Latest News

Background The Human Rights Council will be addressing human rights education in its upcoming 10th session (Geneva, 2?7 March 2009). It will discuss specifically a Declaration on Human Rights Educatio...

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Vilgamuva police officers have assaulted a school child and arbitrarily detained him in custody. The Officer-in- ...

The Asian Human Rights Commission welcomes the statement made by ten UN experts on the 9th February, 2009 expressing deep concern at the suppression of criticism and unabated impunity.  In the first ...

To: asie@rsf.org Reporters Without Borders Mr. Anura Priyadarshana Yapa Media and Information Minister Colombo Sri Lanka Paris, 10 February 2009 Dear Minister, We are dismayed to learn that the BBC ...

The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Ms. Margaret Sekaggya; the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Mr. ...

05.02.2009 *The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) is deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation prevailing in Sri Lanka. The disregard for humanitarian standards shown by comba...

The long bloody civil war in Sri Lanka seems to be climaxing in a surge of violence. Like many in this region, I have been following these developments with growing alarm. A military outcome is possib...

IRIN, is the humanitarian news and analysis service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. COLOMBO, 6 February 2009 (IRIN) – Some 1,600 civilians escaped fighting in the ...

Source: Amnesty International (AI) Date: 04 Feb 2009 Amnesty International has denounced the reported use of cluster bombs in a civilian area by the Sri Lankan military as a serious violation of inte...

Tamil Tigers Also Preventing Civilians from Fleeing Fighting (New York, February 3, 2009) – A Sri Lankan government statement that it is not responsible for the safety of civilians who remain in area...

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following joint statements on the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka issued on February 3, 2009, by the United States and the United Kingdom, following the...

The 61st celebration of the Day of Independence of Sri Lanka takes place tomorrow amidst almost universal complaints within the country of the failures of governance at all levels. In 1931 Sri Lanka h...

A Statement by a group of Bishops We are deeply concerned with recent reports of increasing civilian casualties in the Wanni war. Recent media reports have indicated that a significant number of civil...

Hong Kong, January 31, 2009 SRI LANKA: Human rights lawyer’s office burnt down The office of Amitha Ariyaratne, Attorney-at-Law, situated in front of his residence at No. 53, Temple Road, Horapa...

Dear Friends, We wish to share with you the following statement from the Minority Rights Group International. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- A Statement from Min...

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE Date 28 January 2009 Reports emerging from Sri Lanka suggest that government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are violating the laws of war by...

We reproduce below a written complaint made by the President , Mr. Britto Fernando, to the Inspector General of Police regarding telephone calls received from an anonymous caller making death threats ...

Mr. Amitha Ariyaratne, Attorney-at-Law, was threatened three times with death on 27, January 2009 at the Negombo Police Station by some police officers. He was visiting the police station for an offic...

The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes to inform you about the following YouTube presentations: A Reading of Lasantha Wickramatunge¡¦s final article in several parts in both English and Sinhala: ...

A letter has been written by six US ambassadors in their personal capacities to expressing their concern over the deterioration of the situation in the country and urged him to take steps to re-establ...