FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 7, 2007 AL-024-2007 A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre to the 6th session of the UN Human Rights Council INDIA: Child soldiers being used as expendable pawns in armed conflicts In April 2007 the Chhattisgarh State Police ambushed a 12-member strong brigade of armed Naxalites (a group similar to the Maoists in Nepal) operating near Dhanora village. In the operation, the police arrested two girls, respectively aged 14 and 15 years old, who were wearing school uniforms and were armed with old 303 bore rifles. When questioned, the girls confessed that they had been picked up from school by the Naxalites, and […]
Category: Human Rights Council
BANGLADESH: Bangladesh’s State of Emergency is unjustifiable and ensuring abuses of human rights
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 6, 2007 AL-023-2007 A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre to the 6th session of the UN Human Rights Council BANGLADESH: Bangladesh’s State of Emergency is unjustifiable and ensuring abuses of human rights On January 11, 2007 the President of Bangladesh proclaimed a State of Emergency following an upsurge in violence between rival political groups. Unfortunately, the State of Emergency has been prolonged for more than seven months even though this violence has subsided. The State of Emergency has been accompanied by the Emergency Powers Ordinance-2007, which has supplemented the Emergency Powers Rules-2007. Provisions contained within these laws run contrary to a range […]
BURMA: International community is failing the people of Myanmar again
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 5, 2007 AL-022-2007 A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre to the 6th session of the UN Human Rights Council BURMA: International community is failing the people of Myanmar again 1. On 15 August 2007, the Government of Myanmar increased the cost of all vehicle and generator fuels, over which it holds a monopoly, without prior announcement. As has been widely reported internationally, the diesel fuel prices doubled; compressed natural gas prices, used for some vehicles and cookers, increased five-fold. The increased prices had a quick knock-on effect to other basic services and commodities: buses increased fares in line with the new rates […]
SRI LANKA: Killing and Enforced Disappearances of Religious Leaders and Attacks on Places of Religious Worship in SRI LANKA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 4, 2007 AL-021-2007 A Joint Written Statement submitted by the International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR), a non-governmental organization on the roster, Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation in general consultative status and Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, a NGO in Special Consultative Status to the 6th session of the Human Rights Council SRI LANKA: Killing and Enforced Disappearances of Religious Leaders and Attacks on Places of Religious Worship in SRI LANKA[1] 1. Introduction The escalation of the conflict between the Sri Lankan Security Forces, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and other armed groups […]
PAKISTAN: Council urged to act as thousands remain forcibly disappeared
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 4, 2007 AL-020-2007 A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) to the 6th session of the UN Human Rights Council PAKISTAN: Council urged to act as thousands remain forcibly disappeared In recent years, the Human Rights Council’s predecessor, the Commission on Human Rights, placed Nepal at the top of the list of perpetrators of forced disappearances. Following interventions and the establishment of a field office of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the country, disappearances have dropped significantly. Information received by the Asian Legal Resource Centre indicates that large numbers of forced disappearances are now taking place in […]
SRI LANKA: Human Rights Council must act on killings and forced disappearances in Sri Lanka
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 3, 2007 AL-019-2007 A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) to the 6th session of the UN Human Rights Council SRI LANKA: Human Rights Council must act on killings and forced disappearances in Sri Lanka The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) is gravely concerned by the insufficient action on the part of the Human Rights Council to address the growing problem of extra-judicial killings and forced disappearances in Sri Lanka. The ALRC has alerted the international community, including the Human Rights Council, concerning this growing and extremely grave situation on numerous occasions. For example, the issue of disappearances was communicated as a […]
CAMBODIA: Interactive Dialogue with the UN Special Representative for human rights in Cambodia
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 14, 2007 AL-016-2007 A Statement by the Asian Legal Resource Centre CAMBODIA: Interactive Dialogue with the UN Special Representative for human rights in Cambodia Joint Oral Intervention by the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum-Asia), the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women, the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID), and Migrants Rights International and Pax Romana, at the 5th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, during the Interactive Dialogue with the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for human rights in Cambodia, Professor Yash Ghai, on June 12, 2007. The Oral Intervention was presented by: […]
SRI LANKA: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 12, 2007 AL-015-2007 A Statement by the Asian Legal Resource Centre SRI LANKA: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers The following is a statement delivered on behalf of the Asian Legal Resource Centre supported by the Law society and Trust, Sri Lanka at 5th Session of the UN Human Rights Council. June 11th 2007 5th Session of the UN Human Rights Council. Oral Intervention of the Asian Legal Resource Centre, Hong Kong supported by the Law and Society Trust, Sri Lanka Speaker: Ms. Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena Thank you Mr. President, The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) welcomes the report presented […]
PAKISTAN: Judicial subservience must be ended without further bloodshed
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 31, 2007 AL-014-2007 HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Fifth session A Written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre PAKISTAN: Judicial subservience must be ended without further bloodshed The judicial system in Pakistan is very weak and can not deliver justice to the people. The weakness of the judiciary can be blamed on the continuous interference by successive governments, in particular by military governments. The judiciary in Pakistan has traditionally always supported those in power, even if they came to power by ousting elected, civilian governments. Since 1954, when the then-Prime Minister was thrown out of power and the Chief Justice at the time, Mr. Munir, sacrificed […]
CAMBODIA: The absence of the rule of law aggravating the human rights situation in the country
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 31, 2007 AL-013-2007 HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Fifth session A Written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre CAMBODIA: The absence of the rule of law aggravating the human rights situation in the country Under the international peace agreements concluded in 1991 to end a protracted war in the country as well as under its own constitution, Cambodia has undertaken to ensure the respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms of its people, including the establishment of an independent judiciary for the protection of those rights and freedoms. The other State signatories to these agreements also have a share in the human rights […]