Bangladesh: Ban on Political Activities Condemned – Government Urged to Refrain from Restricting Freedoms of Assembly, Association and Expression
(Bangkok, 20 May 2013) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), a regional human rights group with 47 member organisations from 16 countries across Asia including Bangladesh, expressed serious concern over the decision of the Government to ban all political activities in the country. The decision has come not through an official [ Read more ]
Laos: Five Months On, Demand for Accountability and Action in Sombath Somphone’s Disappearance Intensifies
Bangkok/Manila/Jakarta (15 May 2013) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), Focus on the Global South, The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) and the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS) reiterated their call on the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and ASEAN governments to break the [ Read more ]
Indonesia : Restrictive draft Ormas law must be rejected at upcoming Parliamentary sitting
Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat (DPR) Republic of Indonesia Gedung Nusantara III Jl. Jenderal Gatot Subroto Jakarta 10270 Indonesia Fax: (62) 21 571 5925, 21 573 4469 Dear Members of DPR, Re: Restrictive draft Ormas law must be rejected at upcoming Parliamentary sitting The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), a Bangkok-based regional human rights [ Read more ]
Burma : Civil Society Consultation on the Enabling Law of the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission
Thura U Shwe Mann Chairman, Pyithu Hluttaw Office of the Pyithu Hluttaw Naypyitaw Myanmar Fax: (95) 67 59 10 85 Email: kyawsoe.pt@gmail.com, tinwinaung.pt@gmail.com Dear U Shwe Mann, Subject: Civil Society Consultation on the Enabling Law of the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission We are writing as the Asian NGO Network on National Human Rights Institutions [ Read more ]
Malaysia: Post-Elections Rally by Opposition Must Be Allowed to Proceed Peacefully
Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak Prime Minister of Malaysia Perdana Putra Building Federal Government Administrative Centre 62502 Putrajaya, Malaysia Tel: +60388888000 Fax: +60388883444 The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), a Bangkok-based regional human rights group representing 47 organizations in 16 countries across Asia, writes to you to express our concern over the [ Read more ]
Bangladesh: Ban on Political Activities Condemned – Government Urged to Refrain from Restricting Freedoms of Assembly, Association and Expression
(Bangkok, 20 May 2013) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), a regional human rights group with 47 member organisations from 16 countries across Asia including Bangladesh, expressed serious concern over the decision of the Government to ban all political activities in the country. The decision has come not through an official [ Read more ]
Malaysia: Post-Elections Rally by Opposition Must Be Allowed to Proceed Peacefully
Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak Prime Minister of Malaysia Perdana Putra Building Federal Government Administrative Centre 62502 Putrajaya, Malaysia Tel: +60388888000 Fax: +60388883444 The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), a Bangkok-based regional human rights group representing 47 organizations in 16 countries across Asia, writes to you to express our concern over the [ Read more ]
JOINT STATEMENT OF THE ASEAN CIVIL SOCIETY CONFERENCE/ASEAN PEOPLES’ FORUM (ACSC/APF) 2013
6 – 8 April 2013 Jerudong, Brunei Darussalam We, of more than 300 delegates representing Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) from ASEAN member states, including the host country, working in various fields of peace and security, environment, climate change, food sovereignty, land rights, women, children, youth, human rights, trade union, indigenous people, ethnic minorities, religious minorities, [ Read more ]
Sri Lanka: Stop threats and incitement of violence against human rights defenders who engaged at the UN Human Rights Council
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) received information regarding threats, harassment, intimidation, vilification and incitement to violence against Sri Lankan human rights defenders in connection with their views on accountability issues in Sri Lanka. These threats are part of a hate campaign directed against human rights defenders who have engaged with the 19th regular session of [ Read more ]
Sri Lanka: Appeal to surface two missing human rights defenders
FORUM-ASIA received information that Mr. Lalith Kumar Weeraraj and Mr. Kugan Muruganandan have been missing since 9 December 2011. The two HRDs were last seen leaving the house of Mr. Muruganandan in Avarangal, Jaffna, North Sri Lanka. Mr. Lalith Kumar Weeraraj is a prominent human rights defender mainly working on disappearances in the north and [ Read more ]
Malaysia’s ongoing crackdown against campaigners for electoral reform
(UPDATED 12 July) Monitor this page to be kept informed updates on unfolding events regarding the Malaysian government crackdown to stop the 9 July 2011 rally on electoral reform. Learn more about the background of these events by clicking this link to the Asian Defender Alert on this issue. The contents of this webpage are [ Read more ]
