Legislation

By Basil Fernando The discussion on the making of a new constitution through an intensely participatory process, as against underhand methods, is now on. These are a few thoughts as a response to some questions that are being discussed. In dealing with the problem of the 1978 Constitution, we are in fact confronted with the […]

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the occasion of the 73rd International Human Rights Day Nepal underwent its third cycle of the UN Human Rights Council’s Periodic Review (UPR) in Geneva in January 2021. Nepal has ratified over 24 various human rights conventions and declarations but has been weak in its implementation. […]

An article from Daily Financial Times forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission The constitution can be considered as the supreme law that determines the rights of citizens to life liberty and property and also the most sacred legal document which establishes the structure and the functions of state rule. With the transfer of the […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes to share with you the following video The making of the new constitution is now been discussed. In this lecture the way constitutions are developed in modern times is explained to a group of university students. Kindly see the link

Bangladesh’s incumbent Government is about to adopt a new law titled “Personal Data Protection Bill” (PDP Bill). Citing the excuse of protecting the right to protection of citizens’ personal data the Bangladesh Government copied the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) of 2016. They revised it, fitting to the conveniences of an authoritarian rule. It has drastically […]

Professor G.L. Peiris has announced that the drafting process of the Constitution is over and that the text is ready. He said that it was to be presented to the Parliament in January next year. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in a televised speech, referred to the Constitution being drafted within the course of next year. This […]

By Basil Fernando The proposed Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill to amend the Code of Criminal Procedure Act No. 15 of 1979 will open up a Pandora’s box of serious abuses. In essence what the Bill proposes is to allow Magistrates to dispense with the personal attendance in court of a suspect or accused. […]

A Written Statement to the 48th Regular Session of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource Centre The Asian Legal Resource Center (ALRC) wishes to draw the attention of the UN Human Rights Council to the problem of amendment of Law on Special Autonomy for Papua. The House of Representatives of […]

Arundhati Roy, prominent writer and social activist in India has written several important articles in the recent few days on the problem of the spread of Covid-19 and the vast numbers of deaths that are taking place in India. In an article written just a few days back, Roy directly addresses the Prime Minister of […]

The Bangladesh Government continues using dis-proportionate lethal force and brutal crackdowns on dissidents. The authorities have been using the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the excuses for denying the rights of liberties and livelihoods to the people. The Bangladesh Government, in its signature style, chose to crackdown on protesters for staging two peaceful protests. They were aimed […]

A Statement from ANFREL forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Download the Full Statement Here The protests continued for the 12th week across the country despite the brutal crackdown. After a weeks- long absence, protesters returned to the streets in downtown Yangon ahead of the ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting. The media also reported that more than […]

भारत में एक नया जिन्न पैदा हुआ है- जनता की असुविधा का. कहीं कोई अपने हक़ के लिए सड़क पर उतरे तो ये जिन्न उसके सामने खड़ा कर दो. कभी कभी तो बंदूक वगैरह के साथ, गोली तक चलवा के. पर सबसे पहले पूछते हैं कि ये जनता क्या है? कौन है? किसान भी जनता […]

Democracies across the world are defined by the virtue of the right to protest. Yet, in India, that fancies itself as the largest democracy of the world, the governments are seen to be chipping off that very right by raising the bogey of public inconvenience. They have mobilised people, mostly their party members, to even […]

Download the full  English Version here Download the full  Tamil Translation here On the occasion of seventy-three years of independence, the Asian Human Rights Commission has published an online book entitled “Wasted Years – Short Essays on the 1978 Constitution”. This online publication is a collection of many essays that were previously circulated in several publications. They covered a […]

(Hong Kong, February 1, 2021) The community of civil society in Nepal expresses grave concern over the seizing of power by Myanmar’s military on 1 February, in a coup in the aftermath of the democratic elections held in November 2020. The army has claimed that the response was a result of the “election fraud” which […]

The Bangladesh Government continues its repressive campaigns of curtailing civic space in the country’s ever-deteriorating human rights situation. The Authorities have been using the COVID-19 pandemic as an additional excuse for encroaching on the freedoms of assembly, expression, including the freedom of the press. Bangladesh’s Law-Enforcement Agencies kept playing their predatory role in detaining the […]

The Minster of Justice  Room No.32 {Block 02} BMICH,  Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 07 expertscommpublic@yahoo.com A submission on the making of a new constitution 1.This submission is made on the assumption that the attempt to make a new constitution is an act done in good faith, motivated solely by the attempt to address what has gone […]

A Joint Statement on International Human Rights Day, 2020 The international community should take a strong stand for the protection of human rights in Bangladesh, seven human rights groups said on International Human Rights Day. As Bangladeshis grapple with the impact of Covid-19, the ruling Awami League has used the pandemic to tighten the screws on critics and the […]

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the occasion of Human Rights Day In commemorating International Human Rights Day, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), a regional human rights organization, wishes to convey a strong message to Indonesia concerning pre-trial detention, unfair trial, and torture. The AHRC notes that pre-trial detention under the […]

By Basil Fernando Why is there a need for a constitutional change? Is it to make the already bad situation worse? Or is it to undo, the state of disorder brought about by the 1978 constitution. Judging by the passing of the 20th Amendment to the constitution, it is clear that the proposed constitution is […]