Right to food

INDONESIA: Shrinking of public space on expression, association and peaceful assembly

PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY  Discussion at Yogyakarta State University Critics against the Regime Forcibly Dispersed by the Rector          Discussion and gathering that was planned by the students of Yogyakarta State University (UNY) and other academics, such as lecturers and professors, were forcibly dispersed by the Rector due to the committee of the discussion did not have permission from the rector. Previously, […]

SRI LANKA: Cannot even give an egg for my children – The Voices of the Hungry

A video presentation produced by Rule of Law Forum published by the Asian Human Rights Commission The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes to share with you the following video produced by Rule of Law Forum We reproduce below a video titled “BATTLE FEILD OF HUNGER“ Directed and Produced by Centre for Society and Religion (CSR) and Rule […]

SRI LANKA: Malnutrition and Starvation- Next Stage of the Crisis

By Basil Fernando As people began to learn about the terrible consequences of the dollar crisis, there also emerged a political slogan that seemed to suit the occasion. “Gota Go Home” became the slogan and in no time it became the rallying cry from almost everyone throughout the country. There appeared at the time there […]

SRI LANKA: Journalists and Protesters Face Arrests, Assaults, and Interrogations as Government Fails to Tackle Economic Crisis

The crisis of major magnitude is taking place in Sri Lanka. The world has not yet taken adequate notice of the impact of an economic downturn as a result of the inability of the government to pay the foreign loans as a result of which it is suffering from the worst financial crisis ever faced […]

SRI LANKA: Second-highest in child malnutrition in South Asia, says UNICEF

A Statement from News 1st forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission COLOMBO (News 1st); The Spokesperson for UNICEF Sri Lanka, Bismarck Swangin states that Sri Lanka’s economic crisis is a children’s crisis, with 1.7 children in the country having to bear the brunt of the crisis. Speaking to ABC Australia, the UNICEF representative said […]

SRI LANKA: Community Kitchen – A new initiative to draw attention to the growing food crisis

The Asian Human Rights Commission congratulates the initiative of the “Community Kitchen”, which is being promoted by a number of groups and persons as a response to the growing malnutrition and food crisis in Sri Lanka. This food crisis is the direct result of the collapse of the economy due to the inability of the […]

SRI LANKA: People’s Uprising for System Change

By Basil Fernando April and May 2022 will be remembered as the most important months in the post-independence era. During this short period the much hoped for people’s awakening expressed itself powerfully. People who wielded authority failed to see the writing on the wall although the wall was just next to the Presidential Secretariat and […]

SRI LANKA: The changing meanings of system change

By Basil Fernando One of the most popular phrases that is being talked about in Sri Lanka is the need for a system change. Often in media interviews, various people are asked about what they mean by a system change. Varying answers are given by persons depending on their ideologies, perspectives and above all, on […]

SRI LANKA: The absence of the will to do justice

By Basil Fernando Within a few days after the Rambukkana Police shooting, a large body of information has become available to the public about this incident. The attempt by the Government and also a section of the Police to give their own version about the incident has revealed a very routine pattern that exists in […]

SRI LANKA: Can Sri Lanka rise from its constitutional limbo?

Can Sri Lanka rise from its constitutional limbo? When Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe accepted to take over as the Head of the Central Bank, in one of his early statements, he said that he would be able to do the expected job if there is no interference from outside. The demand for non-interference is today one […]

SRI LANKA: Asian Human Rights Commission writes to the UN Secretary-General about the situation in Sri Lanka

A Letter from the Asian Human Rights Commission to the UN Secretary-General about the situation in Sri Lanka Download the PDF Version of the Letter Mr. António Guterres Secretary General of the United Nations Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General United Nations, S-233 New York NY 10017 USA A letter to inform about the […]

SRI LANKA: A Man Borrows Two Papayas To Feed His Starving Children

By Basil Fernando A man of about 50 years, walks to a vegetable shop in Savithripura, Anuradhapura, and in front of a few others who also have come to buy some vegetables, he asked the small shop owner whether he could borrow two raw papaya fruits from the shop owner’s garden, in order to feed […]

NEPAL: THE STATE IS FAILING ITS CITIZENS

Statement | Nepal | 10-12-2021

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. […]

SRI LANKA: If I was the Minister of Finance

An article from Chandra Jayaratne forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission By Chandra Jayaratne If I was the Minister of Finance, I will seek the concurrence of the President, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet Colleague to structure the 2022 National budget on the undernoted Core Change Management Principles , Key Action Strategies and […]

BANGLADESH: Jibon or Jibika: The struggle for life and livelihood amid pandemic

An article from ubinig.org forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Introduction Conventional narratives, mostly nationalist, statist and GDP centered neo-liberal statistical accounts of development, outright miss or intentionally exclude certain salient facts about the stylized story of Bangladesh development. Bangladesh has been born through a bloody liberation struggle, but nationalist narrative exclude the fact that it […]

SRI LANKA: Sri Lanka’s rapidly shrinking public space

by Basil Fernando The freedom of association In the past few months, the Sri Lankan Government intensified its pressure against associations who are contributing to defend the rights of people against a series of serious attacks by the Government. Government attacks centre round the passing of several laws that affect the right to education, the […]

SRI LANKA: The Emergency Powers Of The President & The Situation Of Women

By Basil Fernando While Sri Lanka is faced with many crises, the President has acquired the powers to act under the National Security Law by taking emergency powers into his hands. Will that contribute to Sri Lanka’s ever deepening crises or will the situation aggravate, as all power is taken away from everyone else except […]

INDIA: Annual Mystery fever returns to kill dozens, where are the authorities?

Statement | India | 06-09-2021

Mystery fevers are no strangers to many states in India. They keep returning, almost annually, leaving a death toll behind. They make news with their onset, media follows the trails, deaths subside and then the trails go cold. Other than this almost orchestrated performance of all the stakeholders barring victims and their families, the only […]

NEPAL: Covid-19 and governance, the collapse of a conscience

Statement | Nepal | 14-05-2021

Nepal on 13 May 2021 reported 8,842 new Coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the nationwide infection tally to 431,191. Nepal on 12 May reported 9,238 new cases and 168 Covid-19 related fatalities. Similarly, 9,317 new cases and 225 Covid-19 related deaths were recorded on 11 May and 9,127 new cases and 139 […]

BURMA/MYANMAR: Myanmar Situation Update (3 to 9 May 2021)

A Statement from ANFREL forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Download the Full Statement Here The pro-democracy protests continued across the country in different townships despite the continuing lethal attacks by the junta forces and arrets of protests and the youth. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) figures showed that as of 9 May, […]