Independence of judges & lawyers

ASIA: “We need a new frontier in the human rights field. This frontier is the frontier of institutional reform.”

Article | Asia | 17-05-2015

An Article by Basil Fernando  This is a speech delivered by Basil Fernando at  The Fifth  Human Rights Cities Forum-  As the Keynote address for the Special  Session on Asian Human Rights – Human Rights in Asia and Vision of Human Rights City- 16th May 2015. It is useful, I think, to recall the aims […]

ASIA: Weekly Roundup, Episode 73

In this week’s Roundup, AHRC TV brings to you critical stories from the region. The programme begins with an update on Nepal, where a second major earthquake has rocked the nation. Renewed rescue efforts, along with relief work, have recommenced, but are inadequate for the needs of the people of the Himalayan nation.  Staying in Nepal, […]

PAKISTAN: HRCP slams massacre in Karachi bus attack

A Press Release from Human Rights Commission of Pakistan forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) Lahore, May 13: The barbaric killing of members of the Ismaili community in a bus attack in Karachi is highly condemnable, but it deserves more than mere words of censure and sympathy from the authorities, the political parties […]

PAKISTAN: Killing of 46 Ismailis utterly condemnable

Today, persons hailing from the Ismaili community (a branch of Shia Islam) have been attacked while they were travelling on a passenger bus managed and operated by the community. According to media reports, six unidentified assailants on motorbikes opened fire on the bus from all sides, leaving at least 46 dead and 24 injured. Many […]

BURMA/MYANMAR: Court martial exonerates soldiers of murder of journalist while death inquest in civilian court still underway

On 8 May 2015 the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission issued a short statement (No. 5/2015) to the effect that two soldiers accused of involvement in the killing of freelance journalist Ko Par Gyi on 4 October 2014 have been acquitted of any crime by a summary court martial. The statement explained that the men, […]

SRI LANKA: Undoing corruption – the colossal, the trivial, and the real

Gabriel Garcia Marquez once spoke of Fidel Castro as a person “incapable of conceiving any idea that is not colossal”. During the last few months in Sri Lanka too there has been an interest in colossal ideas. One such colossal ambition is the idea of eliminating corruption.  It even became a major theme in an […]

SRI LANKA: Deterioration of the legal intellect (7): Delays in adjudication as a manifestation of learned helplessness

by Basil Fernando A young man, then 18 years old, filed a communication on 28th January 2003, about an incident that took place on 18th April 2002. The UNHRC came to a finding on 14th July 2006. The UNHRC found that the Sri Lankan Government has violated the rights of the man by its failure to adjudicate […]

INDONESIA: Mentally ill Brazilian facing imminent execution following trial without a lawyer

Dear Friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the imminent execution of a mentally ill man, who was tried and convicted on illegal drugs charges in Indonesia. Rodrigo Gularte has a long history of severe mental illness, dating back long before his arrest, and he continues to suffer from paranoid schizophrenia. […]

INDIA: Celebrating “internet freedom” in a country known for custodial killings?

Article | India | 25-03-2015

By Avinash Pandey  The Supreme Court’s scrapping of Section 66 A of the Information Technology Act for being “unconstitutional in entirety” is indeed a great moment in the life of the democracy. The Act did, in fact, invade citizenry’s right of free speech “arbitrarily, excessively and disproportionately”. However, is this really a moment to celebrate […]

SRI LANKA: New government lacks credible strategy for eliminating corruption

One of the promises of Mr. Maithripala Sirisena, as common candidate at the last presidential election, was the elimination of corruption, i.e. something the last government was steeped in. Elimination of corruption is therefore a major objective of his newly elected government. His catchwords were Yaha palanaya (good governance), which itself implies radical elimination of corruption. Today, […]

BURMA/MYANMAR: Student protesters and their supporters denied legal and medical assistance in Tharawaddy Prison

Students and their supporters detained in Tharawaddy Prison continue to be denied access to lawyers. In addition, the authorities have refused medical assistance for the detainees that are injured. Thus, the government continues its persecution of the Burmese students who have taken a stand against the government’s plan with respect to education. The background to […]

NEPAL: Inescapable truths

March 24 marks the fifth annual International Day for the Right to Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed this day in 2010 to honor the memory of victims and recognize the work of countless human rights activists around the world who have devoted […]

INDIA: Is it for the police to form a policing policy?

Arrest brings humiliation, curtails freedom and cast scars forever. Law-makers know it so also the police. There is a battle between the law-makers and the police and it seems that the police has not learnt its lesson; the lesson implicit and embodied in the Cr.P.C. It has not come out of its colonial image despite […]

SRI LANKA: To return to rule of law, more restrictions on presidential immunity required

With the people Sri Lanka ousting the Mahinda Rajapaka regime, a path opened for Sri Lanka to return to the rule of law. The 1978 Constitution masterminded by J.R. Jayewardene, of which Mahinda Rajapaksa took full advantage, was aimed at completely displacing governance by rule of law in Sri Lanka.  Therefore, it is a fair […]

SRI LANKA: AHRC writes to the new Minister of Finance to make funds available for police reforms and genuinely effective corruption control

The Asian Human Rights Commission wrote to the newly appointed Minister for Finance Ravi Karunanayake, congratulating him on his appointment, and stating that the establishment of good governance as promised by the new government requires budgetary allocations for law enforcement, and the prevention of corruption. The AHRC stated in the letter that “… As the […]

PHILIPPINES: Unbroken impunity ten years on

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on Human Rights Day 2014 On Human Rights Day 2014, the Asian Human Rights Commission notes the persistent pattern of state perpetrated attacks, notably against human rights and political activists, which has continued for over a decade in the Philippines. It was in early 2000s that the […]

IRAN: Rights bodies urge international community to adopt resolutions in the UN

Statement | Iran | 12-11-2014

To: Member States of the UN General Assembly Your Excellency: We, the undersigned human rights and civil society organizations, write to urge your government to vote in favor of Resolution A/C.3/69/L.33 on the promotion and protection of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran. This vote will take place during the 69th session of […]

SOUTH KOREA: Reprisals against lawyers in a civilised society

Reprisals against lawyers defending the right of the accused are a historical reality of past military and authoritarian regime in South Korea. Those who received either disciplinary punishment or imprisonment, and provided legal advice at that time later earned the label “human rights lawyers”. As often witnessed in developing countries under military and authoritarian regimes, […]

PAKISTAN: Baba Jan and Iftikhar Husaain sentenced to life imprisonment for the second time – for fighting for the rights of prisoners

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the continuous persecution of human rights defenders in Gilgit and Baltistan, the occupied lands by Pakistan. Mr. Baba Jan and his associate Mr. Iftikhar Hussain were sentenced for the second time for life imprisonment by an Anti Terrorist Court (ATC) in Gilgit, […]

SRI LANKA: What is the future of a country with zero respect for law enforcement?

By Basil Fernando The major problem affecting all Sri Lankans now, and which is likely to affect future generations, is the complete failure of law enforcement and resulting lawlessness. While virtually everyone is aware of this problem, it is not subject to conversation. For the few who are vocal on matters of public interest, the […]