Category: documents

PHILIPPINES: Acceleration of extra-judicial killings of jurists in the Philippines

44th Session - June2020, Philippines, Written Submissions June 30, 2020 admin 0 Comments

A Written Submission to the 44th Regular Session of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council Jointly Submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre and Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (Council), during its 41st Session, adopted Resolution A/HRC/41/L.20, Promotion and protection of human rights in the Philippines (Resolution 41/L.20)1, requesting the High Commissioner for Human Rights (HCHR) to present a comprehensive report on human rights in the Philippines to the Council at its 44th Session. Resolution 41/L.20 urged the Philippines “to take all necessary measures to prevent extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, to carry out impartial investigations and to hold perpetrators accountable.” At the 42nd […]

BANGLADESH: Access to justice amidst COVID-19 for pro-opposition litigants are dealt with draconian laws and discrimination

44th Session - June2020, Bangladesh, Written Submissions June 30, 2020 admin 0 Comments

A Written Submission to the 44th Regular Session of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource Centre The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) draws attention of the United Nations Human Rights Council and its Special Procedures to the realities regarding access to justice in Bangladesh, an incumbent member of the Human Rights Council. The President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, on 9 May 2020, promulgated “Information Technology Usage Ordinance by the Court, 2020” (Ordinance Number 1 of 2020) to introduce virtual judicial proceedings during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ordinance is promulgated for encouraging ‘physical distancing’ in the judiciary of the country. The Supreme Court of […]

BANGLADESH: Torturous law-enforcement system with impunity and rewards to perpetrators impede protection of rights

43rd Session - February 2020, ALRC AT THE UN, Bangladesh, Written Submissions February 24, 2020 admin 0 Comments

The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) draws attention of the United Nations Human Rights Council and its Special Procedures about the institutionalised practice of torture in Bangladesh, which is an incumbent member of the Human Rights Council. Bangladesh, being a State Party to 10 major Treaties including the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment and Punishment, poorly cooperates with the Special Procedures and the Treaty Bodies of the UN Human Rights mechanism. Its government always claims that the state “plays a constructive role in the international arena through the promotion of cooperation and dialogue, particularly at the United Nations” and that it “cooperates regularly with the […]

WORLD: Competent judicial professionals needed to administer justice to victims of international crimes

18th - Session ASP - December 2019, Oral Submissions, World December 5, 2019 admin 0 Comments

An Oral Statement to the 18th Session of the Assembly of State Parties to the Rome Statute of International Criminal Court by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, and Excellencies: First of all, please allow me to reaffirm that the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) stand by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and is committed to extend the best possible cooperations as a regional human rights organisation. In Asia, with few exceptions, we observe coercive criminal justice mechanisms particularly the policing system, crime investigation units, forensic medicine facilities, prosecutorial system, and the adjudication process. These highly important components of criminal justice mechanisms often fail to maintain […]

ASIA: Human Rights Mechanisms need practical actions on domestic institutional developments for administration of justice

42nd Session - September 20`9, ALRC AT THE UN, Asia, Human Rights Council, Oral Statements September 20, 2019 admin 0 Comments

An Oral Statement to the 42nd Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) ASIA: Human Rights Mechanisms need practical actions on domestic institutional developments for administration of justice Mr. President. The effectiveness of the United Nations Human Rights Mechanisms for protection of rights depends very much on the compliance of the State parties to implement Article 2 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). This postulates the legislative, judicial, and administrative measures to ensure the rights that the State parties have signed to. While the ratification of the UN treaties has become a way of acquiring international respectability the […]

ASIA: Actual protection of indigenous people within the framework of SDG Goal 16

42nd Session - September 20`9, ALRC AT THE UN, Asia, Human Rights Council, Oral Statements September 20, 2019 admin 0 Comments

An Oral Statement to the 42nd Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) ASIA: Actual protection of indigenous people within the framework of SDG Goal 16 Mr. Vice President. The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) thanks the both mandates for their reports. We wish to emphasise on greater protection of the indigenous people in the countries of Asia and the world. The ALRC fully agrees with the Special Rapporteur and wishes to highlight the obligations arising from the Goal 16 of the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2030. Like the protection of every other human person and communities the indigenous people also […]

BANGLADESH: Claim of economic growth without protection of human rights is a fallacy

42nd Session - September 20`9, ALRC AT THE UN, Bangladesh, Human Rights Council, Oral Statements September 20, 2019 admin 0 Comments

An Oral Statement to the 42nd Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) BANGLADESH: Claim of economic growth without protection of human rights is a fallacy Madam Vice President. The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) wishes this Council to address some questions relating to enforcement of human rights, comprehensively. The issue of a State, which ratifies the United Nations’ treaties and allows its law-enforcement agencies to commit gross human rights violations with impunity, deserves serious attention of the Council. From January 2009 to 9th September 2019, the ALRC documented 536 cases of enforced disappearances; 2188 extrajudicial executions; 128 custodial deaths due to […]

MYANMAR/BANGLADESH: Rights, dignity, and future of genocide survivors at stake

42nd Session - September 20`9, ALRC AT THE UN, Bangladesh, Burma / Myanmar, Human Rights Council, Oral Statements September 19, 2019September 19, 2019 admin 0 Comments

A Joint Oral Statement to the 42nd Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) and Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada (LWRC) Mr. President, The Asian Legal Resource Centre and Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada thank the Special Rapporteur for her oral update. The Council is well aware of the grave human rights violations in Myanmar perpetrated by the Tatmadaw and other state- and non-state actors. Reports of the Special Rapporteur and the two other international mandates reiterate the international crimes against Rohingya, and violence against ethnic minorities in Shan, Kachin, and Karen states. Without effective international accountability, impunity continues. We join the calls to […]

PHILIPPINES: Extrajudicial killing of jurists as part of a pattern of widespread and systematic violations of human rights

42nd Session - September 20`9, ALRC AT THE UN, Philippines, Written Submissions September 12, 2019 admin 0 Comments

A Joint Written Submission to the 42nd Regular Session of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource Centre and Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada PHILIPPINES: Extrajudicial killing of jurists as part of a pattern of widespread and systematic violations of human rights 1. Introduction Since 30 June 2016, the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (the Philippines) has engaged in a campaign of extrajudicial killing in violation of the Philippines’ international law obligations. Since President Rodrigo Duterte (President Duterte) took office on 30 June 2016, up to 27,0001 persons have been extrajudicially killed with impunity, as part of a “war on drugs.” The Philippines’ official number is […]

CAMBODIA: The roots of Cambodia’s persistent rights violations: Impunity of the powerful

42nd Session - September 20`9, ALRC AT THE UN, Cambodia, Written Submissions September 10, 2019 admin 0 Comments

A Joint Written Submission to the 42nd Regular Session of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource Centre and Lawyers Rights Watch Canada CAMBODIA: The roots of Cambodia’s persistent rights violations: Impunity of the powerful 1. Introduction Human rights in the Kingdom of Cambodia have remained a constant concern for decades, but recent years have seen marked deterioration of respect, protection and fulfilment of the international human rights obligations Cambodia has undertaken as a party to the 1991 Paris Peace Agreements (PPAs)[1] and numerous UN human rights treaties.[2] With increasing boldness, Cambodia systematically disregards its international human rights obligations and its Constitution. Instead, Cambodia misuses laws […]