International human rights mechanisms

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is writing to you concerning the dramatic and rapidly worsening events in Myanmar of the last few weeks, about which you are fully aware. Many persons around the world maintain that Myanmar’s neighbours are largely responsible for the propping up of its military dictatorship, which but for the Association […]

Sri Lanka’s Deputy Solicitor General Savindra Fernando has been quoted in the local press as stating that Sri Lanka has often been bullied into signing United Nations (UN) conventions. He was speaking during celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Additional Protocol to the Geneva Convention. Such international instruments on human rights […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has previously informed you through several appeals regarding the case of Ms. Rizana Nafeek who is facing the death sentence by beheading in Saudi Arabia and who has now succeed in filing an appeal before the Supreme Court in Saudi Arabia with the help of several financial […]

Today, 17 July 2007, international communities who always strive for justice and fight against impunity celebrate the World Day for International Justice. The communities that consist of victims, human rights defenders and countries that care about this commemorate the adoption of the Rome Statute – ICC which symbolizes the establishment of an independent legal institution […]

The adoption of on the President’s text is an important achievement. We thank Ambassador de Alba and congratulate him on his untiring efforts over the last year to bring the Council to this point. Without him the Council could not be where it is today. We also pay tribute to the Facilitators and many others […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 18, 2007 ALRC-OL-001-2007 An Open Letter to the UN Working Group on enforced and involuntary disappearances Mr. Santiago Corcuera Chairperson Working Group on enforced and involuntary disappearances OHCHR-UNOG 8-14 Avenue de la Paix 1211 Geneva 10 SWITZERLAND Fax:   +41 22 917-9006 Dear Mr Santiago Corcuera ASIA: When is an enforced disappearance […]

(Note: We are reproducing the report published on June 14 2007 by the International Crisis Group. The Executive Summary and Recommendations follow below). ____________ *INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP – NEW REPORT* Colombo/Brussels, 14 June 2007: The international community must press the warring sides for urgent action to address wide-spread human rights abuses in Sri Lanka as […]

Thank you for your reply of 30 March 2007 to the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) concerning the case of Somphon Dechanuphap and three others. As we informed you, the case has been going on in a court of first instance in Bangkok for 14 years and has so far been heard by a total […]

FORUM-ASIA has joined with the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies, Amnesty International (AI), the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT), the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE), Franciscans International, Human Rights Watch, the International Commission of Jurists, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), The International Service for Human Rights […]

Indonesia signed the International Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment on the 23 October 1985 and ratified it on the 28 October I 998 by the Law No. 5/1998. Since its ratification, there have been numerous calls by the CAT Committee- for instance in its “Concluding Observations: Indonesia” (01/11/2002. […]

[NOTICE: The AHRC have developed a new automatic letter-sending system using the “button” below. However, in this appeal, we could not include e-mail addresses of some of the Cambodian authorities. We encourage you to send your appeal letters via fax or post to those people. Fax numbers and postal addresses of the Cambodian authorities are […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) writes to inform you about the prolonged detention of two farmers in Davao Oriental province, the Philippines. Both of them have been detained for almost three years without any progress in their case because the prosecution witnesses failed to appear in court on six occasions. One of […]

29 November 2006 Geneva The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) today called on member states of the United Nations Human Rights Council to closely scrutinise the human rights situation in Sri Lanka and renewed its call for the establishment of a fully-fledged human rights operation in the country. There is little neutral space left in […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  AS-284-2006 November 11, 2006 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission  SRI LANKA:  Only international human rights monitoring can ensure credible inquiries into the death of Nadarajah Raviraj and others The killing of Nadarajah Raviraj, a vocal advocate for a peaceful and democratic solution to the ‘ethnic conflict’ and a Member […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AS-275-2006 November 06, 2006   A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission   INDONESIA: Refusal to cooperate with United Nations human rights mechanisms in investigation of Munir’s death     The wife of celebrated human rights defender Munir Said Thalib, who was poisoned and died on September 7, 2004 under highly […]

The statement: We reproduce below European Parliamentarian Sajjad Karim’s questions to the European Commissioner for External Relations and her response dated 12 October 2006. The questions address the need for international human rights monitoring. Editor – SLDF Newswire www.lankademocracy.org http://sajjadkarim.org.uk/pages/PQs2.html WRITTEN QUESTION E-3722/06 by Sajjad Karim (ALDE) to the Commission Subject: International monitoring mission for […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission yesterday (October 9, 2006) wrote to Ms. Louise Arbour, High Commissioner for Human Rights and Ms. Hanna Roberts, Chairperson, International Executive Committee, Amnesty International with regard to the statement made by the head of Sri Lanka’s delegation to the Second Session of the Human Rights Council, about a suggestion made […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes to bring to the notice of the international donors that no progress of any sort can be made in any area of life in Cambodia until the country’s government gives up its deliberate rejection of the concept of a state governed by rule of law, which has been central […]

As the second session of the UN Human Rights Council moves into its final phase, we the undersigned civil society organizations and individuals dedicated to principles of human rights, peace and democracy in Sri Lanka, await an outcome that will reaffirm the call of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Special Rapporteur on Extra-Judicial, Summary and […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission is concerned about the negative response of the Sri Lankan government to international requests for the establishment of an independent international human rights monitoring mission in Sri Lanka and are dismayed that what is offered instead is a local Presidential Commission with the possibility of some international observers being allowed […]