FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRESS RELEASE ALRC-PRL-002-2011 A Press Release by the Asian Legal Resource Centre BURMA/ MYANMAR: ALRC endorses call on rule of law (Hong Kong, April 29, 2011) The Asian Legal Resource Centre has strongly endorsed the contents of a letter by the National League for Democracy to Burma’s president calling for action on the rule of law. In a statement released on Monday, the NLD said that its deputy chairperson, U Tin Oo, had sent a letter to the new president, U Thein Sein, on April 5 in which he said that since the sitting of a new parliament in January up to now there had been no […]
Tag: Countries
EGYPT: Global civil society condemns abuses, calls for democratic reform and elections
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ALRC-STM-003-2011 February 2, 2011 A Joint Statement by a global civil society actors, including the Asian Legal Resource Centre EGYPT: Global civil society condemns abuses, calls for democratic reform and elections 1 February, 2011 We, civil society organizations from across the world, strongly urge all governments, as well as regional and international organizations, to clearly and unequivocally denounce the ongoing violent crackdown against the public protests and demands for democratic reform and government accountability that have been occurring across Egypt since the 25th of January. The Egyptian government has responded to protests with excessive force. This has included wide-spread use of beatings, arbitrary detentions and the use […]
NEPAL: Nepal urged to accept and implement UPR recommendations and end impunity
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ALRC-STM-002-2011 January 27, 2011 A Statement by the Asian Legal Resource Centre NEPAL: Nepal urged to accept and implement UPR recommendations and end impunity (Hong Kong, January 27, 2011) On Tuesday, Nepal’s human rights record was reviewed for the first time under the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The UPR process was established by the UN General Assembly on 15 March 2006 through resolution 60/251 to “review the fulfilment by each State of its human rights obligations and commitments.” The procedure assessed Nepal’s compliance with its international obligations to protect and promote human rights. The UPR review, which represents an important opportunity […]
BURMA/ MYANMAR: Regional group urges U.N. experts on torture case
BURMA/ MYANMAR: Regional group urges U.N. experts on torture case FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRESS RELEASE ALRC-PRL-001-2011 A Press Release by the Asian Legal Resource Centre BURMA: Regional group urges U.N. experts on torture case (Hong Kong, January 5, 2010) The Asian Legal Resource Centre has urged a group of United Nations human rights specialists “to operate to their fullest possible capacity” in the interests of a young man being tried in Burma’s central prison, who has alleged that he was severely tortured to confess to a crime that he did not commit. In a letter sent yesterday, January 4, the Hong Kong-based regional rights group reminded a number of U.N. […]
INDIA: Judicial transparency is not an act of charity
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ALRC-STM-001-2011 January 4, 2011 A Statement by the Asian Legal Resource Centre INDIA: Judicial transparency is not an act of charity The Indian judiciary is once again in the news and this time too it is for appalling reasons. The national and regional media have been reporting in the past two weeks regarding the disproportionate wealth between the declared and known incomes, of some of the close relatives of the former Chief Justice of India, Justice K. G. Balakrishnan. The reports allege that this wealth was amassed in the past four years, during which Justice Balakrishnan served as the Chief Justice of the country. The fact that […]
BURMA/MYANMAR: Dossier of torture cases submitted to U.N. experts
BURMA/MYANMAR: Dossier of torture cases submitted to U.N. experts 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 extreme torture and arbitrary detention in Myanmar (Burma)”, details the cases of Phyo Wai Aung, Nyi Nyi Htun and Than Myint Aung at the hands of special units attached to the Rangoon Divisional […]
INDIA: Is Justice Balakrishnan holding a devil’s brief?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 30, 2010 ALRC-STM-004-2010 A Statement by the Asian Legal Resource Centre INDIA: Is Justice Balakrishnan holding a devil’s brief? The opinion expressed by Justice K. G. Balakrishnan on encounter killings – a euphemism for extrajudicial executions in India – that ‘encounter killings’ are sometimes unavoidable is condemnable. That the former Chief Justice of India, now heads the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), paints a depressing picture for the victims of extrajudicial executions since the Chairperson has spoken his mind. Addressing the press earlier this week, Justice Balakrishnan said that “… encounters are unavoidable sometimes … the law and order problem is increasing. Criminals are taking law into […]
INDIA: Ignorance and pretence underscored in the new law
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ALRC-STM-003-2010 July 28, 2010 A Statement by the Asian Legal Resource Centre INDIA: Ignorance and pretence underscored in the new law Over the past two years, India has been attempting to address problems adversely affecting its law enforcement agencies. These efforts, all of them initiated by the government, unfortunately are not capable of tackling the central issue concerning law enforcement — the question of torture. Use of torture is endemic in India. The police consider torture as an effective and thus essential tool for crime investigation and to maintain control over the people. The appreciation for torture among the rank and file of the law enforcement officers […]
INDIA: AFSPA promotes armed insurgency in Manipur
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 26, 2010 ALRC-STM-002-2010 A Statement by the Asian Legal Resource Centre INDIA: AFSPA promotes armed insurgency in Manipur On 5 November 2010, Ms. Irom Chanu Sharmila, a Manipuri poet and human rights defender, will complete ten years of her indefinite hunger strike in Imphal, Manipur state. Sharmila started her fast on 5 November 2000, three days after the Malom massacre in Manipur. On that day, the Assam Rifles, a paramilitary unit stationed in the state, killed 10 civilians including women and children in an inhuman and vengeful act of retaliation, responding to an earlier ambush staged by the armed insurgents against the Assam Rifles. A decade since the […]
INDIA: Conscientious review required on the draft law against torture
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 21, 2010 ALRC-STM-001-2010 A Statement by the Asian Legal Resource Centre INDIA: Conscientious review required on the draft law against torture The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) and the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) welcomes the passing of the Prevention of Torture Bill 2010 by the Lok Sabha. The Bill to become a law will require it to be passed by the Rajya Sabha, before it is send to the President of India for assent. The ALRC is of the opinion that widespread practice of torture is the central deficit of India’s democracy. The AHRC’s review of the Bill is entitled Public debates required for a […]