Civil and Political Rights

SRI LANKA: Truth Without Hurt

An article from Colombo Telegraph forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission By Jayakumar Thangavelu  A Senior Police Officer’s Perspective Of Investigations Into Political Crimes In addressing this subject, I put down my experience of forty years in the Sri Lankan Police, where I retired as Deputy Inspector General, Legal Range, of which twenty years were […]

SRI LANKA: Sharing basic documents relating to the issue of Rule under Section 42(2) of the Judicature Act by the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka against Mr. Nagananda Kodituwakku Attorney-at-law on 29th February 2024

Hong Kong, March 07, 2024  As there is a curiosity on the part of many persons and organizations about the Rule issued against Mr Nagananda Kodituwakku Attorney-at-law by the Supreme Court we are sharing the basic documents that provide the essential information about this case. The Rule was made under Judicature act 42(2) while ordering […]

SRI LANKA: AUTHORITIES CONTINUE TO STIFLE PROTESTS, HARASS ACTIVISTS AND PUSH REPRESSIVE LAWS

A Statement from CIVICUS forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission The CIVICUS Monitor in December 2023 downgraded Sri Lanka’s civic space rating to ‘repressed,’ with authorities clamping down on protesters, stifling journalists and targeting activists amid mounting public frustration with poor governance and a lack of accountability. In January 2024, Human Rights Watch said […]

INDONESIA: Shrinking of public space on expression, association and peaceful assembly

PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY  Discussion at Yogyakarta State University Critics against the Regime Forcibly Dispersed by the Rector          Discussion and gathering that was planned by the students of Yogyakarta State University (UNY) and other academics, such as lecturers and professors, were forcibly dispersed by the Rector due to the committee of the discussion did not have permission from the rector. Previously, […]

INDONESIA:Acquittalverdict of Haris and Fatia is a victory for the freedom of expression

(Hong Kong, January 16, 2024) The Panel of Judges at the East Jakarta District Court has issued an acquittal verdict regarding the case of criminalisation against Ms. Fatia Maulidiyanti (the Director of the Commission for the Disappearances and Victims of Violence [KontraS] for the 2020-2023 period) and Mr. Haris Azhar (the Founder of the LOKATARU […]

INDONESIA: The Indictment of Haris Azhar and Fatia Maulidiyanti Denounces the Right to Freedom of Expression and Opinion

The trial process of Ms. Fatia Maulidiyanti, a Coordinator of the Commission for Disappearances and Victims of Violence / KontraS 2020-2023 and Mr. Haris Azhar,the Founder of the Lokataru Foundation, finally entered the stage of reading the prosecution by the Public Prosecutor (Jaksa Penuntut Umum/JPU). However, before the Prosecutor submitted the prosecution, the legal team of Fatia and Haris also submitted documentary evidence which […]

SRI LANKA: IMF observations on an Independent Prosecution office for Sri Lanka

IMF in its recent report issued in September titled Sri Lanka; Technical Assistance Report-Governance Diagnostic Assessment, has directed its attention to the problems relating to the independence in conduct of prosecutions into crimes in Sri Lanka. It points to the absence of independent prosecutor in Sri Lanka and also notes that this given rise to real or perceived […]

SRI LANKA: If Tocqueville was to read our proposed Anti-Terrorism Act

By Basil Fernando Alexis Charles Henri Clérel, comte de Tocqueville is the famous author of the book Democracy in America. It is one of the world’s best known writings which have been appreciated by many philosophers, writers, thinkers and also people in many countries. It has also been translated into many languages.  Tocqueville was a […]

BANGLADESH: ADN Condemns Unjust Imprisonment of Bangladeshi HRDs Adilur Rahman and Nasiruddin Elan

A Statement from Asia Democracy Network forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Seoul, Korea – The Asia Democracy Network (ADN) vehemently condemns the recent sentencing of Adilur Rahman Khan and Nasiruddin Elan, activists attached to the Odhikar human rights organization in Bangladesh. Their unjust imprisonment on trumped-up charges is a grave violation of their […]

