FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ALRC-STM-001-2011 January 4, 2011 A Statement by the Asian Legal Resource Centre INDIA: Judicial transparency is not an act of charity The Indian judiciary is once again in the news and this time too it is for appalling reasons. The national and regional media have been reporting in the past two weeks regarding the disproportionate wealth between the declared and known incomes, of some of the close relatives of the former Chief Justice of India, Justice K. G. Balakrishnan. The reports allege that this wealth was amassed in the past four years, during which Justice Balakrishnan served as the Chief Justice of the country. The fact that […]
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BURMA/MYANMAR: Dossier of torture cases submitted to U.N. experts
BURMA/MYANMAR: Dossier of torture cases submitted to U.N. experts FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRESS RELEASE ALRC-PRL-009-2010 A Press Release by the Asian Legal Resource Centre BURMA/MYANMAR: Dossier of torture cases submitted to U.N. experts (Hong Kong, August 27, 2010) The Asian Legal Resource Centre on Wednesday submitted a special dossier to a group of United Nations human rights experts on recent cases of extreme, prolonged torture by police officers in Burma. The 66-page dossier, entitled “Recent complaints of extreme torture and arbitrary detention in Myanmar (Burma)”, details the cases of Phyo Wai Aung, Nyi Nyi Htun and Than Myint Aung at the hands of special units attached to the Rangoon Divisional […]
INDIA: Is Justice Balakrishnan holding a devil’s brief?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 30, 2010 ALRC-STM-004-2010 A Statement by the Asian Legal Resource Centre INDIA: Is Justice Balakrishnan holding a devil’s brief? The opinion expressed by Justice K. G. Balakrishnan on encounter killings – a euphemism for extrajudicial executions in India – that ‘encounter killings’ are sometimes unavoidable is condemnable. That the former Chief Justice of India, now heads the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), paints a depressing picture for the victims of extrajudicial executions since the Chairperson has spoken his mind. Addressing the press earlier this week, Justice Balakrishnan said that “… encounters are unavoidable sometimes … the law and order problem is increasing. Criminals are taking law into […]
INDIA: Ignorance and pretence underscored in the new law
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ALRC-STM-003-2010 July 28, 2010 A Statement by the Asian Legal Resource Centre INDIA: Ignorance and pretence underscored in the new law Over the past two years, India has been attempting to address problems adversely affecting its law enforcement agencies. These efforts, all of them initiated by the government, unfortunately are not capable of tackling the central issue concerning law enforcement — the question of torture. Use of torture is endemic in India. The police consider torture as an effective and thus essential tool for crime investigation and to maintain control over the people. The appreciation for torture among the rank and file of the law enforcement officers […]
INDIA: AFSPA promotes armed insurgency in Manipur
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 26, 2010 ALRC-STM-002-2010 A Statement by the Asian Legal Resource Centre INDIA: AFSPA promotes armed insurgency in Manipur On 5 November 2010, Ms. Irom Chanu Sharmila, a Manipuri poet and human rights defender, will complete ten years of her indefinite hunger strike in Imphal, Manipur state. Sharmila started her fast on 5 November 2000, three days after the Malom massacre in Manipur. On that day, the Assam Rifles, a paramilitary unit stationed in the state, killed 10 civilians including women and children in an inhuman and vengeful act of retaliation, responding to an earlier ambush staged by the armed insurgents against the Assam Rifles. A decade since the […]
INDIA: Conscientious review required on the draft law against torture
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 21, 2010 ALRC-STM-001-2010 A Statement by the Asian Legal Resource Centre INDIA: Conscientious review required on the draft law against torture The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) and the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) welcomes the passing of the Prevention of Torture Bill 2010 by the Lok Sabha. The Bill to become a law will require it to be passed by the Rajya Sabha, before it is send to the President of India for assent. The ALRC is of the opinion that widespread practice of torture is the central deficit of India’s democracy. The AHRC’s review of the Bill is entitled Public debates required for a […]