Item 6: Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and all forms of discrimination — Indonesia: Five years after May 1998 rights, those responsible for the atrocities remain at large

Download this file in Word format Indonesia: Five years after May 1998 rights, those responsible for the atrocities remain at large Statement read by Timothy R. Gill of the Asian Legal Resource Centre Mr. Chairperson, I speak on behalf of the Asian Legal Resource Centre. In May 1998, thousands of Indonesian citizens were murdered and raped, and vast amounts of property destroyed during racist riots against the Chinese community in Jakarta. Five years later, those responsible for the atrocities remain at large. The Joint Fact Finding Team established to inquire into the 1998 massacres found that there were serious and systematic human rights violations throughout Jakarta. The Team also found […]

Item 18: Effective Functioning of Human Rights Mechanisms — ALRC’s Oral Statement on Implementing the recommendations of UN Working Groups

UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS 59TH SESSION Item 18: Effective Functioning of Human Rights Mechanisms Implementing the recommendations of UN Working Groups Statement read by Ali Saleem of the Asian Legal Resource Centre Chairperson I speak on behalf of the Asian Legal Resource Centre. In 1989, Mr Ajith Luxman disappeared. He was one of over 30,000 Sri Lankan citizens who were kidnapped without a trace during a period of intense repression. Due to domestic and international pressure, the Government of Sri Lanka was forced to act on these cases. It undertook to abide by the recommendations of the Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances (E/CN.4/1992/18/Add.1, para 204), and […]

Oral Statements – 59th Session of the CHR

UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS 59TH SESSION Item 11: Civil and Political Rights SRI LANKA: Torture in Sri Lanka Statement read by Ali Saleem of the Asian Legal Resource Centre Chairperson I speak on behalf of the Asian Legal Resource Centre. This February, Mr Michael Anthony Fernando submitted a motion to the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka regarding a fundamental rights violation case in which he is the applicant. The motion requested that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court not sit in judgement on Mr Fernando’s application, and offered ample grounds for this request. The Chief Justice sat on the bench that heard the motion. The bench then […]

Item 10: Food insecurity in Myanmar — ALRC’s Oral Statement on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Download this file in Word format UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS 59TH SESSION ITEM 10: ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS Food insecurity in Myanmar Statement read by Ali Saleem of the Asian Legal Resource Centre Mr. Chairman I speak on behalf of the Asian Legal Resource Centre. What is the connection between white elephants and economic development? This March, a prominent Myanmar historian, Dr Than Tun, said that there isn’t any. The Government of Myanmar has now banned him from publishing articles in local magazines. Dr Than Tun made his observation after the Government of Myanmar captured a number of white elephants, which are considered sacred. State media reported […]

7 April 2003, COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS COMPLETES DISCUSSION OF ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS

UNITED NATIONS Press Release COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS COMPLETES DISCUSSION OF ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS Commission on Human Rights 59th session 7 April 2003 Afternoon The Commission on Human Rights concluded at an extended meeting this afternoon its annual consideration of economic, social and cultural rights, hearing from a long series of non-governmental organizations contending, among other things, that international financial institutions were not acting in the best interests of the poor nations and people. …. Among NGOs addressing the afternoon meeting were: New Humanity (joint statement with International Young Catholic Students and International Organization for the Development of Freedom of Education), Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom […]

Item 9: A crime against humanity in Gujarat — ALRC’s Oral Statement on the Question of the Violation of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in any part of the World

Download this file in Word format UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS 59TH SESSION ITEM 9: question of the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in any part of the world A crime against humanity in Gujarat Statement read by Timothy Richard Gill of the Asian Legal Resource Centre Mr. Chairman On behalf of the Asian Legal Resource Centre, I would like to draw the Commission’s attention to the findings of the Concerned Citizens Tribunal  Gujarat 2002. The Tribunal was formed in response to the anti-Muslim carnage in the state of Gujarat, India, during February and March of 2002. Hundreds of people were killed, women and children sexually abused […]

3 April 2003, NGOS TELL COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS OF FURTHER ALLEGATIONS OF ABUSES AROUND GLOBE

UNITED NATIONS Press Release NGOS TELL COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS OF FURTHER ALLEGATIONS OF ABUSES AROUND GLOBE Commission on Human Rights 59th session 3 April 2003 Afternoon …. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) carried on this afternoon with debate under the Commission on Human Rights’ agenda item on the “Question of the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in any part of the world”, contending, among other things, that Governments were using anti-terrorism measures unfairly as a means of clamping down on the legitimate activities of political opposition groups, minorities, foreigners and migrant workers. …. Among those speaking were representatives of the following NGOs: Femmes Africa Solidarit speaking on behalf of […]

25 March, 2003, COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS CONCLUDES DISCUSSION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

UNITED NATIONS Press Release COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS CONCLUDES DISCUSSION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION Commission on Human Rights 59th session 25 March 2003 Afternoon The Commission on Human Rights completed this afternoon its annual debate on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and other forms of discrimination, hearing from a series of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) contending variously that not enough had been done to implement the Declaration and Programme of Action of the Durban World Conference against Racism, and that discrimination was mounting against Muslims, Jews, and groups such as migrant workers, persons of African descent, and indigenous peoples. … Addressing the afternoon meeting were representatives of Indonesia, Cyprus, Romania, Benin, and Liechtenstein. […]

Written Statements – 59th Session of the CHR

Written Statements –  Item 6 : Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and all forms of discrimination [Word Format] [E/CN.4/2003/NGO/140] [Connect to the UNHCHR Site for this document] Item 3 : Organization of the work of the session [Word Format] [E/CN.4/2003/NGO/139] [Connect to UNHCHR Site for this Document] Item 18: Effective functioning of human rights mechanisms: (b) National institutions and regional arrangement [Word Format] [E/CN.4/2003/NGO/101]  [Connect toUNHCHR Site for this document] Item 14: Specific groups and individuals: Item 13: Rights of the Child Item 12: Integration of the human rights of women and the gender perspective: (a) Violence against women Item 11 : Civil and political rights Item 10 : Economic, social and cultural rights […]