Category: World

Implementing article 2 of the ICCPR to ensure effective remedies for human rights violations in Asia

ALRC AT THE UN, Asia, CHR 58th Session - 2002, Commission on Human Rights, documents, World, Written Submissions March 4, 2002August 25, 2015 admin 0 Comments

Item 09: QUESTION OF VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS IN ANY PART OF THE WORLD 3. Implementing article 2 of the ICCPR to ensure effective remedies for human rights violations in Asia Link to UNCHR COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS Fifty-eighth Session Item 9 of the Provisional Agenda QUESTION OF VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS IN ANY PART OF THE WORLD Written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organization with general consultative status Implementing article 2 of the ICCPR to ensure effective remedies for human rights violations in Asia 1. Failure to ensure effective remedies for violations of human rights is itself […]

Caste Discrimination in Asia

ALRC AT THE UN, Asia, CHR 58th Session - 2002, Commission on Human Rights, documents, World, Written Submissions March 4, 2002August 25, 2015 admin 0 Comments

Item 06: RACISM, RACIAL DISCRIMINATION, XENOPHOBIA AND ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION 2. Caste Discrimination in Asia Link to UNCHR COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS Fifty-eighth Session Item 6 of the Provisional Agenda RACISM, RACIAL DISCRIMINATION, XENOPHOBIA AND ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION Written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organization with general consultative status Caste Discrimination in Asia 1. Caste-based discrimination, which takes place in a number of parts of the world, stipulates unequal social status based on birth. The largest segment of people discriminated by caste are in South Asia, but the Buraku people of Japan are treated similarly. Despite many condemnations of caste, it remains […]

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: 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, 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: NGOS SPEAKING BEFORE COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS DECRY RACISM AND VOICE HOPES FOR UPCOMING WORLD CONFERENCE

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

United Nations Press Release Commission on Human Rights 57th session 26 March 2001 Evening A series of non-governmental organzations (NGOs) spoke before the Commission on Human Rights this evening on issues of racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia, lamenting that such problems continued around the world and offering suggestions and in some cases criticism of the upcoming World Conference against Racism. AISHYA PRAKASH, of Lutheran World Federation [in a joint statment with the Asian Legal Resource Centre] [addition by ALRC], said that already in 1996, while commenting on India’s report, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) had made it clear that the term “descent” mentioned in article 1 […]

Lack of legal and institutional remedies for violence against women in Asia

ALRC AT THE UN, Asia, CHR 57th Session - 2001, Commission on Human Rights, documents, World, Written Submissions January 30, 2001August 25, 2015 admin 0 Comments

Item 12(a): INTEGRATION OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF WOMEN AND THE GENDER PERSPECTIVE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN Lack of legal and institutional remedies for violence against women in Asia (E/CN.4/2001/NGO/72) Link to UNCHR (E/CN.4/2001/NGO/72) COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS Fifty-seventh Session Item 12 (a) of the Provisional Agenda INTEGRATION OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF WOMEN AND THE GENDER PERSPECTIVE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN Written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre a non-governmental organization with general consultative status Lack of legal and institutional remedies for violence against women in Asia 1. The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (1993) recognised violence against women as constituting “a violation of the rights […]

Religious Intolerance in Asia

ALRC AT THE UN, Asia, CHR 57th Session - 2001, Commission on Human Rights, documents, World, Written Submissions January 30, 2001August 25, 2015 admin 0 Comments

Item 11(e): CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS THE QUESTION OF RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE Religious Intolerance in Asia (E/CN.4/2001/NGO/71) Link to UNCHR (E/CN.4/2001/NGO/71) COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS Fifty-seventh session Item 11 (e) of the provisional agenda CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS THE QUESTION OF RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE Religious Intolerance in Asia 1. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Notwithstanding, the Asian Legal Resource Centre concurs with the Special Rapporteur that “the situation with regard to intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief is alarming” (A/55/280, paragraph 133). In the last year, Asia has witnessed a marked increase in the level of religious intolerance and overt […]