The child belongs to the poor family, has been deprived of basic medical treatment and the right to register a legal case in the police station. In Pakistan, the powerful and rich people know how to manipulate the law in their favour and escape prosecution.

Sri Lanka today is one of the most backward and primitive places when looked at from the point of view of the possibilities of justice meted out through a functioning public justice system.

On June 23, we reported that Fernando Obedencio, a torture victim, was released after the court dismissed the fabricated charges laid on him for possession of illegal drugs.

One factor that has received less attention in this tragic incident is the chronic disease it has spawned, something unaddressed by society. This affliction is none other than the consummate demoralisation of the people as a whole, which stems from the failure of the state to protect the lives of its citizens.

The judgment has also brought the role of Magistracy to the fore. The idea of Magistracy was born to curtail the unlimited power of arrest vested in law enforcement agencies. It was borne to protect the citizens from unlawful confinement and to defend them against unjustified arrest.

Mr. Adilur Rahman Khan, a leading human rights lawyer from Bangladesh, has been selected as the honoree for the 2014 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award, now in its 31^st year.

Lana Teresa Siahaan of Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) informed the AHRC that Zulfikar was taken away of his dorm in Pasar Rumput by six unidentified police officers at 1 a.m on 1 April 2014. He was arrested along with two other men, Zulkifli and Bahar. Zulfikar was blindfolded with black tape and taken to an unidentified location where he was beaten up and trampled on.