AHRC News

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SRI LANKA: Mahason Battalion – death squads and lessons from the past (Part three)

(This is the third of a series of statements that will be issued on this subject) The wide circulation of death threats through a letter from a group calling itself the Mahason Battalion last week has...

SRI LANKA: Mahason Battalion – death squads and lessons from the past (Part two)

(This is the second of a series of statements that will be issued on this subject) The wide circulation of death threats through a letter from a group calling itself the Mahason Battalion last week ha...

PAKISTAN: Black warrant for a young man is issued despite blood money being paid to the victim’s family

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AHRC-STM-276-2008 October 27, 2008 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission PAKISTAN: Black warrant for a young man is issued despite blood money being paid to the victim...

SRI LANKA: Mahason Battalion – death squads and lessons from the past

(This is the first of a series of statements that will be issued on this subject) The wide circulation of death threats through a letter from a group calling itself the Mahason Battalion last week has...

PAKISTAN: A girl is mauled by dogs and later killed on the pretext of an honour killing

In May of this year a Jirga, an illegal tribal court, was held against a girl of 17 years in which she was declared as Kari (having had an illicit relationship with someone). This was done, according ...

PAKISTAN: To stop honour killings there must be a bigger crackdown on illegal Jirgas – Getting away with murder in Pakistan

Several months ago eight women, three of them minors, were buried alive in Balochistan, reportedly by the same men. Those responsible have close ties to the provincial government and to the police, an...

INDIA: Why is the eradication of malnutrition a mission impossible?

The success of the first phase of Chandrayann-1, undertaken on Tuesday, 21 October 2008, entitles India to claim membership in the elite club of countries that have proved their technological and fina...

SRI LANKA: On defending lawyers against death threats by the Mahason Balakaya

Mr. W. Dayaratne, President, Bar Association of Sri Lanka Hulftsdorp Colombo 12 Sri Lanka Facsimile: 94 11 2448090 Email: wdaya@slt.lk Dear Mr. Dayaratne, By now the Bar Association must be aware of ...

SOUTH KOREA: Time to define torture in Penal Code

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  AHRC-STM-271-2008 October 22, 2008 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission SOUTH KOREA: Time to define ‘torture’ in Penal Code Whenever being asked by the ...

SRI LANKA: A death squad formation against human rights lawyers needs to be investigated urgently

Yesterday an announcement was received by registrars of all courts and a number of human rights lawyers by a group that calls itself the Mahason Balakaya (Mahason Battalion). The notice threatens deat...

SRI LANKA: No arrest regarding the cases of the lawyer J.C. Weliamuna – the legal profession and civil society need to fight against intimidation and denial of justice

In Sri Lanka the legal profession is very much a threatened profession. The recent grenade attack on September 27 on the residence of senior lawyer, Mr. J.C. Weliamuna, once again brought to the notic...

SRI LANKA: The faculty of law celebrates its 60th anniversary – amidst the greatest crisis the rule of law ever faced

The Faculty of Law was established 60 years ago to enhance the legal education in Sri Lanka as such education was to provide the qualified persons to run the institutions in the country within the fra...

SRI LANKA: Torture, corruption, inquiry into the former IGP and attitude levels of the judiciary

“Man arrested by the police yesterday was found dead today”, was the heading of a news item yesterday in a well known Sri Lankan newspaper. Such a report of custodial deaths is so common that t...

SRI LANKA: Imminent execution of three Sri Lankans on Saudi Arabian death row can be prevented only by the Sri Lankan government providing legal fees for their appeals in time

The only way to prevent the three convicted Sri Lankans in Saudi Arabia from facing public execution by beheading is to lodge an appeal within 30 days from the date of conviction and this can only be ...

SRI LANKA: An acquittal not based on evidence — HC Negombo case of Lalith Rajapakse

The Negombo High Court last week acquitted the accused in a torture case where a Sub Inspector of Police was charged with an offense under the CAT Act (Act No. 22 of 1994) punishable with seven years ...

INDIA: Opposing civil society participation is a threat to democracy

The deliberations of senior Indian politicians during the National Integration Council Meeting held in New Delhi on 13 October contradict India’s positions in international forums like the UN. T...

BANGLADESH: Military dealing with case assignments in the Supreme Court and the systematic smothering of the judiciary

The media reports alleging that it is in fact a military officer who decides the case lists in the Supreme Court of Bangladesh is a shocking revelation which sharply brings to light the militarised po...

SRI LANKA: Re: Serious threats to the widow of the assassinated Sugath Nishanta Fernando

(The following letter was sent today to the following Sri Lankan authorities: Inspector General of Police, Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights, Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, Natio...

SRI LANKA: Negombo High Court acquittal of the accused police officer in the torturing of Lalith Rajapakse is overwhelmingly contradictory to the facts in the case and the law relating to torture

The High Court judge of Negombo has acquitted the accused in the torture case of Lalith Rajapakse stating that the brain injury that the torture victim claimed due to assaults inside the Kandana Polic...

SRI LANKA: Supreme Court holds the former president, Chandrika Kumaratunga Bandaranaike responsible for corruption and betrayal of public trust placed on her as the head of the state

In the most significant blow dealt by the Supreme Court against the system of the executive presidency introduced by the 1978 Constitution, yesterday (October 8, 2008), a former president of Sri Lanka...