Civil and Political Rights

This week Just Asia begins with the Philippines, where police shot dead 14 farmers in Negros island on Sunday. While rights groups called this a ‘massacre’, authorities said it was a legitimate operation against suspected communist rebels. According to the police, the 14 men shot at officers with search warrants for illegal firearms, prompting them […]

This week Just Asia begins with Pakistan, where two teenage Hindu girls were placed in a government shelter on Tuesday, after allegations of their forced conversion and marriages to Muslim men. The Islamabad High Court issued the protection order for the two sisters, saying it acted on a petition from them. Sindh police have so […]

By Dr. Divya Padmanabhan March 21 marks the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination worldwide. The day was first observed in 1966, and continues to be observed annually since then. The theme for this year is ‘Mitigating and countering rising nationalist populism and extreme supremacist ideologies’. While many countries are fighting […]

Cambodian courts have recently issued arrest warrants for top Cambodian politicians living in exile, as they began preparations to return to Cambodia. Among those for whom warrants have been issued are Sam Rainsy, founder of the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), Mu Sochua and Eng Chhay Eang, as well as five others. While […]

A well-functioning legal system can be measured by its response to daily crimes and complaints. This is a much better test in fact, rather than a country’s constitution (in Sri Lanka’s case, the 1978 constitution still remains a major barrier to the functioning of a legal system), or statutes, or judicial presence, all of which […]

The Internet broadcasted the long interview with Arun Siddhartha by Hiru on TV and separately on the YouTube channel, Vishwa Karma. One perspective that comes out of Arun Siddhartha’s reflections can be enormously positive. It can be used in trying to understand ways to resolve the present prolonged crises which have dragged the country into […]

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Youth’s Forum for Protection of Human Rights (YFPHR) regarding the indiscriminate firing upon civilians by the security forces in Tripura. The citizens were participating in a peaceful assembly against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 on 8 January 2019, when police opened fire without […]

This week Just Asia begins with Bangladesh, where police arrested a prominent government critic on Monday. Police said Moinul Hosein, a top lawyer and publisher of an English daily, was detained after Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina slammed him for his comments against a pro-government female journalist. His arrest comes in the wake of a recent government […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission welcomes the ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention against Torture, Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment by the President of Pakistan. This is a very important step in the struggle of the human rights of all the citizens of the country. We […]