Judicial system

The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes to condemn in the strongest possible terms the decision of the government, made on February 27, 2012, to recommend the withdrawal of nearly 425 criminal cases. It is now up to the judiciary to exercise due diligence over the cases under their jurisdiction, to ensure that the reasons for […]

By Nilantha Ilangamuwa Speech after long silence; it is right, All other lovers being estranged or dead, Unfriendly lamplight hid under its shade, The curtains drawn upon unfriendly night, That we descant and yet again descant Upon the supreme theme of Art and Song: Bodily decrepitude is wisdom; young We loved each other and were […]

The suicide of police officer, P G Haridath, on 15 March 2012 brings again to the limelight, issues that adversely affect criminal investigations in India. Haridath was an Additional Superintendent of Police working in the Central Bureau of Investigation. It is reported that the deceased officer was investigating the infamous Sampath murder case in Kerala […]

Despite heavy criticism from inside and outside the country (AHRC-STM-041-2012), South Korean police have been arbitrarily arresting and detaining rights activists and villagers in Gangjeong village where a navy base is under construction. Meanwhile, several media organizations reported allegations that the Navy and construction companies are violating laws relating to the environment and cultural assets. […]

The national debate regarding India’s position about the proposed resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council concerning Sri Lanka is limited to a Tamil view of the issue. The views exchanged in both houses of the country’s parliament and in the media reflect this. This parochial view about the resolution exposes the widespread lack […]

The judiciary is that branch of the state which adjudicates on conflicts between state institutions, between the state and the individual and between individuals. The judiciary is independent of both legislature and the executive. This is a feature of judicial independence which is of prime importance, both in relation to the government according to law […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward to you the following press release from [Name of the Organisation/Media]. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- A Press Release from Lawyers for Democracy forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) 13th March 2012 ‘Lawyers for Democracy’ (LfD) is gravely concerned with […]

Freedom of expression is one of the essential pre-requirements for the practice, protection and promotion of democracy. If we are to speak of a democratic Pakistan we need to examine, whether the media is free. Each and every day media professionals are facing threats of kidnapping or murder for telling the truth. The truth about […]

INDIA: GHE fear at New Delhi Reading the proposed draft resolution mooted at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) concerning human rights in Sri Lanka, one cannot help wonder why India did not propose such a resolution before? Today by delaying in arriving at a decision, whether to support the resolution or not, India has once […]

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following report published in New Age, a national English language daily newspaper of Bangladesh, on 1 March 2012. The original story can be read at: http://newagebd.com/newspaper/detail.php?date=2012-03-01&nid=2466. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- A Statement from the New Age, a national English language daily newspaper of Bangladesh, […]

One of the sad truths that we have to live with today is that the people’s struggles for human rights are highly fragmented in India. Equally disheartening is the fact that whenever or wherever human rights comes up for discussion, it is addressed in piecemeal, ignoring and leaving far behind a comprehensive approach to rights […]

By Nilantha Ilangamuwa “As your attorney general I’m sorry to have to tell you that the present picture of crimes in the United States is far from good. In fact I would say it is shocking – particularly so in regard to the percentage of juveniles involved in law breaking”. Tom C. Clark, Former Attorney […]

Dear friends, M. Nishantha Fernando Jayawardena of Panadura in Kalutara district was assaulted by the Superintendent of Police (SP) for Panadura, Lesly Hamilton Gregory Cooray on 4 June, 2010 when he went to answer a query. For no reason at all the SP grabbed Nishantha’s shirt collar and struck him on his chest and face. […]

Rotten and maggot-ridden corpses lie scattered in compounds; dogs, crows and other rodents run around with human body parts; tables made of broken wooden planks where putrefied human bodies are cut open by Doms (members of a Dalit community known in India for dealing with dead bodies) with crude tools like a chisel or nail […]

Dear friends, As the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has noted in a recent update (UAU-004-2012), we are very happy to see the release in recent months of many people on whose behalf we have campaigned for a number of years. However, many other unjustly imprisoned persons remain in Burma’s jails. As at this time […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a couple from Pakistani held Kashmir has threatened with being shot on sight by Jihadi militant groups whenever they are seen at any place in Pakistan. The militants from the Jihadi groups (Islamic holy warriors) have been following the couple from their hide […]

A statement for the commemoration of the independence of Sri Lanka The 64th commemoration of Sri Lanka’s independence takes place at the time when the country’s justice system is in a hopeless crisis. The abuse of the judicial process for political reasons has created doubts about the independence of the judiciary itself. The government shows […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) appreciates the decision made by the Supreme Court of India, that set a timeframe for governments to sanction or refuse prosecution of public officers accused of offences punishable under Section 19 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The Court has held that the governments should decide whether to […]

By Baseer Naveed The disappearances, killings in military detention centers and dumping of bullet-riddled bodies including torture marks on the bodies of the victims, by the spy agencies particularly by ISI and military intelligence are no longer a secret. This was exposed during the case of Abdul Saboor (29), which was taken in custody illegally […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the illegal charges against Stanly Handry Ering, an informant in a corruption case. On 13 December 2011, the Tondano district court sentenced Stanly to five months imprisonment for defamation. Meanwhile, the cases of corruption revealed by Stanly are still being examined. UPDATED […]