INDONESIA: Blasphemy law should be repealed to show Indonesia’s commitment to the protection of freedom of expression

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 7, 2012 ALRC-CWS-20-04-2012 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Twentieth session, Agenda Item 3, Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status INDONESIA: Blasphemy law should be repealed to show Indonesia’s commitment to the protection of freedom of expression The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) wishes to bring the attention of the Human Rights Council (HRC) to violations of the right to the freedom of expression and opinion that are being engendered through the use of Indonesia’s legal provisions prohibiting blasphemy. Religious blasphemy is prohibited in […]

THAILAND: Dehumanization and death in custody of a Thai citizen accused of lese majesty: The case of Amphon Tangnoppakul

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 14, 2012 ALRC-CWS-20-09-2012 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Twentieth session, Agenda Item 4, General Debate A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status THAILAND: Dehumanization and death in custody of a Thai citizen accused of lese majesty: The case of Amphon Tangnoppakul On 8 May 2012, Mr. Amphon Tangnoppakul (also known to his family as “Ah Kong” or “grandfather,” and to the public as “Uncle SMS”), a 61-year-old man, was found dead in prison custody. At the time of his death, Amphon was serving a 20-year sentence received upon being convicted of four violations under […]

INDONESIA: The Indonesian Government must take action to address serious violations of the freedoms of assembly and expression in the Papuan provinces

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 13, 2012 ALRC-CWS-20-08-2012 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Twentieth session, Agenda Item 3, Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status INDONESIA: The Indonesian Government must take action to address serious violations of the freedoms of assembly and expression in the Papuan provinces INDONESIA: The Indonesian Government must take action to address serious violations of the freedoms of assembly and expression in the Papuan provinces INDONESIA: The Indonesian Government must take action to address serious violations of the freedoms of assembly and expression in the […]

PAKISTAN: Human Rights Council urged to act concerning pattern of extra-judicial killings and violations of freedom of expression in Pakistan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 12, 2012 ALRC-CWS-20-07-2012 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Twentieth session, Agenda Item 3, Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression and Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial killings A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status PAKISTAN: Human Rights Council urged to act concerning pattern of extra-judicial killings and violations of freedom of expression in Pakistan The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) urges the members of the Human Rights Council (HRC) and the body’s Special Procedures to intervene with the government of Pakistan (GoP) concerning the grave and widespread human rights violations taking place […]

THAILAND: Freedom of expression under attack

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 11, 2012 ALRC-CWS-20-06-2012 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Twentieth session, Agenda Item 3, Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status THAILAND: Freedom of expression under attack The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) wishes to bring the crisis of freedom of expression in Thailand to the attention of the Human Rights Council. This statement is the third on this topic that the ALRC has submitted to the Council since May 2011. During the seventeenth session of the Council in May 2011, the ALRC highlighted the […]

MYANMAR: Torture, forced confession and a death sentence in Myanmar: the case of Phyo Wai Aung

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 8, 2012 ALRC-CWS-20-05-2012 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Twentieth session, Agenda Item 4, General Debate A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status MYANMAR: Torture, forced confession and a death sentence in Myanmar: the case of Phyo Wai Aung On 8 May 2012, a judge in Yangon sentenced young engineer Phyo Wai Aung to death for his alleged involvement in a bombing attack in 2010 that killed 10 people and injured scores. His trial began on 30 June 2010, when Myanmar was still under a military junta. Since then, many important social and political changes […]

MYANMAR: Myanmar at risk of land-grabbing epidemic

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 6, 2012 ALRC-CWS-20-03-2012 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Twentieth session, Agenda Item 4, General Debate A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status MYANMAR: Myanmar at risk of land-grabbing epidemic In a written statement during its September 2011 session, the Asian Legal Resource Centre alerted the Human Rights Council to the dangers posed to the rights of people in Myanmar by the convergence of military, business and administrative interests in new projects aimed at displacing cultivators and residents from their farms and homes. At that time, the Centre wrote that whereas seizure of land has […]

NEPAL: Human Rights Council urged to ensure ongoing monitoring and action concerning Nepal’s increasingly precarious human rights situation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 5, 2012 ALRC-CWS-20-02-2012 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Twentieth session, Agenda Item 4, General Debate A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status NEPAL: Human Rights Council urged to ensure ongoing monitoring and action concerning Nepal’s increasingly precarious human rights situation The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) and Advocacy Forum (AF) would like to draw the attention of the Human Rights Council to serious political developments in Nepal that risk engendering an acute human rights crisis in the country, which until recently hosted an Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) country office. […]

NEPAL: Human Rights Council urged to ensure ongoing monitoring and action concerning Nepal’s increasingly precarious human rights situation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 5, 2012 ALRC-CWS-20-02-2012 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Twentieth session, Agenda Item 4, General Debate A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status NEPAL: Human Rights Council urged to ensure ongoing monitoring and action concerning Nepal’s increasingly precarious human rights situation The Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) and Advocacy Forum (AF) would like to draw the attention of the Human Rights Council to serious political developments in Nepal that risk engendering an acute human rights crisis in the country, which until recently hosted an Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) country office. […]

MYANMAR: Justice trade obstructing human rights in Myanmar

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 4, 2012 ALRC-CWS-20-01-2012 Language(s): English only HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Twentieth session, Agenda Item 4, General Debate A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status MYANMAR: Justice trade obstructing human rights in Myanmar The Asian Legal Resource Centre has in numerous previous written statements submitted to the Human Rights Council and to its predecessor described how the politicization and decrepitude of Myanmar’s courts, policing and prosecution agencies are major obstacles to the enjoyment of basic human rights in the country. In the last year, as political conditions have begun to change, many organizations and concerned individuals have […]