Legislation

(Hong Kong, December 10, 2014) The family of Renante Gamara, a labour leader who was tortured and detained over fabricated charges, has informed the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) that the court will decide on Renante’s appeal to dismiss that charges against him tomorrow, December 11. In her email to AHRC, Nicolette Gamara, daughter of Renante, […]

by Jack Clancey During this past week, Central was occupied by thousands of demonstrators, as was Admiralty, Wanchai, Causeway Bay, and other parts of Hong Kong. The key question being asked is: What needs to be done to end the demonstrations? One of the two key demands of the leaders of the Occupy Central movement […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the arrest, detention, and torture of a man charged for cannabis possession. The arrest of Dany Lastino was conducted by two police officers, following an unverified report submitted over the phone by an unidentified caller. The arrest and torture has taken place just […]

(Hong Kong, March 6, 2014) Academics of the Australian National University on Thursday submitted a letter to the diplomatic mission of Thailand in Canberra marking the tenth anniversary of the enforced disappearance of Thai human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit. File photograph of Thai human rights lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit The 23 scholars said they lamented that nobody […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission is pleased to announce the release of the 12th episode of the Human Rights Asia Weekly Roundup. We start this episode with a special AHRC report on the sham Bangladesh national elections which were boycotted by the main opposition party. The elections were marred by violence and the lack of legitimacy […]

In his message for the world peace day, the Secretary-General of the United Nations said: “On this International Day of Peace, let us pledge to teach our children the value of tolerance and mutual respect. Let us invest in schools and teachers that will build a fair and inclusive world that embraces diversity. Let us […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received disturbing information. It has come from the Citizens Concern for Dams and Development, Committee on the Protection of Natural Resources in Manipur, North East Dialogue Forum and the Centre for Research and Advocacy. It has to do with threats to the life and person of […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) congratulates India and the people of this great nation, on its 67th Independence Day. The AHRC, however, is concerned to learn that, on 12 August 2013, the Ministry of Personal, Public Grievances, and Pension, on behalf of the Government of India, has introduced a Bill in the lower house […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Badwani, Madhya Pradesh state regarding the continuing witch-hunt against human rights defender Ms. Madhuri Krishnaswamy of the Jagrut Adivasi Dalit Sangathan (JADS). Having braved an externment notice, followed by attacks from the locally elected Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) and then a vilification […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received very disturbing information regarding the assault on five women human rights defenders working with Sahjani Shiksha Kendra (SSK) in Lalitpur, Uttar Pradesh. The women, belonging to the Dalit and backward communities, were physically and verbally assaulted while inaugurating an adult literacy centre for Dalit women. […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is providing an update on the situation of the local Indigenous people of Loktak Lake and the abuses perpetrated by the Loktak Development Authority in accord with the ineffective and outdated Manipur Loktak Lake Protection Act of 2006. UPDATED INFORMATION: Since 2010, The Loktak Development Authority (LDA) […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received disturbing information from Samaj Chetna Adhikar Manch, Rewa, Madhya Pradesh regarding local goons threatening to kill its activists. The organisation, working in Java block of the district, has been in the forefront of the struggle against malnutrition and the widespread corruption in welfare schemes that […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Centre for Research and Advocacy, Manipur regarding continued eviction of floating hut dwellers and destruction of their floating huts at Loktak Lake by the Loktak Development Authority (LDA) of the Government of Manipur and Manipur Police on 23 February 2013. Worryingly, the assault […]

At the Bar Association election this year, Mr. Upul Jayasooriya was elected with an overwhelming majority. He won by a margin of over 1,471 votes while the persons who came in second and third received 330 and 77 votes. It was well known that one of the candidates was openly promoted by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from North East Support Centre and Helpline that a 17-year-old girl belonging to the scheduled caste was abducted, drugged and raped in Manipur. We have also learnt that, though a police First Information Report is registered in the case, there has been no further […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received very disturbing information from Barwani, Madhya Pradesh regarding the administration’s continuing witch hunt against human rights defender Ms Madhuri Krishnaswami of the Jagrat Dalit Adivasi Sangthan. In the most recent attack, the District Magistrate has written a letter to the Divisional Commissioner that found its […]

On December 19, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) was reported to have concluded after over two years of investigation that the killing of botanist Leonard Co and his two assistants in Leyte in November 2010 “was due to the military’s failure to distinguish civilians from combatants.” The CHR has submitted its report to the Department of […]

Comments on the views of Rajpal Abeynayake and Nath Amarakoon on judicial review Basil Fernando The SLBC programme inappropriately entitled “People’s Power” is continuing with its misinformation campaign against basic principles of constitutionalism. On the programme that aired on the 13th of December, there were amusing misinterpretations of the constitutional history of the United States, […]

We call upon the people, in particular the judges and lawyers, to grasp the historic significance of this moment It is news now that the Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake and her legal team, led by Romesh De Silva PC, walked away from the Parliamentary Select Committee proceedings, expressing no confidence in the manner in which […]

Basil Fernando The Chief Justice (CJ) has refuted all allegations made against her contained in the much publicized impeachment motion filed in parliament. (File Photo of the Chief Justice, Mrs. Shirani Bandaranayake) The CJ’s legal representatives have said in a letter “In the circumstances, in summary: (a) Our Client has declared all her operative bank […]