Human rights defenders

SRI LANKA: TISL recognizes human rights activist

The citation read at the NIA presentation recognizing the unyielding integrity, personal commitment and courage of J C Weliamuna, former Executive Director – TISL & Director – Transparency International. Born on the 29th of August, 1961 in Walasmulla, Beliatta in the Hambantota District and educated at St. Aloysius College in Galle, Sri Lanka Law College […]

SRI LANKA: The disappearances of Lalith Kumar Weeraju and Kugan Murugan

Two human rights organisations, the Sri Lanka Human Rights Centre and the Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CAFFE) issued a statement on December 11, 2011 expressing concern and shock regarding the disappearances of Lalith Kumar Weeraju and Kugan Murugan while they were engaged in activities in preparation of the Human Rights Day. Both of […]

PHILIPPINES: Inability to protect has created a ‘parallel system’

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the Occasion of the International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011 The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) today published its 25-page report containing its analyses on what it has observed as the irreparable ‘social and systemic impact’ of the ongoing violations of human rights in the […]

SRI LANKA: International human rights agencies failed to notice the collapse of the Sri Lanka’s public institutions of justice

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the Occasion of the International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011 The international community, including leading human rights agencies and organisations, has failed to understand the depth of collapse of rule of law in Sri Lanka and have failed to make any effective intervention in this […]

BURMA: Abuses remain “systemic, entrenched”, AHRC warns

(Hong Kong, December 9, 2011) Despite signs of political change and the easing of restrictions on freedom of expression in Burma, rights abuses remain “systemic, deeply entrenched and vast in scale”, the Asian Human Rights Commission said today in its annual State of Human Rights in Asia report.   The 17-page Burma report, entitled “From blinkered […]

SOUTH KOREA: Human Rights in 2011 – Systematic setup to restrict rights vs. systematic failure to protect rights

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the Occasion of the International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011 On the occasion of the International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011 the AHRC is publishing the annual report on the State of Human Rights in South Korea in 2011. The full report is available […]

BANGLADESH: State appears bankrupt in protecting rights

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the Occasion of the International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011 International Human Rights Day is going to be ‘observed’ in Bangladesh amidst numerous victims facing gross abuses of human rights without an access to legal remedies from the existing criminal justice system. On the eve […]

INDIA: Human rights a utopia without justice

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the Occasion of the International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011 The state of human rights in a country is directly proportional to the extent of justice achieved in that jurisdiction. Justice is not a physically quantifiable concept. It is “truth in action” as held by […]

PAKISTAN: The government dodges the international community on civil and political rights

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the Occasion of the International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011 The full report is available for download at http://www.humanrights.asia/resources/hrreport/2011/AHRC-SPR-008-2011/view. The state has become dysfunctional in providing basic human rights to the people. Though the parliament exists it either cannot assert its constitutional duties or does not […]

INDONESIA: AHRC launches human rights report on the occasion of the International Human Rights Day

(Hong Kong, December 07, 2011) On the occasion of the upcoming International Human Rights Day on December 10, 2011, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is launching its annual report on the State of Human Rights in Indonesia in 2011. The full report is available for download at http://www.humanrights.asia/resources/hrreport/2011/AHRC-SPR-006-2011/view. In the report, the AHRC witnessed a […]

NEPAL: Commitments to accountability and justice continue to be jeopardized in 2011

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the Occasion of the International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011 On the occasion of the 63rd Human Rights Day, the Asian Human Rights Commission is releasing its annual report on the state of human rights protection in Nepal through 2011. The report is available here. Given […]

INDONESIA: Human Rights in 2011 – The Decay of Pancasila and Constitutional Protections

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the Occasion of the International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011 On the occasion of the International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011 the AHRC publishes its annual report on the State of Human Rights in Indonesia in 2011. The full report will be made available […]

PAKISTAN: A journalist was attacked by terrorists from a banned militant organisation

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding a journalist and prominent human rights defender that has left the country after an attempt to abduct him by a banned Muslim militant organization, the Jamaatud Dawa, which was allegedly involved in sectarian and terrorist attacks both inside and outside the country. He […]

INDIA: Call for withdrawal of all false charges against human rights activists and the villagers who are opposed to the POSCO project

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward to you the following open letter from Women Against Sexual Violence and State Repression to the Governor of Odisha state government, India. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ——- An Open Letter from Women against Sexual Violence and State Repression (WSS) forwarded by the […]

INDONESIA: New report reveals extent of Papua human rights violations; NGOs meet in Geneva to address their concerns on the situation of human rights in Papua

A Joint Statement by the Faith Based Network on West Papua (FBN), Franciscans International (FI), and the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) Geneva, 3 November 2011 Following last month’s violent dispersal by Indonesian security forces of the Third Papuan Peoples’ Congress in Jayapura, Indonesia has been confronted with the full scale of human rights problems […]

PAKISTAN: The bullet riddled bodies of nine more missing persons including one journalist were found

The disappearances and extrajudicial killings continue and not a single day goes by without the abduction and murder of activists. The family members of disappeared persons who were holding a protest meeting and token hunger strike outside the Quetta Press Club at the capital of Balochistan province were warned by some plain clothed persons that […]

INDIA: Intimidating human rights defenders is despicable

Statement | India | 03-10-2011

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) condemns the intimidation by the state police/government of Ms Kavita Srivastava, the General Secretary of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) by undertaking a raid at her residence today. The PUCL is a social action group based in India. It is reported that today morning (3 October) at […]

SRI LANKA: Human Rights Defender tortured in public to death by Special Task Force of police

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that human rights defender Mr. Perumal Sivakumara (32) of Kalpitiya Road, Norochchole in the Puttalam District has died after being tortured in public by officers attached to the Special Task Force of the Sri Lanka Police. Perumal a well-known civil rights activist had gone […]

INDIA: Yet another human rights defender at risk in West Bengal

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has once again received information from Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM) concerning the case of threats to a human rights defender Mr Kanai Mondal, since he dared to help a victim of torture, Mr Mahadeb Mondal.  It is reported that the on 30 August 2011, the Camp […]

INDIA: West Bengal police attempting to cover-up crime, colluding with local smugglers

Dear friends,  The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM) concerning the case of threats to a human rights defender Mr Faizuddin Biswas, since he dared to complain against a gang of smugglers to the local police. The incident happened on 26 August 2011 at about 2.30 pm. Biswas […]