Item 11: ALRC’s Oral Statement on Civil and Political Rights including the question of, (a) Torture and detention; (b) Disappearances and summary executions; and (f) States of emergency

Presented by: Asmin Fransiska Mr. Chairman, I speak on behalf of the Asian Legal Resource Centre. Mr Chairman The Asian Legal Resource Centre has in a written statement to the Commission expressed its concern over the Australian government’s policies towards asylum seekers (E/CN.4/2002/NGO/70). In recent months the Centre’s attention has been drawn to the case of Mr Stephen Khan, a twenty-seven year old Kashmiri asylum seeker who has been held in detention by the Australian authorities for three and a half years. Mr Khan’s case is indicative of the unjust system for determining asylum claims in Australia. Having failed his initial claim in 1998, Mr Khan was not aware of […]

16 April 2002, United Nations, Geneva, COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS CONTINUES DEBATE ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS

United Nations Press Release COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS CONTINUES DEBATE ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS Commission on Human Rights 58th session 16 April 2002 Afternoon Forty-Two Non-Governmental Organizations Address the Commission Highlighting Cases of Torture, Detention, Disappearances, Summary Executions in many Parts of the World The Commission on Human Rights this afternoon continued its debate on civil and political rights by hearing 42 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) allege, among other things, involvement of Governments in cases of torture, detention, disappearances and summary executions around the world. The NGOs also highlighted situations where the freedom of expression and religious belief were repressed by Governments. A number of speakers said that anti-terrorism legislation […]

Item 10: ALRC’s Oral Statement on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Item 10: Economic, Social and Cultural Rights  Presented by: Asmin Franciska Mr. Chairman, I speak on behalf of the Asian Legal Resource Centre. The Asian Legal Resource Centre wishes to bring to the attention of the commission the decision of the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China to deny right of abode to thousands of people from mainland China. Most of these cases involve the children of Hong Kong families who have at least one parent who is a permanent resident of the HKSAR. The result of this decision is to separate members of these families in contravention of Article 10 […]

11 April 2002, United Nations, Geneva, COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS CONCLUDES DEBATE ON ECONOMIC RIGHTS

United Nations, Geneva COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS CONCLUDES DEBATE ON ECONOMIC RIGHTS, TAKES UP CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS Commission on Human Rights 58th session 11 April 2002 Morning The Commission on Human Rights completed this morning its annual discussion of economic, social and cultural rights, hearing from a series of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) contending, among other things, that efforts to combat poverty were not receiving sufficient support from the international community and from the richer nations of the world. Several NGOs called for rapid development of a draft optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cutural Rights that would allow complaints of violations of such rights to […]

Item 9: ALRC’s Oral Statement on the Question of the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in any part of the world

Item 9: Question of the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in any part of the world Presented by: Asmin Franciska [not delivered due to time contraints intruduced by the CHR] Mr. Chairman, I speak on behalf of the Asian Legal Resource Centre. The Asian Legal Resource Centre is greatly concerned by the obstacles to enforcement of rights in countries throughout Asia. This condition stems in part from the neglect of article 2 of the ICCPR by state parties, and even by the human rights community itself. The absence of inquiries into violations of human rights guaranteed under UN covenants and conventions, and the poor quality of investigations that […]

Effective Functioning of National Human Rights Institutions in Asia

Item 18(b) : EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF HUMAN RIGHTS MECHANISMS: NATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND REGIONAL ARRANGEMENTS 26. Effective Functioning of National Human Rights Institutions in Asia Link to UNCHR COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS Fifty-eighth Session Item 18(b) of the Provisional Agenda EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF HUMAN RIGHTS MECHANISMS: NATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND REGIONAL ARRANGEMENTS Written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organization with general consultative status Effective Functioning of National Human Rights Institutions in Asia 1. There are some fundamental problems affecting national human rights institutions in Asia which need to be addressed if these bodies are to be effective and win the confidence of the people in their […]

Human Rights Defenders in Asia

Item 17(b) : PROMOTION AND PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS: HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS 25. Human Rights Defenders in Asia Link to UNCHR COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS Fifty-eighth Session Item 17(b) of the Provisional Agenda PROMOTION AND PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS: HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS Written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), A non-governmental organization with general consultative status Attacks on Human Rights Defenders in Indonesia 1. The Asian Legal Resource Centre welcomes the recent prosecution of 10 persons responsible for crimes against humanity in East Timor between January and October 1999. Although the convictions do not reach those top-level decision makers responsible for the widespread human rights violations there […]

Attacks on Human Rights Defenders in Indonesia

Item 17(b) : PROMOTION AND PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS: HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS 24. Attacks on Human Rights Defenders in Indonesia Link to UNCHR COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS Fifty-eighth Session Item 17(b) of the Provisional Agenda PROMOTION AND PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS: HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS Written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organization with general consultative status Attacks on Human Rights Defenders in Indonesia 1. The Asian Legal Resource Centre welcomes the recent prosecution of 10 persons responsible for crimes against humanity in East Timor between January and October 1999. Although the convictions do not reach those top-level decision makers responsible for the widespread human rights […]

Lack of effective protection for IDPs in Asia

Item 14(c) : SPECIFIC GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS: MASS EXODUSES AND DISPLACED PERSON 23. Lack of Effective Protection for IDPs in Asia Link to UNCHR COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS Fifty-eighth Session Item 14(c) of the Provisional Agenda SPECIFIC GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS: MASS EXODUSES AND DISPLACED PERSONS Written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), A non-governmental organization with general consultative status Lack of effective protection for IDPs in Asia 1. There are millions of people in Asia carrying the tag “IDP”, or Internally Displaced Person, including large populations in China, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Indonesia. All of these people suffer insecurity and denials of their human dignity. 2. […]

Foreign Domestic Workers in Hong Kong SAR

Item 14(a) : ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS: MIGRANT WORKERS 22. Foreign Domestic Workers’ (FDW) Situation in Hong Kong SAR Link to UNCHR COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS Fifty-eighth- session Item 14(a) of the Provisional Agenda ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS Written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), A non-governmental organization with general consultative status Foreign Domestic Workers in Hong Kong SAR 1. In spite of numerous legal safeguards, the 200,000-plus Foreign Domestic Workers (FDWs) in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China suffer many violations of their human rights. 2. As the economy of Hong Kong boomed in the mid-1970s, near full […]