FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 31, 2010 ALRC-CWS-15-14-2010 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Fifteenth session, Agenda Item 4 A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status THAILAND: Arbitrary detention and harassment under the Emergency Decree in Thailand In a submission to the 14th session of the Human Rights Council, the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) described the use of arbitrary orders for interrogation of civilians in army camps and other facilities under emergency regulations during the violence between state forces and antigovernment protestors in Thailand in April-May 2010 (A/HRC/14/NGO/42, 17 May 2010). Noting the relationship between open violence and the […]
Category: documents
SRI LANKA: Right to the truth required regarding “death sentences” carried out secretly by state agencies
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 31, 2010 ALRC-CWS-15-13-2010 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Fifteenth session, Agenda Item 4 A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status SRI LANKA: Right to the truth required regarding “death sentences” carried out secretly by state agencies 1. The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) wishes to inform the Human Rights Council of a phenomenon that is of grave concern to the organization with regard to Sri Lanka and the wider Asian region. The ALRC is seriously disturbed by claims that have been made by some security agencies about their right to decide on “death sentences” […]
INDIA: Bonded labour in India
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 30, 2010 ALRC-CWS-15-12-2010 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Fifteenth session, Agenda Item 4 A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status INDIA: Bonded labour in India Bonded labour is prohibited in India by law. Though the Constitution directly and indirectly prohibits the practice, vide Articles 21, 23 (1) and 24, a specific law that prohibits the practice, the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act was legislated only in 1976. Despite the statutory prohibition, bonded labour is widely practiced. The worst affected are the children, particularly those from the Dalit community. The practice is so prevalent in […]
SRI LANKA: Lack of safe drinking water leading to upsurge in health problems
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 30, 2010 ALRC-CWS-15-11-2010 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Fifteenth session, Agenda Item 3 A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status SRI LANKA: Lack of safe drinking water leading to upsurge in health problems The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) joins the UN Independent Expert on human rights, water and sanitation, Ms. Catarina de Albuquerque, in welcoming the landmark resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 28 July 2010 that recognised water and sanitation as a human right. Every year, nearly 1.8 million people die from diarrhoeal diseases, including cholera, according to the WHO. Of […]
BURMA/MYANMAR: Dossier of torture cases submitted to U.N. experts
Not only are the types of torture allegedly carried out on these three persons highly systematized and utterly inhumane, but the rest of the system is just as systematic and inhumane in its denial of complaints that such abuses have been committed FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRESS RELEASE ALRC-PRL-009-2010 A Press Release by the Asian Legal Resource Centre BURMA/MYANMAR: Dossier of torture cases submitted to U.N. experts (Hong Kong, August 27, 2010) The Asian Legal Resource Centre on Wednesday submitted a special dossier to a group of United Nations human rights experts on recent cases of extreme, prolonged torture by police officers in Burma. The 66-page dossier, entitled “Recent complaints of […]
PHILIPPINES: Reforms required immediately to protect witnesses
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 27, 2010 ALRC-CWS-15-10-2010 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Fifteenth session, Agenda Item 4 A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status PHILIPPINES: Reforms required immediately to protect witnesses The Asian Legal Resource Center (ALRC) welcomes the discussion during the 15th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) concerning the OHCHR’s report on programmes and other measures for the protection of witnesses. The issue of failing witness protection systems is a key element in many Asian countries that permits impunity for State agents accused of grave human rights violations. In this submission, the ALRC will focus […]
PAKISTAN: Thousands of persons remain missing amid government inaction
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 27, 2010 ALRC-CWS-15-09-2010 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Fifteenth session, Agenda Item 4 A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status PAKISTAN: Thousands of persons remain missing amid government inaction The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) welcomes the ongoing work of the Advisory Committee concerning the issue of missing persons. The ALRC has on numerous occasions informed the Human Rights Council (HRC) of the large number of missing persons in Pakistan. The country is beset by grave and widespread human rights violations by various State-agencies and institutions, notably by the notorious Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) […]
PAKISTAN: Government urged to commute all death sentences and abolish the death penalty
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 26, 2010 ALRC-CWS-15-08-2010 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Fifteenth session, Agenda Item 3 A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status PAKISTAN: Government urged to commute all death sentences and abolish the death penalty The Asian Legal Resource Centre welcomes the discussion by the Human Rights Council during its 15th session concerning the report of the Secretary General on the question of the death penalty. In light of this discussion, the ALRC is hereby submitting information pertaining to the death penalty in Pakistan. The government of Pakistan has failed to abolish the death penalty in […]
NEPAL: The Haliya bonded labour slavery system must be abolished without further delay
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 26, 2010 ALRC-CWS-15-07-2010 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Fifteenth session, Agenda Item 3, Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status NEPAL: The Haliya bonded labour slavery system must be abolished without further delay In view of the interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery during the 15th Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC), the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) and Nepalese NGO the Jagaran Media Center, wish to highlight the situation of bonded labour that persists in Nepal […]
NEPAL: Credible action required to address ongoing missing persons tragedy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 25, 2010 ALRC-CWS-15-06-2010 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Fifteenth session, Agenda Item 4, General Debate A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status NEPAL: Credible action required to address ongoing missing persons tragedy The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) welcomes the ongoing discussions held by the Human Rights Council concerning the issue of missing persons and the work of the Advisory Committee in this regard. In light of the importance of this issue, the ALRC wishes to take this opportunity to highlight the current difficulties that relatives of missing persons and all those seeking justice […]