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 […]

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 […]