Forwarded Article

PHILIPPINES: LENIDO LUMANOG’S LASTING LEGAL LEGACY

LENIDO LUMANOG or “LEN” for short, the leading figure of the so-called “ABADILLA 5,” was buried on 15 September 2016. He died on 6 September 2016 at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) after a lingering kidney condition incurred while already in prison and shortly after turning 60 on 2 September 2016. He was […]

SRI LANKA: The OMP – A Flawed Attempt to Deal with Complaints of Disappearances and/or Missing Persons in Sri Lanka

An article titled “The OMP – A Flawed Attempt to Deal with Complaints of Disappearances and/or Missing Persons in Sri Lanka” published in the Colombo Telegraph, by M.C.M Iqbal, forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission by M.C.M. Iqbal You May Read the Sinhala translation HERE To say that the Office of Missing Persons (OMP)) is a […]

SRI LANKA: Three Important Interventions on the OMP Act and Transitional Justice in Sri Lanka

Written Statement on the OMP Act by Amnesty International as well as two important Reflections on Transitional Justice in Sri Lanka: We reproduce below the three important interventions relating to the OMP Act and Transitional Justice in Sri Lanka. Written Statement by Amnesty International, 33rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council ( 13-30 September 2016) […]

NEPAL: Moment of truth

Commissioners from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission on Investigation of Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) have been working to fulfil their mandate for some time now. But their work remains hobbled for a number of reasons. Most crucially, the Enforced Disappearances Enquiry, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act that governs the transitional justice […]

PAKISTAN: Dimensions of poverty

Naseer Memon The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) have released a report “Multidimensional Poverty in Pakistan” which depicts a grim picture of social well-being in the country. The concept of poverty has evolved over time. As knowledge about the complexity of human societies is growing, poverty has […]

PAKISTAN: Is racial discrimination an issue in Pakistan?

The extent to which Pakistan has complied with human rights standards set out in the International Convention of the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), will be assessed by a United Nation’s expert committee in Geneva on August 16-17, this year. The committee will look at a report to be presented by the government of Pakistan, […]

PAKISTAN: Use of anti-terror laws against peasants’ movement

By Farooq Tariq The Pakistani state’s black brush is being used to paint any dissenting voices as terrorists under the National Action Plan. It is now been directed towards the ongoing peasants’ movement in the heart of Punjab province. Enabling conditions in the security framework has allowed the state to create an atmosphere of repression […]

SRI LANKA : What does true political change imply ?

An article titled “What does true political change imply”, by Basil Fernando which was published in the Colombo Telegraph on 23rd June 2016 forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission.   Basil Fernando I had the good fortune of attending a meeting organized by civil society organizations which worked to oust the Rajapaksa regime and helped bring […]

WORLD: George Katsiaficas, awarded the 2016 Kim Dae Jung Scholar’s Prize for Contributions to Peace, Democracy and Human Rights on the Korean Peninsula

Acceptance Speech, Gwangju 518 and the Future of Global Democracy By George Katsiaficas for the 2016 Kim Dae Jung Scholar’s Prize for Democracy, Peace, and Human Rights, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea, June 8, 2016, forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong. “Gwangju 518 and the Future of Global Democracy” – By George Katsiaficas […]

NEPAL: Breaking barriers

An editorialfrom the Kathmandu Post forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission After the historic election of OnsariGharti as the Speaker of Parliament and Bidhya Devi Bhandari as the President, Senior Supreme Court Justice Shushila Karki, on Tuesday, became the first woman member in the Judicial Council. Karki will be appointed as the chief justice […]

THAILAND: TLHR opinion concerning NCPO no. 25/2016

An article from Thai Lawyers for Human Rights forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Not long after the second round of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Thailand. On 11 May 2016, several questions from member states concerning human rights situations in Thailand, including the military jurisdiction, the enforced disappearance, and the restriction of […]

SRI LANKA: An Article titled “Before we lose public confidence”

An Article titled “ Before we lose public confidence”, by Kamal Suneth Perera, Attorney-at-Law, which was published in the Daily News Issue of 6th June 2016, following the conclusion of the 2016, National Law Conference, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission, Hong Kong. By Kamal Suneth Perera, Attorney-at-Law http://www.dailynews.lk/?q=2016/06/06/features/83776 This […]

BANGLADESH: “We want our disappeared son back”

An article from the parents of enforced disappeared victim Imam Hassan Badal forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission May 26, 2016 “Dear Journalists: Assalamu Alaikum. My name is Ruhul Amin. Four years ago, on May 12, 2012, in this very Press Club, I did a press conference in front of you all, for the […]

INDIA : Déjà vu Marries Amnesia In Kerala

An article from Countercurrents.org forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Polling has concluded in Kerala but political parties and commentators alike have missed out on a crucial need in the state. In spite of the rape and murder of the poor Dalit law student that shook the nation and deeply disturbed a state that […]

THAILAND: Inconsistent with the Truth: The Thai Representative’s UPR Statement on Military Courts

An article from Thai Human Rights for Lawyer (THRL) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission The second cycle of the Universal Periodical Review (UPR) of Thailand was held on 11 May 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland. Many UN member states raised concerns and questions about the use of military courts to try civilians. To respond […]

INDIA: The Indian State and Its Counter-Productive Counter-Terrorism

Torture is inhumane and ineffective, and its continued use as part of investigations in India needs to be re-examined. In this photo, reviewed by a Defense Department official, a Guantanamo detainee’s feet are shackled to the floor as he attends a “Life Skills” class inside the Camp 6 high-security detention facility at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, […]

NEPAL: Speak your mind

Robert Penner, a Canadian man working in Nepal for a software company, maintained an active presence on social media, especially Twitter. Especially prolific during the Madhes movement and the promulgation of the constitution late last year, Penner adopted a take-no-prisoners approach to critical thinking, eviscerating official government statements for their contradictions and often blatant lies. […]

MALDIVES: Executive Summary of CHRI’s fact-finding mission to the Maldives

We wish to share with you the following report from the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative(CHRI), an organisation working on promoting ‘the practical realisation of Human Rights in the countries of the Commonwealth’ by focussing on ‘building and reforming systems of governance which are essential for the protection and promotion of Human Rights’. The CHRI is […]

PAKISTAN: Demanding land rights is not terrorism

An article from Kissan Committee forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission By Farooq Tariq A massive repression of the peaceful peasant movement, the Anjuman Mozareen Punjab (AMP), is underway. Most of its leadership has been arrested under false anti-terrorist laws. Dozens of members are missing, while over 50 remain behind bars. All have been […]

NEPAL: Fight the power

An oped from the Kathmandu Post forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Despite Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s attempt to bully the National Human Rights Commission for its report at the 31st session of the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the Commission – represented by its chair Justice Anup Raj Sharma […]