Right to life

ASIA: AHRC TV- Human Rights Asia Weekly Round up Episode 14

The AHRC releases today the 14th Episode, of the Human Rights Asia Weekly Round up  with special reports from India and Hong Kong. In this week’s programme we bring you a special report from India, on how humiliation and hunger continues in refugee camps in the Uttar Pradesh. Four months after the unprecedented riots that […]

BURMA/MYANMAR: Police, soldiers still getting away with murder

Despite the political and social changes in Burma (Myanmar) of the last two years, police and soldiers continue to enjoy impunity for the murder and torture of civilians. Despite the constant efforts of the families of victims to obtain justice, the military and police institutions are resistant to efforts to have perpetrators in their ranks […]

INDIA: Government overlooked people’s concerns on Mapithal Dam constructions

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Mapithel Dam Affected Villagers Organization (MDAVO), Citizens Concern for Dams and Development (CCDD) and Centre for Research and Advocacy (CRAM), Manipur regarding the final stage II Forest Clearance for Mapithel Dam of Thoubal Multipurpose project in Manipur by the Ministry of Environment […]

PAKISTAN: The Prime Minister must intervene for the release of a British/Pakistan national who was arrested on charges of Blasphemy

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a British doctor is languishing in a Pakistani prison accused of “posing as a Muslim” after being videoed reading aloud from the Quran. The 72-year-old medical practitioner was arrested on charges of blasphemy (believed to be fake), for reciting Quran Sharif, the holy […]

INDIA: Women attacked with acid, police buying time for investigation

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Women in Governance ( WinG-Assam), a network of women activists in Assam, India, regarding the acid attack on two young girls aged 18 and 12 years on 6 November 2013 at around 10-30 P.M. at Kamar Gaon village under Siphajhar police station of […]

ASIA: AHRC TV – Human Rights Asia Weekly Roundup, Episode 13

The Asian Human Rights Commission has now released of the 13th episode of the Human Rights Asia Weekly Roundup. We start this episode with an extensive report from Assam, India. A government crackdown over the last few years labeled thousands of people living in Assam as “foreigners”, in a seemingly random fashion. Many have lost their […]

PAKISTAN: The AHRC salutes a 16 year old boy who sacrificed life to save 2000 students

The AHRC also pays tribute to a police officer SSP Choudhry Aslam who was killed in a suicide attack by Taliban A 16 year old boy has saved the lives of 2000 fellow students and school staff by sacrificing himself by stopping a suicide bomber who came to blow the school and kill all the […]

THAILAND: The Failure of Justice for Somchai Neelaphaijit

In late December, just days after the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) claimed that the file for the case of the disappearance of Somchai Neelaphaijit had been lost, Niran Adulayasak, Director of the DSI Special Criminal Case Office 1 announced in a news report on Thai PBS that the file had been found (see AHRC-STM-242-2013 for analysis […]

INDIA: Paramilitary Still Squats in Chhattisgarh Schools

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from CGNet Swara, an organization promoting community journalism in India, regarding the continuing occupation and use of educational institutions in Chhattisgarh by the Indian paramilitary. AHRC has learnt that two companies of the Border Security Force (BSF), deployed at remote Kodapakha village of Kanker district, about […]

BANGLADESH: Authoritarian obstinacy wins, democracy loses

The Bangladesh Government and Election Commission have jointly staged their tragicomic ‘general election’ on January 5, 2014. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) reflected pre-election realities and portended election day and post-election horrors in itslast statement. January 5 fulfilled its promise of violence, rigging, and farce; now it remains to be seen how low Bangladesh […]

AHRC TV – Human Rights Asia Weekly Roundup, Episode 12

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 […]

INDIA: Innocent children forced to live in prison with convicts

Statement | India | 07-01-2014

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the National NGO Child Rights Coalition and local journalists about children housed in prison in Kokrajhar, Assam. The AHRC is concerned, as such an arrangement is denying children their basic rights. The children are being housed in prison not for any delinquency on their part […]

SRI LANKA: AHRC calls on the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission to intervene in the death of a suspect in police custody!

Justice Priyantha R. P. Perera Chairman, Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka No 165 Kynsey Road, Borella Colombo 08 Sri Lanka   FAX; +94 11 2 694924 / +94 112 696470/ +94 112 689558 Dear Justice Priyantha Perera, SRI LANKA: A request to the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission to immediately call for a report from the Inspector General […]

ASIA/SRI LANKA: AHRC expresses concern regarding the safety of the common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena

Statement | Asia | 05-01-2014

The Asian Human Rights Commission expresses concern regarding the safety of the common candidate of the opposition Maithripala Sirisena, who has faced several attacks during the past several days. He has himself alerted the public to the threat to his life in a statement he made yesterday (4th January 2015). We urge the Government and the […]

BANGLADESH: Fake election will cause further bloodshed

Bangladesh’s incumbent regime is forcing the nation to witness a fake ‘general election’, scheduled tomorrow, 5 January 2014. All the opposition parties, except the allies of the ruling regime, have boycotted this election. The government is accused of extreme politicisation of the country’s civil administration, along with the police, paramilitary agencies, and all key institutions, […]

BURMA/MYANMAR: Amnesty does not free all political detainees

The Asian Human Rights Commission welcomes Order No. 51/2013 of 30 December 2013 by the president of Burma (Myanmar), issuing a general amnesty for all persons imprisoned or facing trial or investigation for certain categories of political offences. The categories include persons accused or convicted of offences under the colonial-era Unlawful Associations Act, for charges […]

ASIA: Conversations with a chameleon (katussa) – some thoughts for 2014

As I wanted to discuss many things, and as I found no one else to discuss these things with, I was happy to see you on a branch of a tree in our garden. I told myself, “Ah, here is someone I can talk to.” As I approached and greeted you, you nodded to me […]

SRI LANKA: Badurueliya Hospital to be reopened after weeklong shutdown

In the early morning of December 27, the authorities addressed a large crowd of people protesting outside Badureliya District Hospital. They had come to support a Member of Parliament who was staging a hunger strike demanding the reopening of the hospital. The authorities announced to the crowd that the hospital would be reopened the next […]

SAUDI ARABIA: Ahmadis persecuted in the Kingdom

The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes to forward this statement regarding persons who chose to join the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam and the treatment they received thereafter. It is extremely perturbing that we have to bring to the notice of the world’s community the plight of two innocent, loyal citizens of Saudi Arabia who had […]

SINGAPORE: Handling of riot aftermath exposes national laws and practices that violate international standards

Dear friends,  We wish to share with you the following statement from the Think Centre, an independent non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Singapore. First registered as a business (RCB) on 16 Jul 1999 and today as a society (under ROS) on 20 Oct 2001, the Centre aims to critically examine issues related to political development, democracy, […]