South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR), a regional network of human rights defenders, express concern on the decision of the Indian Government to call off Foreign Secretary Level talks with Pakistan which were scheduled to be held on August…
Published in opendemocracy.net on Aug. 05 :: By V. Nagaraj :: Earlier this year, the UK Government tried to replace its use of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) with Injunctions to Prevent Nuisance and Annoyance (IPNAs). This would involve allowing the…
South Asians for Human Rights successfully conducted the election of Bureau Members through an online election based on a voting platform. This platform was custom built for SAHR and included comprehensive security measures to ensure the security and reliability of the election.…
Published in MediaForFreedom.com on 19th July :: 14 July 2014 – Human trafficking has no place in the modern world, the President of the General Assembly declared today at a special event at United Nations Headquarters ahead of the…
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.
“In Custody: Law, Impunity and Prisoner Abuse in South Asia” published by South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR) and SAGE Publications, India can now be purchased online at http://goo.gl/NHO5Iz “In Custody examines the professed and actual commitment to custodial justice…
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.
ANANTA RAJ LUITEL 18 March 2014 His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of Sri Lanka, Presidential Secretariat, Colombo 1 SAHR Condemns the arrest of Mr. Ruki Fernando and other human rights defenders in an open letter to the President of…