BANGLADESH: Independent Investigative Mechanism Needed for Affording Justice to Victims of Enforced Disappearances

A Written Statement to the 51st Regular Session of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource Centre The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) reiterates the issue of Bangladesh’s unabated enforced disappearances with blanket impunity to the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council’s 51st Regular Session. Halting enforced disappearances in Bangladesh has been an everlasting challenge under the incumbent government. Previously, the ALRC informed the UN Human Rights Council regarding the situation of enforced disappearances since Sheikh Hasina assumed to the office in January 2009.[1] Now, prior to the 51st Regular Session 619 people are documented to have been disappeared under the incumbent government.[2] It should be […]

BANGLADESH: Victims of Gross Human Rights Abuses are Defenceless in Absence of Judicial Independence

A Written Submission to the 50th Regular Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource Centre The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) wants to update the Human Rights Council of the United Nations about the situation of Bangladesh’s human rights in relation to the mandate of independence of judges and lawyers. The situation of the judicial independence[1] of Bangladesh has been widely discussed[2] in the Written Statements[3] and Oral Interventions[4] that the ALRC keeps submitting since the inception of the Council. At the 50th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council the ALRC reiterates that the people suffer in the absence of judicial independence in […]

INDONESIA: State Curbs Freedom of Expression amidst Non-stop Human Rights Violations in Papua

A Written Submission to the 50th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource Centre The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) strongly condemns all forms of police brutality against demonstrators who refused the New Autonomous Province (DOB) in Papua Island on 10 May 2022. Based on the monitoring and information we received, there were several actions of brutality such as forced dispersal, beatings, pursuits, shootings, and arbitrary arrests. A number of violence and human rights violations occurred in various areas such as Abepura and Heram. The objection of the new autonomous province voiced by the Papuan people is a legitimate and constitutional expression as regulated […]

WORLD: International Conversations Needed for Removing Gaps Between UN Experts’ Recommendations and Monitoring of Actual Implementation for Protecting Human Rights

A Written Submission to the 50th Regular Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource Centre The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) has for over 40 years carefully studied, documented and reflected upon the actual possibilities for protection of human rights in many countries of Asia, in particular South Asia and South East Asia. It is our observation that while the knowledge about human rights and some extent the improvement of ratification of the UN conventions and also in cooperation of provisions for protection of human rights in domestic legislations have improved in many of the countries at a practical level, the possibilities of realization […]

INDONESIA: Withdraw police officers and stop the seizure of people’s living space in the Wadas village

An Open Letter from the Asian Legal Resource Centre to the Chief of National Police General of Police LISTYO SIGIT PRABOWOChief of National Police (KAPOLRI)Jl. Trunojoyo Number 3 Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan 12110INDONESIA Telephone: +62 21 384 8537, 726 0306Fax: +62 21 7220 669Electronic mail: info@polri.go.id Dear General: INDONESIA: Withdraw police officers and stop the seizure of people’s living space in the Wadas village The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) strongly condemns the raid by the police and the criminalization of a number of residents, that occurred in the Wadas village. We witnessed thousands of officers who came down and conducted sweeping operation in the Wadas Village as an intimidating and excessive […]

INDONESIA: Urging inquiry and investigation related to the death of Mede Nurlatu at the mining area of the Botak Mountain

February 09, 2022 An Open Letter from the Asian Legal Resource Centre to the Chief of National Police General of Police LISTYO SIGIT PRABOWOChief of National Police (KAPOLRI)Jl. Trunojoyo Number 3 Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan 12110INDONESIA Tel: +62 21 384 8537, 726 0306Fax: +62 21 7220 669E-mail: info@polri.go.id Dear General: INDONESIA: Urging inquiry and investigation related to the death of Mede Nurlatu at the mining area of the Botak Mountain The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) previously received information from the Commission for the Disappearances and Victims of Violance (KontraS), a national human rights organization, related to the alleged crime of murder which was allegedly committed by personnel of the Police […]

MYANMAR/BURMA: UN Member States’ Urgent Actions Needed for Addressing Human Rights Catastrophe

An Oral Statement to the 48th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council from the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) Madam President: The Asian Legal Resource Centre endorses the report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Madam High Commissioner, You have rightly concluded that there is “a human rights catastrophe” in Myanmar. We agree with your recommendation that the “Member States must act urgently to prevent a further disintegration of Myanmar into a nationwide armed conflict or state collapse”. The “Instrumentalization of Law” and “Subversion of Judiciary and Due Processes”, as highlighted in the report, are matters of great concerns. The “instrumentalization of law” criminalises “perceived intent and […]

MYANMAR/BURMA: Perpetrators of International Crimes Must Face Punishment

An Oral Statement to the 48th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council from the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) Madam President: The Asian Legal Resource Centre appreciates the continued efforts being made by the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar since the establishment of the mandate. The Mechanism continues its mandated tasks of collection of evidence, storing them in secured digitalised locations, analysing and sharing with relevant multilateral entities, as the report suggests. This Council and the international human rights community is well aware of the fact that genocidal crimes and crimes under international law are not over yet. The same pattern of crimes that were committed against the […]

SRI LANKA: UN Human Rights Mechanisms Ought to Explore New Approaches to Protect Rights

A Written Statement to the 48th Regular Session of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource Centre For several decades now, the widespread practice of enforced disappearances has been experienced in several countries in Asia and elsewhere. Despite many attempts by the UN human rights agencies including the Working Group on Enforced Disappearances, there are hardly any cases where credible investigations or prosecutions have taken place concerning the cases which sometimes go into thousands which are being reported. The Asian Legal Resources Centre (ALRC) urges the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings and the Working Group on Enforced […]

BANGLADESH: Government Uses Arbitrary Detention and Degenerated Judiciary Against Dissidents

A Written Statement to the 48th Regular Session of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource Centre The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) brings the issue of arbitrary detention and the degenerated justice mechanisms to the United Nations Human Rights Council focusing on the situation in Bangladesh, which is a Member of the Council. The ALRC has exposed the feature of the judicial independence of Bangladesh time and again in its Written Statements and Oral Interventions since the inception of the Council. Each time the Council sits for its Sessions the authorities of Bangladesh sets new records of abusing the country’s judiciary. The country’s incumbent Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain was virtually presiding over an […]