BANGLADESH: Free expression and free assembly cost high price

A Written Submission to the 41st Regular Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource Centre The United Nations Human Rights Council and its Special Procedures play a pivotal role in advocating for the people’s freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly in the world, where authoritarianism and right wing political propaganda are on the rise. The Council, unfortunately, in fact, accommodates Member and Observer States who maintain double standards. Bangladesh – an incumbent Member of the Council – often speaks like a soothsayer while the State muzzles the freedom of expression and opinion of its citizens inside the country. The Asian Legal Resource […]

BANGLADESH: Judiciary abdicates independence

A Written Submission to the 41st Regular Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource Centre The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) has been consistently expressing its serious concerns over the dysfunctional justice institutions of Bangladesh – an incumbent Member of the United Nations Human Rights Council. The victims’ right to fair and speedy trial and the lawyers scope of contributing to the process of justice ceases to exist in the country under an illegitimate authoritarian government. The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) has been consistently expressing its serious concerns over the dysfunctional justice institutions of Bangladesh – an incumbent Member of the United Nations […]

INDIA: Government must end violation of bodily integrity and health of women

A Written Submission to the 41st Regular Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource Centre The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) wishes to draw the attention of the Human Rights Council to the continuing violation of women’s bodily integrity in India exposing them to serious health consequences in India. Though the abuse of women, including the violation of their bodily integrity is widely prevalent and well documented, a recent report has pushed the extent of the same even further. The report by The Hindu Business Line, a reputed newspaper in India, found that women working in sugarcane fields in Beed district of the state […]

INDONESIA: Protection of peaceful assembly and association needs serious evaluation

A Written Submission to the 41st Regular Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource Centre Under the Indonesian Constitution (UUD) of 1945, the right to peaceful assembly and association is fully protected and guaranteed without any distinction. Moreover, Indonesia also has national laws that govern and ensure protection of peaceful assembly and association such as Law No. 39 of 1999 on Human Rights, and Law No. 9 of 1998 on Freedom of Speech in Public. Further, the police also have an internal police regulation in favour of human rights such as the National Chief Police Regulation No. 8 of 2009 on the implementation of […]