Category: documents

Item 15: COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS BEGINS REVIEW OF INDIGENOUS ISSUES

ALRC AT THE UN, CHR 57th Session - 2001, Commission on Human Rights, documents, press releases April 12, 2001August 25, 2015 admin 0 Comments

United Nations Press Release Commission on Human Rights 57th session 12 April 2001 Evening and Night The Commission on Human Rights began discussion this evening of issues related to indigenous peoples, hearing from a series of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) alleging violations of the rights of indigenous groups in various parts of the world. ESTER INDAHYANI JUSUF, of Asian Legal Resource Centre, said the multiple problems of ethnic and religious minorities, political segregation and xenophobia, which had plagued Indonesia for so long, still continued. There were still 62 discriminatory regulations in the Indonesian legal system. Most of those were specifically targeted at the Chinese ethnic group. The regulations covered virtually all […]

Item 12: Integration of the human rights of women and the gender perspective: (a) violence against women

ALRC AT THE UN, CHR 57th Session - 2001, Commission on Human Rights, documents, Oral Statements April 10, 2001August 25, 2015 admin 0 Comments

(Note: The following oral presentation was made by Rita Kolibonso of ALRC on April 10, 2001, at the 47th meeting of the 57th session of the UNCHR.) Presented by: Ms. Rita Kolibonso Mr. Chairman, I speak on behalf of the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC). In our written submission to this commission (UNCHR) [E/CN.4/2001/NGO/72] on violence against women, ALRC highlighted the lack of legal and institutional remedies for women who are victims of gender violence. We cited a number of cases to support this contention and identified the following main causes for the failure of governments and the judicial system in most Asian countries to protect the rights of women […]

Item 12: COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS HEARS STATEMENTS BY NGOS ON VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS OF WOMEN

ALRC AT THE UN, CHR 57th Session - 2001, Commission on Human Rights, documents, press releases April 10, 2001August 25, 2015 admin 0 Comments

United Nations Press Release Commission on Human Rights 57th session 10 April 2001 Morning NGOs highlighted a number of issues which violated the human rights of women including trafficking in women and girls, so-called honour crimes, domestic violence, violence against women during armed conflicts, and female genital mutilation. They also claimed violations of women’s rights in a number of countries and regions around the world. RITA KOLIBONSO, of the Asian Legal Resource Centre, said there was a lack of legal and institutional remedies in most Asian countries for women who were victims of gender violence. There was discrimination through customary laws regarding divorce and alimony, the social stigma and women’s […]

Item 11: Civil and Political Rights, Including the Question of (a) Torture and Detention and (b) Disappearances and Summary Executions

ALRC AT THE UN, Asia, CHR 57th Session - 2001, Commission on Human Rights, documents, Oral Statements, World April 4, 2001August 25, 2015 admin 0 Comments

(Note: The following oral presentation was made by Sanjeewa Liyanage of ALRC on April 4, 2001, at the 38th meeting of the 57th session of the UNCHR.) Presented by: Mr. Sanjeewa Liyanage Mr. Chairman, I speak on behalf of the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC). The 1994 Convention against Torture Act (CATA) made torture a specific crime and a punishable offence in Sri Lanka. The High Court has jurisdiction over violations, and a criminal conviction carries a seven-year minimum sentence. However, the prosecution of this offence suffers from the same defects of the prosecution system as does all other serious violations, such as extrajudicial killings. The prosecutor, who is a […]

Item 11: SPEAKERS URGE ACTION TO END TORTURE, ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES

ALRC AT THE UN, Asia, CHR 57th Session - 2001, Commission on Human Rights, documents, press releases, World April 4, 2001August 25, 2015 admin 0 Comments

United Nations Press Release COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS CONTINUES DEBATE ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS Commission on Human Rights 57th session 4 April 2001 Evening and Night The Commission on Human Rights continued its debate on civil and political rights in an extended meeting from 6 p.m. to midnight, hearing from country delegations about national efforts to promote those rights and from non-governmental organizations who alleged violations of civil and political rights around the world. On the issue of torture, a number of country delegations expressed their support for the Working Group on an optional protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. […]

