Judicial system

A statement made by Sri Lanka’s Chief Justice, Sarath N. Silva at a recent public meeting is causing many comments, both public and private, on the state of the judiciary and rule of law in the country. In his statement the Chief Justice is reported to have cursed the Sri Lankan police as being highly […]

AHRC-OL-012-2006 May 3, 2006 Open letter to the Minister of Constitutional Affairs and the Chairperson of the Law Reform Commission Dear Sir & Madam, Re: Proposed bill of rights The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned from newspapers that the Ministry of Constitutional Affairs is to organise workshops, one of which will be held […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that over recent months, members of various Cambodian security forces have in separate incidents shot and injured young women in Phnom Penh, shot dead a villager in Kompong Cham, and wantonly driven a car into a smuggler there, killing him on the spot. The AHRC has also […]

On the 1st May, 1993, R. Premadasa, the executive president of Sri Lanka, was killed in a massive bomb blast while participating in the May Day public activities.  The blast also killed and injured many others.  Before becoming president he was the prime minister to J.R. Jayawardene who came to power through a huge electoral […]

The speeches by the King of Thailand to the Supreme Court and Administrative Court judges on 25 April 2006 have with good reason been reported all around the world. Among his remarks, he told the judges that “When an election is not democratic, you should look carefully into the administrative issues. I ask you to […]

As the violence has escalated within the last few days and the lives of many are affected by the actions of all sides, the issue that comes to the forefront is the absence of any human rights monitoring mechanisms in Sri Lanka. The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRC) became defunct with the expiry […]

[RE: UP-083-2006: BANGLADESH: Police defy High Court order by continuing to make threats; UP-062-2006: BANGLADESH: Harassment and threats continue towards victim despite a High Court ruling ordering the alleged perpetrators to stop; UP-058-2006: BANGLADESH: Police seriously intimidate and threaten victim, her husband and her witnesses; UA-105-2006: BANGLADESH: Pregnant woman tortured by police in Dhaka] ———————————– […]

On April 17, 2006 the Indonesian Supreme Court announced that a five-member panel of judges would review the case of three men on death row in Poso, Central Sulawesi. Although the men–Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus Da Silva and Don Marinus Riwu–were sentenced for inciting communal conflict in Poso in 2000, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) […]

The meaning of a Constitution is to be found, not in slavish adherence to the letter, which sometimes killeth, but in the discovery of its spirit, which giveth life…”[1] The general dismay voiced over the non-functioning of the Constitutional Council for over a year is shared by the Civil Rights Movement (CRM). Many have observed […]

The issues of the non appointment of the Constitutional Council (CC) members and the resultant collapse of all the relevant independent commissions remain unresolved despite unprecedented public protests arising from all sectors of Sri Lankan society and also from international sources. The government remains stubborn in its refusal to appoint the nine members who have […]

Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) notes with shock and dismay the appointment of the members to the National Police Commission and Public Service Commission, in violation of the constitutional provisions to protect the integrity of those institutions. It is the Constitutional Council that should select and screen members of all of these commissions established under […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 10, 2006 AP-002-2006 A Paper by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) SRI LANKA: A commentary on the recent case of the prime minister’s fundamental rights violation Recently, a fundamental rights application was made to the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka by former prime minister and now president, Mahinda Rajapakse, in which […]

We are bringing to your notice a news item that has appeared in several papers recently regarding a girl of 18 years who is said to be a victim of the tsunami tragedy and who, for the lack of any suitable child care institution, has been put in a prison as there is nowhere else […]

Speaking at the induction of the President Elect of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka during its 32nd Annual Convocation, the Chief Justice of Sri Lanka warned that the judiciary could become a laughing stock and that delays in adjudication may result in people seeking alternative means of justice. These delays were an apparent reference […]

Today, March 30, 2006 the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has nominated three outstanding widows of human rights defenders to receive jointly the prestigious 2006 , awarded by the May 18 Memorial Foundation, Korea. The three are: Angkhana Neelaphaijit, wife of disappeared Thai human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit; Suciwati Munir, wife of murdered Indonesian human […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AS-033-2006 March 6, 2006 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)  SRI LANKA: Delays in courts – everyone’s karume The expression by a High Court judge at Hulftsdorp that it was due to his karume (karma) that he had to be a judge postponing cases is a rare admission of […]

The Law Faculty Teachers’ Union of the University of Colombo expresses its deep concern over a statement issued by the Secretary to the Judicial Service Commission published in the Daily News on 6 February, 2006 under the heading “JSC Will Continue to Function Despite Judges’ Resignation”. The statement, which is on the recent resignation of […]

The resignation of two judges from the three-member Judicial Service Commission (JSC) continues to be a matter of topmost public interest. Comments made by numerous persons reflecting different points of view with regard to the resignations are reflected in both the print and electronic media.  The majority of the views expressed tend to support the […]

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 […]

Background: Dr Chee Soon Juan, secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party, was sued in 2002 by former Singapore prime ministers Mr Lee Kuan Yew and Mr Goh Chok Tong for defamation. The courts awarded the case to the plaintiffs and ordered Dr Chee to pay $500,000 in damages. Messrs Lee and Goh then took legal […]