Urgent Appeal Case

Mr. S. Tharma Rajen, a previously healthy young man, died mysteriously in police custody on 21 June, and investigations into the death have thus far been hampered. The cause of death listed on the death certificate based on the official post-mortem was pneumonia. An independent post-mortem by the University Malaya Medical Centre later said he had died from tuberculosis. However, this second report also said that there were signs of malnourishment after Tharma Rajen¡¯s months in police custody.

An additional sessions judge in Lahore imposed the death penalty and a fine of 500,000 rupees (US$8,335) on Mr. Anwar Kenneth, a former officer in the government’s Fisheries Dept., in a blasphemy case that was registered with the Gawalmandi police in Pakistan.

Maldeni Kankanamage Piyaratne was born on Nov. 18, 1969. He entered Peradeniya University in 1991 to study biological sciences and obtained a special degree in zoology in 1996. He was married in 1997 and had one daughter.

– Perpetrators: Officers attached to Matugama Police Station, including Sub-Inspector Thennekone, Sergeant Ajith Vithana, PC 26166 Liyanage and PC 13543 Anil in the presence of about 15 others.

INDIA: Human dignity is denied; Cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment against Dalits ——————————————————————– We reproduce this report about an incident that has enraged Dalits in India. The horrible nature of caste oppression and the Indian government’s unwillingness to deal decisively with this issue is brought home shapely by this story. We urge everyone to write […]

V. G. G. Chaminda Premalal was arrested by several Aralaganvila police officers while he was at home. The arrest took place on July 9, 2002, at about 7:40 p.m. The arresting officers said that Chaminda Premalal was taken for questioning for several theft cases. At the police station, he was told that he was responsible for breaking into a hair salon and some houses in the area. He was then beaten with a PVC pipe on his back, including his spinal cord, and on the soles of his feet. His head was pushed hard against a wall several times. He was then pushed onto the floor, and the officers trampled upon his body.

Two children studying at Millika Mahavidyala School in Hiniduma, Sri Lanka, were arrested by officers attached to the Hiniduma police station who were investigating a theft which had taken place in the school canteen. One 10-year-old child was in Grade 5, T. K. Hiran Rasika, and the other 12-year-old child was in Grade 8, E. A. Kasun Madusanka.

Indian police detained 13 people in New Delhi on July 11, 2002, including Mr. Gautam Navlakha, a human rights activist who is a member of the Indo-Nepalese Solidarity Forum that has advocated, among other things, an end to the state of emergency in Nepal and dialogue between the Nepalese government and insurgents to resolve the country’s problems through negotiations.

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is deeply concerned that the central government of Indonesia is considering the declaration of a military emergency in Aceh. Indonesia¡¯s chief security minister recently asked Parliament to support this declaration in Aceh.

Susil Jayalath was arrested by the Sapugaskanda police with two other people. According to the family, when the police arrested the 19-year-old, he was drinking a king coconut in an area where the police had made a raid against drug-users. According to the family, the boy did not use any drugs, and, in fact, he did not even smoke.

Eric Antunia Kramer, a 43-year-old father of three children, is a welding mechanic for the Ceylon Grain Elevators Ltd., which is located at Rock House Lane, Colombo 15. He has been employed by this company since 1995. The Singaporean-owned Company, which produces poultry food, complained of an attempt to break into the company’s safe by an unknown burglar.

A clear pattern is emerging in cases of torture by the police based on several similar cases in Sri Lanka, that is, a person is arrested on the mere suspicion of committing a crime or some tip-off, no attempt is made to check the facts before arresting the person, the method of finding out the ¡°truth¡± is by severe torture. The people who receive the worst treatment are often innocent people who are unable to give the information that is requested.

Asian Human Rights commission (AHRC) is bring to your notice threat to a journalist for reporting torture cases – T.J. A Abeynayake, journalist of Island¡¯s new paper group

Sign petition for attorney general to bring justice to May 1998 riot victims INDONESIA: Denial of right to adequate remedy for victims of systematic gross human rights violations ——————————————————- The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has prepared an online petition to call on the attorney general of Indonesia to finally act to deliver justice to […]

UA-22-2002: Torture case of Herat Pathirannehelage Nandani Sriyalatha Heart in Sri Lanka SRI LANKA: Gross human rights violence against woman – Arbitrary arrest, sexual abuses and torture by police ——————————————————————– Herat Pathirannehelage Nandani Sriyalatha Herat is a 39-years-old Sri Lankan woman who is not married and is a virgin. She was arrested by several police […]

Clouds of war and killing of innocent civilians across the Line of Control (LOC) in Kashmir KASHMIR (INDIA/PAKISTAN): Gross human rights violations – Stop the cross-border shelling and need of UN intervention ——————————————————————– There have been at least 150 people killed, 400 injured and 100,000 people have left their homes and migrated in Kashmir since […]

SRI LANKA: Frequent and cruel tortures by the police – Urging actions to prevent torture and implement the law with participation of UN Agencies ——————————————————————– The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to draw your attention to the following torture case. CASE DETAILS – Torture resulting in loss of the use of both hands (likely […]

Munir and Warda attacked by Jakarta militias INDONESIA: Attacks on human rights defenders, destruction of property, public use of weapons with impunity ———————————————————– AHRC has visited the offices of two highly regarded Indonesian human rights defenders targeted by civil militia groups in separate violent attacks occurring on the same day: March 13, 2002. The Urban […]

Urgent medical help needed for torture victim  SRI LANKA – Torture by police, impunity, denial of proper rehabilitation  ——————————————————————–  Latest update available: Court orders Release Of Lalith Rajapakse  A young torture victim from a poor family is fighting for his life in Sri Lanka. We are asking you to write today to the Sri Lankan authorities […]

10 years impunity for Convent well murder of young nun INDIA – Impunity for murder ——————————————————————– There is an astounding case regarding a decade of justice denied in Kerala state of India. The 21 year-old body of Sr. Abhaya was found at the bottom of a Convent well in 1992. The Church authorities claimed that […]