, 24 October 2013) The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) and Human Rights and Peace for Papua (ICP) are launching a report on the human rights abuses that took place in the central highlands of Papua, Indonesia during the course of 1977-1978. The report discusses violations under the Convention on the Prevention […]

ASIA: AHRC – Weekly Roundup, Episode 2

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 second episode, released today, 21 October 2013, covers a wide range of human rights issues, including custodial rape in Pakistan, how Pakistan’s anti-terror laws negate fair trial guarantees; India’s appalling […]

PAKISTAN: Two young sisters were gang raped in custody; police officials threaten that if anyone complains they will rape every woman in the village

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the gang rape of two young women in police custody over a period of three days by the in-charge of the police station and two head constables. This was supposedly to solve a four-year old case of abduction for ransom. A member of […]

WORLD: Why Torture Is Wrong

Article | World | 09-10-2013

The following interview was originally printed in the latest issue of the Torture: Asian and Global Perspectives. An exclusive conversation with Dr. Nora Sveaass Born in Oslo, Norway, in December 1949, Dr. Nora Sveaass is a clinical psychologist who has been engaged in various parts of the world in relation to human rights and rehabilitation after […]

WORLD: The laws of war, belligerent reprisal and Gandhian Nonviolence

The following interview originally appeared in the latest issue of the Torture: Asian and Global Perspectives. Norman Finkelstein is an American scholar, political activist, and author. He is an expert on the Israel-Palestine Conflict, the politics of the Holocaust, and the life and beliefs of Mahatma Gandhi. He earned his Ph.D in Political Science from Princeton University […]

PAKISTAN: A female human rights defender is brutally murdered and the police attempt to pass it off as an honour killing

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a young female activist, Ms. Sahib Khatoon was allegedly brutally murdered by her husband while returning home from her job in a NGO. She was forced to marry her cousin and neither of them were happy with the arrangement. The marriage ended in […]

PAKISTAN: Strict yet victim-friendly legal mechanisms are required to minimize sexual violence against women and children

The brutal rape of a five-year-old girl in Lahore last week has literally shocked the country, from the officials in the highest office down to the ordinary citizen in the street. The tragic incident has sparked a nationwide debate and outcry against the lack of a safety mechanism in the country for women and children. […]

PAKISTAN: Gang rape of a poor minority woman by five accused

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information regarding the gang rape of minority woman in district Tharparker, Sindh. The lady was raped by five people in front of her husband and three children. The police has registered the case against the accused that are supported by the Mr. Mahesh Kumar Malani Member […]

SRI LANKA: ‘Judgeitis’ — disease of the judges

The Guardian reported on September 11 that Lord Carlisle has argued for an inspectorate of judges which could deal with problems before they lead to complaints. Meanwhile new regulations dealing with complaints against judges come into force at the beginning of next month.  The new regulations come on the basis of the Constitutional Reform Act […]

BURMA/MYANMAR: Rapist of child convicted, but inadequate sentence imposed

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is pleased to inform you that a man accused of repeatedly raping a teenage girl in Burma has, despite his efforts to destroy the case, been convicted. However, the court has imposed an inadequate sentence upon him, and activists in the country are calling for a stiffer […]

INDIA: Report of the fact finding investigation conducted by All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch to ascertain facts in the case of alleged rape and murder of Dalit girl in Jind district of Haryana

We wish to share the following Fact Finding Report conducted by All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch to ascertain facts in the case of alleged rape and murder of Dalit girl in Jind district of Haryana, India.   A Fact Finding report by All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission All […]

PHILIPPINES: Immediately stop eviction drive against 250 poor families of R10, Tondo

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Defend Job Philippine regarding eviction notice served on 250 families living along the R-10 or Road 10 in Tondo, Manila by the government authorities. The planned forced eviction, without compensation, will not only jeopardize living conditions of the people but also expose them […]

PHILIPPINES: Policemen in torture videos: one in jail, another is free

After the Anti-Torture Law was enforced, there have been two widely publicized torture videos where police officers were caught on camera torturing suspects in their custody. The first was in August 2010; the perpetrator was Joselito Binayug. The second was in June this year and the perpetrator was none other than Alfredo Lim, a former […]

SRI LANKA: The Privileging of impunity in Sri Lanka’s prosecutorial process and legal system

This article was initially published in LST Review- Vol.306 and 307 in May 2013 1. Introductory Remarks “We have every reason to be proud of the fact that our judicial system has been adopted in so many different parts of the world. At the heart of it is fairness to everyone who holds views with which […]

PHILIPPINES: Why is there no investigation into the torture of a rape suspect two months on?

On June 21, we reported that Alfredo Lim, the former Mayor of Manila, had tortured a rape suspect in full view of the public, while the senior police officers present did nothing to prevent him. We rightly demanded that Lim, who perpetrated the torture and the policemen, who did nothing to stop the torture, be […]

INDIA: WinG-Assam demands immediate apology and legal action against MP Mr. Kirip Chaliha for making derogatory comments about a female police officer in Assam

Press Statement Women in Governance-Assam (WinG-Assam) 27 August 2013 Character assassination of females in public service is a great barrier for women empowerment. Women are silenced by comments and opinions that affect their personal integrity and respect in the society.  Such comments must be condemned since it is nothing less than violence against women and discrimination […]

PAKISTAN: Impunity is given to the perpetrators who dragged a woman onto the streets and tied her to a tree with the intention to hang her

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a woman was dragged onto the street and was tied to a tree by land grabbers working for a member of the provincial assembly of Punjab from the ruling party. The police reached the scene just as the perpetrators were getting ready to […]

PAKISTAN: Serial rapist and stalker assisted by Sindh government; a Christian nurse living in fear as influential person tries to force her to marry and convert to Islam

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a young Christian nurse and her family members are facing threats and harassment from a former assistant to a minister of Sindh province, an influential landlord, who is trying to convert her to Islam and marry him. The nurse has been threatened with […]