Item 10: Economic Social and Cultural Rights

ALRC AT THE UN, CHR 57th Session - 2001, Commission on Human Rights, documents, Oral Statements April 3, 2001August 25, 2015 admin 0 Comments

(Note: The following oral presentation was made by Sanjeewa Liyanage of ALRC on April 3, 2001, at the 34th meeting of the 57th session of the UNCHR.) Presented by: Mr. Sanjeewa Liyanage Mr. Chairman, I speak on behalf of the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC). Ample evidence suggests that the Government of Myanmar is systematically denying food to its civilian population. The ALRC brought these concerns to the attention of the Commission’s 56th session in light of findings made by the People’s Tribunal on Food Scarcity and Militarization in Burma. The ALRC appreciates the efforts of the former Special Rapporteur to highlight food security concerns in Myanmar and hopes that […]

Item 10: NGOS URGE GREATER EFFORTS TO ADVANCE ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS

ALRC AT THE UN, CHR 57th Session - 2001, Commission on Human Rights, documents, press releases, World April 3, 2001August 25, 2015 admin 0 Comments

United Nations Press Release Commission on Human Rights 57th session 3 April 2001 Evening Commission on Human Rights Hears Pleas for Debt Relief, Action to End Extreme Poverty Non-governmental organizations speaking before the Commission on Human Rights this evening pressed such issues as debt relief for poor nations, rural land reform, and greater efforts to reduce extreme poverty as they commented on the status of economic, social and cultural rights around the world. The International Movement ATD Fourth World said extreme poverty amounted to a violation of all human rights and contended that there was a need for a new definition of poverty, as existing standards did not refer directly […]

Item 9: Question of the violence of human rights and fundamental freedoms in any part of the world

ALRC AT THE UN, CHR 57th Session - 2001, Commission on Human Rights, documents, Oral Statements March 29, 2001August 25, 2015 admin 0 Comments

(Note: The following oral presentation was made by Tina Johannesen on March 29, 2001, at the 24th meeting of the 57th session of the UNCHR.) Presented by: Ms. Tina Johannesen Mr. Chairman, I speak on behalf of the Asian Legal Resource Centre. Recently the attorney general of India stated, “It is undeniable that, despite constitutional and legal provisions, caste-based discrimination in our country persists and is pervasive and strong effective measures are needed to stamp out this evil” (Times of India, March 15, 2001, Letters section). The purpose of this submission is to look at what measures are necessary to stamp out this evil. The admission of the evil nature […]

Item 9: QUESTION OF THE VIOLENCE OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS IN ANY PART OF THE WORLD

ALRC AT THE UN, CHR 57th Session - 2001, Commission on Human Rights, documents, press releases, World March 29, 2001August 25, 2015 admin 0 Comments

United Nations Press Release Commission on Human Rights 57th session 29 March 2001 Evening and Night Commission on Human Rights Continues Discussion of Question of Violations Anywhere in World The High Commissioner for Human Rights and Special Rapporteurs and Representatives gave summations this evening of situations in Chechnya, Iran, the Former Yugoslavia, Burundi, Rwanda and Iraq as the Commission on Human Rights carried on with its annual debate on the question of the violation of fundamental rights and freedoms anywhere in the world. The agenda item, annually one of the Commission’s most contentious, also was addressed by a long series of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) during the extended meeting which concluded […]

Item 6: Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and all forms of discrimination

ALRC AT THE UN, CHR 57th Session - 2001, Commission on Human Rights, documents, Oral Statements March 26, 2001August 25, 2015 admin 0 Comments

DISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF OCCUPATION AND DESCENT Joint statement by Lutheran World Federation and Asian Legal Resource Centre (Note: Following statement was made by Aishya Prakash as a joint statement of Lutheran World Federation and the Asian Legal Resource Centre on the 26 March 2001 during the 13th Meeting of the 57th Session of the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland) Mr. Chairman, Already in 1996, whilst commenting on India’s report, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination made it clear that “the term ‘descent’ mentioned in article 1 of the Convention [on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination] does not solely refer to race.” […]