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Violations of Commonwealth Values while the CHOGM 2013 in Progress HR festival obstructed; Hate campaign launched Foreign journalists blocked visiting Jaffna Jaffna protest organisers threatened; peop...

(We reproduce below two poems written by Basil Fernando) No tears for departed Attorney Generals Why I have no tears for departed Attorney Generals: Do we feel sorry for ones extinguishing the light L...

The Asian Human Rights Commission has learned from the wife of D.A. Ruwan Kumara (27) that he has been taken into police custody by officers of the Bandaragama Police Station and is being tortured. Th...

On 27 October, about 400 persons from the north and south, most of whom are family members of disappeared persons, gathered at the Monument for the Disappeared at Raddaluwa, Seeduwa. Like the gatherin...

The Minority Rights Group International has published a report entitled, ‘Living with insecurity: Marginalization and sexual violence against women in north and east Sri Lanka’. The execu...

The case of Ganeshan Nimalaruban, a Tamil prisoner whose death in prison evoked local and international expressions of concern last year was taken up on October 14 before the Supreme Court and the de ...

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward to you the following press release from the Friday Forum. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————-...

The following interview was originally printed in the latest issue of the Torture: Asian and Global Perspectives. An Interview with Dr. Sunil Cooray on Torture in Sri Lanka Dr. Sunil Cooray is a senio...

The following review was originally printed in the latest issue of the Torture: Asian and Global Perspectives. by Eran Wickramaratne Basil Fernando’s well researched book documents state perpet...

The CHOGM meeting is scheduled to begin on November 15. The government of Sri Lanka has banned protests in the city of Colombo in the month of November. The government has taken this action under the ...

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information on the arrest of Mr. Jayantha Aberatne, a security officer who was falsely charged with theft and tortured to confess by...

Networking for Rights notes with great concern that though it is more than a month since the alleged “break-in” of the residence of Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema, Associate Editor of the Sun...

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about Mr. Balasundaram Jeyamagudam who was arrested by the TID on the charge of being associated with the LTTE four year...

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Velu Yogarasa was arrested and detained in Bogambara remand prison by the TID in August, 2008 under the Prevent...

By Dr. Leonard Pinto In recent years the History of Sri Lanka has become an important subject, not only because it is in school curriculum, but also because it has been used to shape politics and just...

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 ...

As revealed by our recently published 2012/13 Annual Review, Sri Lanka surged ahead to become the top country of origin for those referred to Freedom from Torture for clinical services in 2012. Of 1,...

Sunila Abeysekera passed away yesterday in Colombo. Born in 1952 she stood for the liberal values of equality, liberty and human rights at a very dark period in her country. By 1962, at the age of ten...

We are forwarding this appeal made on behalf of Ravaya Publication To All Friends, Standing up for media freedom and independence in Sri Lanka Dear colleagues and friends, As you know by now, we as a ...

Download the full text of the report ( PDF) (Word) In her media statement from Colombo on 31 August 2013, Dr. Navi Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said, “I am dee...