International human rights mechanisms

Earlier the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) circulated the complete text of this judgement (please see AS-217-2006).  Among the many completely baseless legal positions on which this judgement is premised there are some outstanding issues.  The AHRC intends to explore a comprehensive critique on this judgement soon.  In the meantime we would like to mention some […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) greatly appreciates your address to the second session of the UN Human Rights Council on September 18, 2006, and in particular the attention you gave to the perilous circumstances in which the people of Sri Lanka find themselves.  As you may be aware, the AHRC has been directly concerned […]

We reproduced below a judgement made by a bench of five judges, presided over by the Chief Justice, Sarath N. Silva, of Sri Lanka, which leaves no doubt that the court wishes to nullify the impact of Sri Lanka being a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) as well as […]

A judgment made by the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka on Friday, September 15 has all but removed the country from the international human rights community. The court declared that neither United Nations conventions signed by Sri Lanka nor the directives of monitoring bodies are binding on the country. The decision has tremendous ramifications both […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to draw your attention to the fact that personnel from Bangladesh being deployed for United Nations peacekeeping missions abroad may be responsible for systemic and grave abuses of human rights in their own country, and to request that you review their role in these missions with a view […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is writing to you to seek your determined involvement to end the uncontrolled use of torture by the police and other government security forces in Bangladesh, which we strongly believe is posing a grave threat to the entire system of policing and justice there.  You may be aware that […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is writing to you today to draw the attention of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to the rampant and unrestrained abuses of human rights that are daily occurring in Bangladesh, contrary to the impression given by its government internationally, and to call for your intervention.  […]

This is the last in a series of five open letters that the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has felt compelled to write to the UN Human Rights Council over the horrible human rights situation in Bangladesh, and its causes. As we have noted throughout, we are doing this as we are deeply concerned for […]

This is the fourth of five open letters that the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) feels compelled to write to the UN Human Rights Council on the horrible human rights situation in Bangladesh, and its causes. As noted, we are doing this as we are deeply concerned for the integrity and credibility of the Council […]

This is the third of five open letters that the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) feels compelled to write to the UN Human Rights Council about the horrible human rights situation in Bangladesh, and its causes. We are doing this as we are deeply concerned for the integrity and credibility of the Council if Bangladesh […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission has previously informed you about the controversy that started when the Executive President bypassed the constitutional provision requiring the appointments of judges in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal and members of several important, independent commissions such as the National Police Commission, Public Service Commission and Human Rights Commission […]

The numerous appointments to key national commissions by the executive president, contravening constitutional requirements, are a very clear indication of Sri Lanka’s drift from a law-based society to one in which the law plays a significantly reduced role.  While criticism against presidential actions has pointed to matters including the fact that no person is above […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 11, 2006 AS-105-2006 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) SRI LANKA: Human Rights Council a new forum to discuss Sri Lanka’s human rights record An article published in Mirror Politics by Champika Liyannarachchi, entitled ‘Failed States and unfair indexes’ is an interesting example of how commonly known facts […]

The new Human Rights Council was elected on May 9, 2006. According to the General Assembly Resolution of April 3, 2006,  When electing members of the Council, Member States shall take into account the contribution of candidates to the promotion and protection of human rights and their voluntary pledges and commitments made thereto; the General […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) notes that the Government of Indonesia is bidding for membership within the United Nations Human Rights Council. Elections are to be held on May 9, 2006. Indonesia has made a voluntary pledge and commitments to human rights as part of its bid, but the AHRC considers that the country […]

On April 24, the government of Thailand submitted the country’s candidacy for the new UN Human Rights Council. The election of the council’s first members is planned for May 9. The election should be viewed as a good opportunity for serious examination of the human rights records of candidates, including Thailand. In this respect, Thailand’s […]

On March 29 and 30 Prime Minister Hun Sen mounted successive attacks on the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for human rights in Cambodia, Professor Yash Ghai. The special representative had just finished his second visit to the country and in a March 28 press conference had painted a dark picture of human rights […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to strongly condemn the comments made by Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen who launched a scathing attack on a UN envoy who criticised the government’s record on human rights. At the end of his second mission as the Special Representative of the Secretary General on human […]

At the end of his second mission as the Special Representative of the Secretary General on human rights in Cambodia (March 19-28, 2006), Professor Yash Ghai pointed to the stark fear present throughout Cambodia due to the one-man rule of Prime Minister Hun Sen, which prevents the growth of democracy and the possibility of human […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission welcomes the landmark ruling by the Supreme Court of Nepal on Monday February 13, 2006, which declared the controversial Royal Commission for Corruption Control (RCCC) unconstitutional and ordered it to be scrapped immediately. This has paved the way for the release of ousted Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who had […]