Administration of justice

SRI LANKA: Contempt of justice causes legalised cruelty

It emerged over the weekend that there had been some kind of deal to keep a former Sri Lankan government minister out of jail on contempt of court charges, but it fell through. Reaction to the jailing of S B Dissanayake for two years on December 7 concentrated on the fact that this deal had […]

Collapsed rule of law buries the foundations of human rights: The AHRC International Human Rights Day Statement 2004

As we commemorate International Human Rights Day on December 10, 2004, the state of human rights in most countries of Asia is very bleak. Without serious efforts to defend these principles, life in a great many parts of the region will rapidly grow dramatically worse. The major threat to human rights in the region has […]

SRI LANKA: A hierarchy of Justice? The CID investigation into Gerald Perera’s killing is dragging its feet

It has now been eighteen days since the shooting of Gerald Perera in broad daylight, while he was travelling to work on a bus. Gerald died three days later, on November 24th, from the injuries that he had sustained during this attack. Although the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) is now enquiring into the case – […]

SRI LANKA: Call for Inquiry Commission to Probe into Security Issues relating to the Assassination of Judge Ambepitiya

The assassination of the High Court Judge Sarath Ambepitiya took place on the 19th of November. To date, no one has owned up to the responsibility for the failure to provide security to the Judge, who held senior position in the judiciary. In any democracy or in any country that respects the rule of law, […]

SRI LANKA: Stand by Sri Lankan Bar Association must be reconsidered

Several newspapers reported on 29 November 2004 that the Bar Association of Sri Lanka has taken a stand to instruct lawyers not to appear for those persons accused of the murder of a Colombo High Court judge. Its president, Ikram Mohamed, is reported to have said that although every suspect has the right to retain […]

SRI LANKA: Still no arrests in Sri Lanka torture victim murder case

It is now five days since the shooting of Gerald Mervin Perera, who died yesterday, November 24. However, as yet there have been no arrests. Nor have there been any reports of progress in investigations. In fact, there do not appear to be any serious inquiries at all. As Gerald Perera was due to stand […]

UPDATE (India): Witness protection required for Gujarat victims and witnesses

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes to inform you the need for the Indian Government to provide witness protection in all trials related to the Gujarat pogrom.   Over 2,000 Indian citizens were killed in Gujarat in the weeks and months following 28 February 2002.  It is not known how many women and girls were […]

SRI LANKA: Jaffna Police assault Human Rights Commission staff and UN Volunteer

The Officer-in-Charge of the Jaffna office of the Human Rights Commission (HRC) of Sri Lanka and a UN volunteer were assaulted yesterday, September 27, 2004, as they were engaged in inquiring about a complaint of torture at the Jaffna Police Station. In an interview to the Sinhala Service of the BBC, Sandeshaya, the HRC officer […]

SRI LANKA: A man tortured and prosecuted with false charges by the Samanalaweva Police Post

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a man named Heeralu Mohottalalage Punchi Banda (39) was illegally arrested and tortured by the Sub Inspector (S.I.) Dhammika Bandara of Samanalaweva Police Post in Balangoda on 26 August 2004. Due to brutal torture, the victim still suffers from severe pain on his […]

NEPAL: 14-year-old Dalit girl and her mother sentenced 20 years of imprisonment for a murder they did not commit

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is gravely concerned of 14-year-old Dalit girl, Saraswati Bishwakarma and her mother Shirkumari Bishwakarma, who were sentenced to life imprisonment (20 years’ imprisonment in Nepal) for murder which they did not commit. The girl is the only witness of the murder of Deepa Gurung who was her […]

SRI LANKA: What is the cost of crime control and torture prevention in Sri Lanka?

In a statement of September 6, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has asked, “What can be done when there are not enough criminal investigators in Sri Lanka?” A concomitant question is, what is the cost of crime control and torture prevention? What crime control and torture prevention require is not rhetoric but investment. The […]

THAILAND: Thailand’s obsolete criminal defamation law must be scrapped

On Monday, September 6, Supinya Klangnarong will go to court on a charge of criminal defamation arising from an interview printed in the Thai Post newspaper last year; three of its editors are also subject to legal action. In the interview, Supinya pointed out how the profits of media conglomerate Shin Corp have increased enormously […]

INDIA: Father dies after ten years of waiting for justice for his son

  Dear friends, It has come to the attention of the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) that while the Calcutta High Court granted leave on 28 July 2004 to prosecute police officers allegedly responsible for the forced disappearance of Bhikari Paswan in 1993, Bhikari’s father, a chief witness in the case, who had struggled for […]

MALAYSIA: Person found hanging in police station toilet

Dear friends The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is gravely concerned that 29 year old Mageswaran a/I Ramasamy was found hanging in the toilet of the Petaling Jaya Police Headquarters, where he had allegedly gone to file a police report. The police have been quick to state that this is a case of suicide and […]

UPDATE (Sri Lanka): Priyankara brutally assaulted and arrested with no access to lawyers

Dear friends The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is seeking your urgent intervention regarding torture victim, J.V. Saman Priyankara, who was arrested at his house by ten police officers on 7 July 2004. Due to the brutal assault by the police officers, Priyankara seems to have partially lost his hearing. Although higher authorities in the […]

INDIA: A human body preserved like a fish and a rotten criminal justice system in West Bengal

Statement | India | 01-04-2004

In October 2003, 17-year-old Mousumi Ari was murdered by her in-laws. Whereas the role of the state personnel should have been to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators, in fact they did exactly the opposite, as one of the accused, the father-in-law of the victim, was attached to the investigating police station. When police from Kakdwip […]

PAKISTAN: A young woman killed by her husband on the pretext of honour killing

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a 30-year-old woman named Ms. Hidayat was allegedly killed by her husband, Mr. Momin Ali Mahar in Dal village, Lakhi Ghulam Shah Town, Shikarpur District, Sindh Province, Pakistan on 29 February 2004. The case was registered at the Chak Police Station. However, a human […]

MALAYSIA: The Anwar Appeal

Dear Friends The Anwar Appeal The oral judgments of the Court of Appeal dismissing Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim¡¯s and Sukma Darmawan¡¯s appeals against the decisions of High Court Judge Arifin Jaka¡¯s decision of August 8, 2000 come as no surprise. They once again reflect the state of the independence, impartiality and integrity of the Malaysian […]

SRI LANKA: A human rights defender denied of fundamental right to a fair hearing and tortured

SUMMARY While presenting his petition before the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka, Mr. Anthony Michael Fernando was convicted and imprisoned under contempt of court. His fundamental right to a fair trial was violated as one of the respondents to Mr. Fernando’s claim sat in judgment on him, thereby undermining international norms of judicial objectivity. Furthermore, […]

SRI LANKA: Regarding the torture and contempt of court case of Anthony Michael Fernando

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has carefully studied the complaint of torture made by Anthony Michael Emmanuel Fernando on 16 February 2003 and the previous contempt of court case against him. We reproduce below the full judgement (Ref: S.C.(F/F) No. 55/2003 or 6 February 2003) of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka on the […]