Laos: Five Months On, Demand for Accountability and Action in Sombath Somphone’s Disappearance Intensifies
Bangkok/Manila/Jakarta (15 May 2013) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), Focus on the Global South, The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) and the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS) reiterated their call on the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and ASEAN governments to break the [ Read more ]
Burma: Human Rights Groups Condemn Ongoing Crackdown on Protests and Peaceful Assemblies
Report Highlights Violations of Freedoms of Expression, Peaceful Assembly and Association (Rangoon/Bangkok, 2 May 2013): The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUMASIA), together with its member Human Rights Education Institute of Burma (HREIB), and Burma Partnership, called on the Burma government to respect the freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association. The appeal [ Read more ]
Bangladesh: Arrest of the Bloggers and Editor – Government Must Refrain from Muzzling Freedom of Expression
(Bangkok, 18 April 2013) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), a regional human rights group with 47 member organisations from 16 countries across Asia, expresses serious concern over the arrest of the acting editor of ‘Amar Desh’ and nineteen other employees of that newspaper. Attempts to prevent future publications of the [ Read more ]
Burma/Myanmar: New Forms of Control and Threats to Freedoms of Expression, Assembly and Association amidst Reforms Fanfare
An international fact-finding mission was conducted by Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) on 24-30 October 2012 to assess the situation of freedoms of expression, assembly and association in Burma, against the backdrop of the apparent democratic reforms embarked by the Burma government since 2011, including among others, by releasing over 700 political [ Read more ]
22nd Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council 25 February-22 March 2013
The UN Human Rights Council will hold its 22nd regular session (HRC-22) from 25 February to 22 March 2012 in Geneva, Switzerland. FORUM-ASIA interventions, statements and events during this session will appear on this page.
Dhaka Consensus : Regional Initiative for South Asian Human Rights Mechanism
The concluding document of the National Consultation in Bangladesh on 3-4 December 2012, organized by the Regional Initiative for a South Asian Human Rights Mechanism Dhaka, 4 December 2012: ‘Regional Initiative for South Asian Human Rights Mechanism’ is a network of organizations and individuals which aims to create an environment conducive to the establishment of [ Read more ]
Call for Papers – Sur: International Journal on Human Rights
Deadline: June 15, 2013 Conectas Human Rights, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, CIVICUS: Worldwide Alliance for Citizen Participation and Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development invite scholars and practitioners to submit articles for Sur Journal’s Issue No. 19, to be published in December 2013, with a focus on Foreign Policy and Human Rights. Sur – [ Read more ]
Women Human Rights Defenders Briefing Points Towards the 57th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
Under the 1998 UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, States have an obligation to protect WHRDs, which includes ensuring gender sensitive protection measures to threats, violence, retaliation and adverse discrimination faced by WHRDs. Primarily, the concern for an enabling and secure environment for WHRDs originates from basic recognition of the significant role of WHRDs in [ Read more ]
21st Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council 10-28 September 2012
The UN Human Rights Council will hold its 21st regular session (HRC-21) from 10 until 28 September 2012 in Geneva, Switzerland. FORUM-ASIA interventions, statements and events during this session will appear on this page. Oral Statements 14 September 2012 – Item 3: Promotion and Protection of All Human Rights, Civil, Political, Economic, Social and Cultural [ Read more ]
Kathmandu Statement 2011
Outcome Document of the Second Sub-Regional Workshop on a Human Rights Mechanism in South Asia, 25-26 July 2011, Kathmandu, Nepal 1. The Second Sub-Regional Workshop on Human Rights Mechanism in South Asia—organized by the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and hosted by the Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC) with participants from non-governmental [ Read more ]
Malaysia’s ongoing crackdown against campaigners for electoral reform
(UPDATED 12 July) Monitor this page to be kept informed updates on unfolding events regarding the Malaysian government crackdown to stop the 9 July 2011 rally on electoral reform. Learn more about the background of these events by clicking this link to the Asian Defender Alert on this issue. The contents of this webpage are [ Read more ]
Silence is not an option! (Petition for immediate action by the United Nations Human Rights Council)
The undersigned organisations urge the Human Rights Council to act urgently to respond to the violent repression of demonstrations currently underway in the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. The Human Rights Council cannot be a passive bystander of such events, during which the lives of ordinary citizens have been taken or put at risk [ Read more ]
