Author page: SAHR

SAHR Vehemently Condemns the Assassination of Mr. Rashid Rehman Khan

South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR), a network of human rights defenders based in seven countries in South Asia, vehemently condemn the assassination of Mr. Rashid Rehman Khan, a prominent human rights defender and Supreme Court Advocate of Pakistan.

Mr. Khan was gunned down on 7 May 2014 in his office in Multan by two unidentified men, whilst also injuring two others. Mr. Khan, a coordinator of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), was representing Junaid Hafeez, who is accused of blasphemy, and had received death threats which was reported to the relevant authorities. The HRCP also expressed serious concern over the threats to his life in a letter to the Punjab Government in April. It is reported that no action was taken for these threats.

SAHR regrets that the current environment in Pakistan is least conducive to the protection of rights and fundamental freedoms. This assassination comes months after two prominent lawyers, Mr. Malik Jarrar and Mr. Mian Muhammad Tariq were shot dead in February 2013. Such assassinations of prominent human rights defenders further highlights the level of impunity in Pakistan and the failure of the government to uphold the rule of law in the country. Further, the unchecked growth of religious militancy has also affected the work of non governmental organisations, civil society and human rights defenders. The level of impunity enjoyed by religious militancy for targeting human rights defenders, legislators, intellectuals and journalists is even a greater cause for concern.

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SAHR Mourns the Death of Mrs. Sithie Tiruchelvam

SAHR Mourns the Death of Mrs. Sithie Tiruchelvam

24 March 2014

South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR) mourns the death of Mrs. Sithie Tiruchelvam, human rights activist, Attorney-at-Law and former Bureau Member of SAHR, who passed away on 22 March 2014. She is also a founder member of the Foundations for Peace (FfP) network – a worldwide network of community foundations working on peace and reconciliation within communities and has also contributed to the work of the Nadesan Centre for Human Rights. She was also the founder of Neelan Tiruchelvam Trust (NTT) which she formed upon the death of her husband Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam.

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Remembering Sithie Tiruchelvam

by Ambika Satkunanathan

Writing a tribute to Sithie Tiruchelvam is not an easy task. Sithie was an intensely private person who was averse to public, over-the-top displays of emotion and sentimentality. I am aware that a piece that says little about her private persona could sound impersonal, even clinical. I have therefore attempted to pay fitting tribute, not only to her public achievements but also elements of her personality that are remembered and missed, in a manner that respects the privacy she cherished.

The ‘wife of Neelan Tiruchelvam’ is a phrase that has been frequently used to describe Sithie since she passed away on 22 March 2014. However, to those who knew Sithie she was never merely ‘the wife’. Sithie was a spirited, strong woman who did not mince words and was not afraid to speak her mind. Sithie showed great affection and generosity towards those she cared about and has supported and encouraged young people in numerous ways, most importantly by introducing them to those who would be able to inspire and mentor them. Making connections between people with varying interests and from different generations and disciplines, sometimes thinking of common areas of possible collaboration one would never have imagined, was something that came naturally to her. Sithie was one of the first people most of us thought of and turned to when we required legal advice, and we gravitated towards her during times of crisis as her common sense and unflappable nature gave comfort and instilled confidence. The intractable nature of a problem never deterred Sithie from providing assistance or advice when called upon, which was demonstrated by the unwavering and vital support she provided during very trying times to the institutions Neelan founded.

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Joint Civil Society Memorandum to Commonwealth Heads of States

7th November 2013 – Colombo, New Town Hall

We the undersigned civil society organizations who made joint submissions to the Universal Periodic Review on Sri Lanka in the UN Human Rights Council in November 2012, will not be participating in the November 2013 Peoples’ Forum at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be held in Sri Lanka. We are firmly of the opinion that the November 2013 CHOGM should not be held in Sri Lanka and that the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) should not hold the chair of the Commonwealth for the next two years, as per precedent.
Our position is based on a number of factors which together demonstrate that the GOSL is in violation of a host of international covenants and instruments on human rights to which it is a signatory including the Commonwealth Charter and the preceding declarations of the Commonwealth on which the Charter is based.
We firmly believe that allowing the GOSL to host the November summit and hold the chair of the organization for the next two years is an egregious affront to Commonwealth values and principles and to the numbers of our fellow citizens who are victims of the culture of impunity in our country in respect of serious human rights violations, the near collapse of the Rule of Law, institutionalised militarization, growing religious intolerance, the shrinking of the space for civil society and widespread corruption.

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