AHRC News

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BURMA: Violent crime by state officers causing lawlessness

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is writing to you with regards to many serious allegations of brutal and oftentimes murderous violent crimes by state officers in Myanmar, which it understands...

BURMA: Bloody killings expose myth of “state stability”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 11, 2006 AS-165-2006 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission BURMA: Bloody killings expose myth of “state stability” In recent weeks and months there ha...

SRI LANKA: Torture, worse than absurd

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  AS-164-2006 July 10, 2006  A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) SRI LANKA – Torture, worse than absurd – (this is the beginning of a series of statements...

THAILAND: Attempt to abduct human rights commissioner should be of grave concern for diplomatic community

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is writing to you further to open letters to the chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of Thailand, Lawyers Council of Thailand and Perman...

SRI LANKA:The case of Chamila Bandara, HC Kandy 231 of 2005 — The matter of the serving of the indictment on the accused

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 7, 2006 AHRC-OL-028-2006 An open letter to the Inter Ministerial Committee on Human Rights The Inter Ministerial Committee on Human Rights Thro- Hon. Mahinda Samarasinghe Mi...

INDIA: Plea bargaining and the ghost of Malimath

The Criminal Procedure Code of India has been amended to include a provision for plea bargaining with effect from 7 June 2006. The new chapter in the statute, Chapter XXI A, allows plea bargaining to ...

THAILAND: Attempt to abduct human rights commissioner and Thailand’s role in the UN Human Rights Council

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is writing to you further to open letters to the chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and Lawyers Council of Thailand regarding the appar...

SRI LANKA: Reminder of the murder trial of Gerald Perera at the Gampaha High Court on July 21, 2006

The HRCSL under the leadership of the earlier commissioners decided to send a legal representative from the HRCSL to attend the trials relating to the torture and murder of the victim, Gerald Perera w...

PHILIPPINES: Police chief must aim to identify, arrest and prosecute killers of human rights defenders

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to congratulate you on your appointment as the new chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) on 5 July 2006. On the occasion of your appointment, th...

CAMBODIA: Systematic government attacks on the poor

Throughout June, the authorities in Cambodia systematically used large numbers of police to attack the poor. Five cases included assaults on legally-demonstrating workers and evictions of large number...

PHILIPPINES: Torture is foremost about the state

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that its poster issued on the occasion of the June 26 International Day in Support of Victims of Torture in the Philippines has been altered by som...

SRI LANKA: Invitation to attend the murder trial of Gerald Perera at the Gampaha High Court on July 21, 2006

I am sure you are aware of the murder trial of Gerald Perera, a torture victim who was assassinated while waiting to give evidence in a trial against several police officers from the Wattala Police St...

THAILAND: Lawyers Council must act firmly on alleged attempted abduction of NHRC member

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is writing to you further to our open letter to the chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of Thailand of July 4 because we are deeply conc...

SRI LANKA: The Supreme Court increasingly under executive control has extended its attack to civil society organisations

The bench of three judges of the Supreme Court made an order on June 30, 2006 directing the Attorney General to consider whether action is warranted against two citizens who filed a fundamental rights...

PAKISTAN: Unconstitutional & illegal Finance Bill opens the door for slave labour

On June 21 the National Assembly passed the annual Finance Bill, with effect from July 1. Or did it? And what was it that was passed anyway?  By law, the Finance Bill is passed to establish the annua...

THAILAND: NHRC must resolutely defend its members or risk their lives and its mandate

The Asian Human Rights Commission is writing to you to express its persistent concern over the alleged attempted abduction on 28 June 2006 of Vasant Panich, a member of your National Human Rights Comm...

SRI LANKA: Close collaboration between the accused and the three police witnesses

Gerald Perera was fatally shot on November 21 2004 while waiting to give evidence before the Negombo High Court against several police officers who had been accused of causing serious injuries to him ...

PAKISTAN: Alleged theft of Norwegian money for human rights victims must be investigated

In recent days there have been reports that the Minister of Law, Justice and Human Rights in Pakistan has embezzled large amounts of Norwegian money that was allocated for human rights victims. Accord...

THAILAND: Suspected plan to abduct NHRC member demands immediate response

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is shocked at the news of the suspected attempt to abduct Vasant Panich, the chairperson of the Subcommittee on Legislation and Administration of Justice of th...

SRI LANKA: Protesting your recognition of new commissioners of Human Rights Commission

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is writing to protest the list of new members appointed to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, posted on your website. Your recognition of the new commis...