INDONESIA: Stop violence and protect Rempang residents’ rights

Hong Kong, Thursday 14, 2023 The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) supports 130 Indonesian civil society organisations from the Aceh Province to the Papua Province to put pressure on the Indonesian Government, especially President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), to stop the Rempang Eco City project, stop blockades and evictions, and urge troops to unconditionally release residents of the Rempang Island of Riau Islands who were […]

INDONESIA:Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres) personnel kidnapped and tortured to death a young man

An Open Letter from the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) to the President of Republic of Indonesia  Mr. Joko Widodo President of the Republic of Indonesia Jl. Veteran No. 16 Jakarta Pusat INDONESIA Tel: +62 21 3458 595 Fax: +62 21 3484 4759 Dear Mr. President:  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) strongly condemns the alleged […]

ASIA: The mind of Junious (A Parable)

Article | Asia | 29-08-2023

By Basil Fernando This story is about Junious. Please do not think that I made a mistake in naming the hero and misspelling Junious for genius. I quite understand some people’s misunderstanding of that sort because an impression has been created and kept for a long time that Junious was in fact the genius. That […]

SRI LANKA:The Contempt of a Court, Tribunal or Institution Bill is Unconstitutional and Scandalizing Court is an archaic law

(Hong Kong, August 09, 2023)  ​​​​​​​Written submission to the Supreme Court on the “Contempt of a Court, Tribunal or Institution” Bill The Bill titled “Contempt of a Court, Tribunal or Institution” came for discussion before the Supreme Court on the 3rd and 4th of August. After the oral submission, written submissions were allowed to be filed by […]

SRI LANKA: Contempt of court law should not be used to create a chilling effect on lawyers and litigants

By Basil Fernando A month or so earlier, it was a lawyer practicing mainly in a High Court closer to Colombo, that contacted me and told me about his concerns about a draft Bill which has been discussed amongst his colleagues which was about the introduction a draft of a Contempt of Court Bill. He […]

SRI LANKA:How loud can you talk in a court proceeding?

By Basil Fernando This article is  a follow up to: 1. Does the proposed contempt of court Bill amount to 23rd amendment to the constitution?     2.  Is contempt of court unlike any other crime? To anyone who may be surprised by this question, we wish to remind that not too long ago, the issue became […]

SRI LANKA: The Arrest of Tharindu Uduwaragedera – Larger questions

By Basil Fernando On the larger questions raised by the arrest of Tharindu Uduwaragedera, a young journalist of very wide reputation. Tharindu Uduwaragedera who was attending a meeting on Friday (28 July) for the purpose of reporting on the meeting was forcibly dragged out of a three-wheeler, grabbed by his hair and roughly manhandled by […]

SRI LANKA:Is contempt of court unlike any other crime?

By Basil Fernando The purpose of the proposed Bill on the Contempt of Court is to criminalise the acts which may be considered to constitute the offence of contempt of court and to punish it. Clearly, this proposed Bill is meant to create offences under the contempt of court and therefore the purpose is to create […]

SRI LANKA: The plantation workers walk for “tracing our roots to win our rights”

A Statement from COLLECTIVE FOR MAANBUMIGU MALAIYAHA MAKKAL forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Today (28th July 2023) groups of men and women working in the plantations, in the hill country will begin a walk from Thalaimannar to Matale. This walk is organized by COLLECTIVE FOR MAANBUMIGU MALAIYAHA MAKKAL. The walk will end only […]

SRI LANKA:Beneath the skin deep liberalism lies cancerous caste prejudices

By Basil Fernando This article is  a follow up to:  The caste-based culture is still the key obstacle for development in Sri Lanka The debate on how important caste consciousness is in Sri Lanka today and whether class consciousness has replaced caste consciousness requires that we briefly examine the the beginnings of capitalism in Sri Lanka, […]

SRI LANKA:Does the proposed contempt of court Bill amount to 23rd amendment to the constitution?

By Basil Fernando The draft Bill entitled ‘Contempt of Court, Tribunal or Institutions’, has been included in the parliament’s order paper and the issue of the constitutionality of this Bill will now be subjected to debate. There are several key questions arising from this draft Bill. These are:- Does this proposed law amounts to repeal […]