Judicial system

This February 1, 2006, the case of Ma Su Su Nwe will come before the Supreme Court of Burma. The court will be asked to decide whether or not to admit an appeal against Su Su Nwe’s imprisonment on charges of having abused and intimidated members of a local government council. In effect the court […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from MASUM, a local human rights organisation in West Bengal, India about the shocking state of the lower judiciary in West Bengal. The AHRC issued an urgent appeal on 26 December 2005 regarding the arrest of Mr Vijay Kumar. For further details please see UA-247-2005. […]

The Criminal Court in Bangkok on January 12 found that missing Thai human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit had been abducted and that a police officer was among a group of persons, all suspected to be police, who were responsible. The prime minister subsequently said that Somchai has been murdered, and insisted that the Department of […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the People’s Vigilance Committee for Human Rights (PVCHR), a local human rights group working in Uttar Pradesh, India stating that corrupt officers, particularly those from the local police, are conniving with the feudal landlords thereby facilitating extreme exploitation of the tribal community in […]

A strange notion prevails in Sri Lankan legal circles that presidential immunity extends even to constitutional violations. This is despite the fact that one of the grounds for the impeachment of a president is ‘intentional violations of the Constitution’, as set out in article 38(2) a(i). A judgment made by the Indian Supreme Court on […]

The promise made by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to withdraw criminal defamation lawsuits against five human rights activists is welcomed by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). The five activists are Mr Kem Sokha, President of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights (CCHR), Mr Pa Nguon Teang, CCHR Deputy Director and Radio Director, Mr […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 13, 2006 AP-001-2006 A Paper by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) SRI LANKA: Institutional reform: An alternative approach to the resolution of Sri Lanka’s continuing anarchy (A note: The Asian Human Rights Commission presents this paper for discussion for all those who are seriously concerned about the continuing anarchy in […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed of the shocking beating to death of two marine officers on 21 September 2005 and the subsequent arrest of 12?villagers in Muang district, Narathiwat province, southern Thailand. The marine officers were reportedly involved in a shooting incident that killed two villagers and wounded four […]

[Re: UA-138-2005: INDIA: Human rights activist facing death threats for working with Dalit and Backward Community, UP-95-2005: INDIA: Another human rights activist threatened for working with Dalits in Uttar Pradesh, UP-100-2005: INDIA: Updates on death threats to human rights activists working with dalit and marginalized group in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh] ——————————————————————— UP-166-2005: INDIA: Police inaction […]

[RE: UA-164-2004: The family receives death threats for demanding an impartial inquiry into the death of Munir; UP-30-2005: Unveiling of suspect in Munir’s death may end further inquiries; UP-47-2005: State intelligence officers delay Munir investigation; UP-72-2005: Mandate of fact-finding team into Munir’s murder should be extended and made more effective; UP-83-2005: Police fail to follow […]

[RE: UP-43-2005: SAUDI ARABIA/SRI LANKA: Questions remain in Sri Lanka’s willingness to save three of its citizens; UP-39-2005: Three Sri Lankans face imminent execution in Saudi Arabia; UP-38-2005: SAUDI ARABIA/SRI LANKA: Please send a letter to the King of Saudi Arabia urging his intervention to commute the death sentence of three Sri Lankans; UP-34-2005: Death […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Perhimpunan Bantuan Hukum dan Hak Asasi Manusia Jakarta (PBHI Jakarta), a human rights organization in Jakarta, Indonesia that a 51-year-old man, Bagus Ariyanto, died after he was brutally tortured by a group of army officers attached to the Detachment Supplies and Transportation Jaya […]

The way that justice is administered by the courts in any country directly affects the national spirit. Whether or not the spirit of enthusiasm, energy and cooperation prevails in a particular society depends, among other factors, on the role played by the courts. In fact, it can be said that courts are among the most […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding 73 workers from the Orex Factory in Ekala, Jaela, Sri Lanka, who were unlawfully dismissed after the owner arbitrarily closed down the factory in 2002. The AHRC previously reported that the owner, Mohamed Mohamed Izzath deprived his workers of the Employees Trust […]

The life of an average citizen in the Philippines these days is beset with fear. Even the expression “rule of law” evokes cynical reactions among ordinary folk, as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo uses the very same expression to justify blatant and brutal repression.  Sloganeering about anti-terrorism and anti-crime drives is used as a weapon to subdue […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission welcomes the resolution adopted by the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) to introduce a . BASL appointed a committee comprising a former chief justice and two former Supreme Court judges to draft this code of conduct.  This move by BASL answers a dire need in the country. It deserves […]

The AHRC is holding its advanced human rights study programme from October 9-14, 2005 in Hong Kong, at which participants from 10 nationalities will participate. To mark this occasion, the AHRC is launching a series of discussions aimed at drafting an Asian Charter  With a view to drafting an Asian Charter , the Asian Human […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information through its local partner MASUM in West Bengal that Mr. Gopen Sharma, a human rights activist was illegally detained, threatened and assaulted by the officers at the Block Development Office in Jalangi, Murshidabad District, West Bengal. Mr. Sharma was, at the time of the […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) expresses shock and condemns the killing of Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister, Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar on 12 August 2005. In direct and indirect terms the Government and many other sources have accused the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) for the murder. The LTTE has denied this allegation. Though a […]

[Re: UA- 50 -2005: INDIA: Three and a half year wait for justice for the brutal murder of an Adivasi (tribal person) by a forest official in Gujarat] Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information on the case of Manishbhai Motibhai Vasava (30), an adivasi who was murdered by an Indian […]