FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 26, 2010 ALRC-CWS-13-09-2010 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Thirteenth session, Agenda Item 4, Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Myanmar A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status MYANMAR/BURMA: Torture of detainees in Myanmar 1. Anecdotally, the use of torture in Myanmar is extremely common. Torture is committed not only in special interrogation centres at the hands of military intelligence personnel and Special Branch police but also in ordinary police stations around the country, and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment is routine in prisons and other detention facilities. 2. In September 2009, […]
Category: Human Rights Council
MYANMAR/BURMA: Effects of endemic corruption in Myanmar’s courts on rights of citizens
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 25, 2010 ALRC-CWS-13-08-2010 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Thirteenth session, Agenda Item 4, Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Myanmar A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status MYANMAR/BURMA: Effects of endemic corruption in Myanmar’s courts on rights of citizens 1. For years the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) has learned of the profound level of corruption in the police and courts of Burma. Practically every step in an ordinary criminal case can be accompanied by payments of one kind or another, which have a profound effect on the already extraordinarily limited avenues that […]
INDIA: Threats to human rights defenders undermine democracy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 24, 2010 ALRC-CWS-13-07-2010 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Thirteenth session, Agenda Item 3, Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status INDIA: Threats to human rights defenders undermine democracy Mr. Jiten Yumnam is a human rights defender (HRD) and environmental activist working in the Indian state of Manipur. On 14 September 2009, the police arrested Jiten along with seven others in Manipur, in connection with First Information Report 178 (9)/2009 registered at Imphal West Police Station. After arrest the police tortured Jiten by applying electric […]
ASIA: Council urged to act to protect rights by protecting human rights defenders
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 23, 2010 ALRC-CWS-13-06-2010 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Thirteenth session, Agenda Item 3, Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status ASIA: Council urged to act to protect rights by protecting human rights defenders Members of the Human Rights Council (HRC) have on numerous occasions lauded the contributions of non-governmental organizations and their importance for the Council�s work, yet the Council has been light on action to back up these words in response to situations in which human rights defenders (HRDs) are being targeted. In […]
ASIA: Council failing to address situations of widespread forced disappearances
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 22, 2010 ALRC-CWS-13-05-2010 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Thirteenth session, Agenda Item 3, Interactive Dialogue with the Working Group on Enforced Disappearances A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status ASIA: Council failing to address situations of widespread forced disappearances The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) is gravely concerned by the fact that, despite regularly receiving information concerning widespread and numerous cases of forced disappearance, including many in the Asian region, the Human Rights Council has failed to take effective action to have a tangible impact on the prevention of further abuses on the ground. […]
ASIA: Council’s complete inaction concerning torture mandate’s recommendations denounced
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 20, 2010 ALRC-CWS-13-04-2010 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Thirteenth session, Agenda Item 3, Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Torture A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status ASIA: Council’s complete inaction concerning torture mandate’s recommendations denounced The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) and its sister-organisation, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), document hundreds of cases of torture each year in the Asian region. The eradication of torture must be at the heart of any realistic attempts to improve human rights in any given country, yet, the Special Rapporteur on torture, Manfred Nowak, has […]
BANGLADESH: Council urged to ensure Bangladesh passes pending Bill criminalizing torture
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 19, 2010 ALRC-CWS-13-02-2010 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Thirteenth session, Agenda Item 3, Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Torture A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status BANGLADESH: Council urged to ensure Bangladesh passes pending Bill criminalizing torture The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) has on several occasions submitted written and oral information to the Human Rights Council concerning a broad range of human rights violations taking place in Bangladesh. The country recently underwent a nearly two-year state of emergency under which gross and widespread human rights abuses were perpetrated, including the suspension […]
ASIA: Enjoyment of the right to food requires a shift from short-term and discriminatory practices
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 18, 2010 ALRC-CWS-13-02-2010 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Thirteenth session, Agenda Item 3, Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status ASIA: Enjoyment of the right to food requires a shift from short-term and discriminatory practices The enjoyment of the right to food remains elusive for many across the Asian region. The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) will concentrate on specific concerns with regard to the right to food in India and Indonesia in this written submission to the Human Rights Council (HRC), although […]
ASIA: Council urged to do more to prevent arbitrary detention, the gateway to other grave abuses
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 17, 2010 ALRC-CWS-13-01-2010 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Thirteenth session, Agenda Item 3, Interactive Dialogue with the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status ASIA: Council urged to do more to prevent arbitrary detention, the gateway to other grave abuses The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) and its sister organisation, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), have documented numerous arbitrary detentions throughout the Asian region in the year preceding the 13th session of the Human Rights Council. Cases, notably from Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri […]
CAMBODIA: Functioning judiciary required for rights to become a reality
Date: October 1, 2009 Document id: ALRC-COS-12-11-2009 Speaker: Michael Anthony HRC section: Item 10, Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Cambodia An Oral Statement to the 12th Session of the UN Human Rights Council from the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organization in general consultative status CAMBODIA: Functioning judiciary required for rights to become a reality Thank you Mr. President, The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) welcomes the initial report of the Special Rapporteur on Cambodia, in particular the highlighted areas of priority for future work, namely: the freedom of expression, the independence of the judiciary, land and housing rights, impunity and prison reform. The ALRC wishes […]