Category: Asia

ASIA: Working against torture poses threats to human rights defenders

37th Session - March 2018, ALRC AT THE UN, Asia, Commission on Human Rights, Oral Statements March 1, 2018 Admin 0 Comments

An Oral Statement to the 37th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) Mr. President. Torture and ill treatment are institutionalised in the criminal justice architecture of most Asian states and is practiced as state policy. Crime investigation often begins and ends with a confession statement for which torture is used as a tool. Impunity to torture also promotes its use by the state to silence the voices dissent. A domestic law criminalising torture or the state being party to the CAT or the membership of a state in this Council are all irrelevant in these circumstances. Asian states like Bangladesh, Sri […]

ASIA: 20th Anniversary of the Asian Charter for Human Rights; A People’s Charter – A Video Documentary

Announcements, Asia November 1, 2017November 1, 2017 Admin 0 Comments

In this short video, Mr Basil Fernando explains the preparation for updating of the Asian Charter for Human Rights – A People’s Charter which was launched in Gwangju, South Korea in May 1998. This Video explains the purpose for which this Charter was adopted, the process of consultations which led to the drafting of the Charter, the consultations held in preparation of the drafting and the final adoption. The Asian Charter was launched as a joint effort of the Asian Human Rights Commission a Regional organisation based in Hong Kong and the May 18 Memorial Foundation based in Gwangju, South Korea.  WATCH THE VIDEO HERE