South Asians for Human Rights

12/05/2026

The Supreme Court this week ordered the Peradeniya University to implement mandatory harassment training—including annual seminars for all academics, staff and students—and to take “appropriate measures” to enforce and raise awareness of its Policy on Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment and Sexual Violence.

The Court was ruling on a fundamental rights petition filed by a female academic, following allegations of sexual harassment and emotional abuse by the first respondent, a Senior Professor of Oral Pathology, Faculty of Dentistry. Justice Janak de Silva, with Justices Achala Wengappuli and K. Priyantha Fernando agreeing, issued a directive prohibiting the professor from holding future academic positions.



https://www.sundaytimes.lk/260510/news/sc-orders-pera-uni-to-hold-mandatory-harassment-training-after-senior-professor-found-guilty-of-sexual-abuse-641543.html?fbclid=IwdGRjcARvpdNjbGNrBG-lnmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHhd-Awnq9ZJE4JjXafKUShs4InfU6L9LJgozVrko7OkiskJ4ulUt_9eCiwFY_aem_tBdmGAzmGoqCI8wkeflEaQ

By Namini Wijedasa The Supreme Court this week ordered the Peradeniya University to implement mandatory harassment training—including annual seminars for all academics, staff and students—and to take “appropriate measures” to enforce and raise awareness of its Policy on Sexual and Gender-Bas...

12/05/2026

“The Supreme Court’s 2025 decision has fundamentally undermined the right to a fair trial and the right to liberty in Pakistan. Such courts flout virtually every protection guaranteed under international human rights law.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/05/pakistan-authorities-must-end-ongoing-injustice-of-civilian-trials-by-military-courts/

On the first anniversary of the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s ruling that trials of civilians by military courts are constitutional, Isabelle Lassee, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for South Asia, said: “The Supreme Court’s 2025 decision has fundamentally undermined the right...

12/05/2026

On World Press Freedom Day, an RSF survey shows the situation for journalists in the country is getting worse
https://nepalitimes.com/nepals-media-freedom-ranking-in-jeopardy

On World Press Freedom Day, an RSF survey shows the situation for journalists in the country is getting worse

12/05/2026

When a new government assumed power following a landslide victory in a free and fair election after the 2024 July uprising, there was a flicker of hope that journalists’ safety would finally be ensured in Bangladesh. However, a recent report by the Human Rights Support Society (HRSS), noting that at least 75 journalists were harassed across the country just last month, dashes that hope.
https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/editorial/news/press-freedom-should-not-be-elusive-4169386

Amend laws, train police appropriately to stop journalist harassment

12/05/2026

Every time news of a Bangladeshi migrant killed in the Russia-Ukraine war reaches home, it not only devastates a family but also resurfaces the question of why our migrants are being used as pawns in foreign wars. The easy answer is human trafficking; the difficult truth is that our government, past and present, has failed to prevent this trade in human lives lost on the frontlines in distant countries.
https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/editorial/news/stop-trafficking-youths-war-4172271

Govt must clarify what it did to stop recruitment in Russia-Ukraine war.

12/05/2026

A rules-based order has ironically been eroded by those who framed those rules themselves. The increasing use of hard power and resort to force by powerful countries to bend other states to their will has become a dominant global trend. Such actions have defied international law, further fragmenting a fraying global order and undermining systems of international cooperation and global governance, including the UN. The UN’s standing has also been diminished in recent years by the cavalier attitude of the US, which has abandoned key UN bodies during Trump’s administration.

The world body has failed in its core task but needs to be strengthened to address global challenges.

08/05/2026

The petition alleged that approximately 1,500 acres of forest in the vicinity of the Nakolagane Purana Rajamaha Viharaya were being illegally cleared by the Viharadhipathi of the temple.

The petitioners further alleged that the Chief Incumbent claimed approximately 4,500 acres of land as having been granted to the temple under a Sannasa, and asserted that he was therefore entitled to possess and use the land at his discretion.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court declared that the omissions of the Director General of Wildlife Conservation, the Central Environmental Authority, the Commissioner of Buddhist Affairs and the North Western Provincial Environmental Authority had resulted in the infringement of the petitioners’ fundamental right to environmental protection guaranteed under Article 12(1) of the Constitution.

The Supreme Court today delivered a judgment ordering the Director General of Wildlife Conservation to initiate a replantation programme to restore cleared forest areas in the immediate vicinity of the Nakolagane Purana Raja Maha Viharaya in Ehetuwewa, in the Kurunegala District. ..

06/05/2026

“This is a matter of urgent concern for the protection of Odisha’s wildlife and forest ecosystems,” said Samantaray. “Immediate intervention is needed to uphold environmental laws and prevent further irreversible damage,” he added. Environmental groups in Odisha are closely monitoring the situation, viewing it as a critical test of industrial compliance and wildlife protection enforcement. The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has yet to respond to the complaint.

Bhubaneswar, Odisha: Environmental activist Sri Dillip Kumar Samantaray has formally lodged a complaint, dated 4 May 2026, with the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), urging immediate action against JSW Utkal Steel Limited for alleged violations of environmental and wildlife protection norms in Jag...

06/05/2026

The former President’s Office employee who alleged in an Adhadhu documentary that she was a victim of sexual predation by President Mohamed Muizzu has decided to provide a full statement to the police, her legal counsel, Hussain Shameem, announced last night.

https://adhadhu.com/81401

Adhadhu, an online news outlet in the Maldives offers a new line of thought on an array of issues that touch the lives of our readers.

06/05/2026

The Survivor's Record , is a monthly newsletter covering developments in transitional justice and grassroots initiatives from the perspective of victims and survivors.
Issue No 10 is available.

06/05/2026

By denying the presence of caste within households, one is essentially seeking to deny the fundamental need for a caste census.

https://thewire.in/politics/dear-home-minister-in-our-country-homes-are-shaped-not-just-by-caste-but-by-wealth-poverty-and-religion-too

By denying the presence of caste within households, one is essentially seeking to deny the fundamental need for a caste census.