In this week’s Roundup, AHRC TV begins in The Philippines, where three rights activists have been killed and two others wounded in separate incidents in the month of March. This is a sign of continuing impunity. Union activist Ronald Ian Evidente shares concerns about the perils faced by rights activists in the country.
Next, AHRC TV brings you an expose on indefensible failure at every level of Sri Lanka’s judicial system – from the police, to the judicial medical officer, the Supreme Court, and even the Attorney General. The information comes from a report on a case of torture and custodial murder investigated by the United Nations Human Rights Committee. Basil Fernando, AHRC’s Director for Policy and Programme Development, explains the details of the report, the recommendations, and also speaks of his hope that the new government will act on these recommendations and bring back the rule of law in Sri Lanka.
Finally, we bring you the story of 24-year-old Bruno Thomas from Thrissur District in Kerala, India, who was tortured by the newly appointed Sub Inspector of Police at Pavaraty Police Station. It appears that police officers, when they assume charge at local police stations in India, often have a habit of terrorising innocent people in their jurisdiction for the first few months in order to create fear in society and to spread the word that “the new officer is tough”.
The bulletin can be watched online at AHRC YouTube. We welcome both human rights feeds to be considered for weekly news bulletin, and your suggestions to improve our news channel. Please write to news@ahrc.asia. You can also watch our Weekly Roundup on Facebook.
