April 4, 2022 – We, the undersigned organisations, remain deeply concerned about Cambodia’s failure to conduct a thorough, independent, transparent, and effective investigation into the suspected enforced disappearance of Thai activist Wanchalearm Satsaksit and the resulting impunity. As the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) prepares for a preliminary review of the situation of enforced disappearances in [ Read more ]

Bangladesh authorities have responded to US Treasury Department sanctions on the notoriously abusive Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) by retaliating against victims’ relatives, human rights defenders and their families, and human rights organizations, twelve organizations said today. The US imposed the sanctions on the paramilitary unit and several of its current and former officials on December [ Read more ]

49th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council Item 10: General debate on technical assistance and capacity-building – General Debate    Delivered by Ahmed Adam On behalf of Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation  March 2022    Mr. President, The Joint Programme on human [ Read more ]

49th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council Item 10: Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia (oral update) Delivered by Ahmed Adam On behalf of Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) 29 March 2022    Madam Vice President, We welcome the Special Rapporteur’s [ Read more ]

49th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council Item 4: General Debate on human rights situations that require the Council’s attention Delivered by Ahmed Adam On behalf of Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) 21 March 2022   Mr. President, We draw the Council’s attention to the deteriorating human rights situations in [ Read more ]

29 March 2022 Civil Society Organisations welcome US determination of genocide against Rohingya Myanmar military leadership must be prosecuted Though it comes far too late, the decision of the US government to finally formally determine that the violence perpetrated by the Myanmar military against the Rohingya in 2017 in Rakhine State amounts to genocide and [ Read more ]

(Bangkok/Jakarta, 25 March 2022) – Human rights groups the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS), and 23 organisations condemn the judicial harassment of human rights defenders Haris Azhar and Fatia Maulidiyanti. ‘We call on the police to put an end to the judicial [ Read more ]

Bangladesh: The Government must amend the National Human Rights Commission Act 2009, with a view to broadening its mandate to protect and promote human rights (Bangkok/Kathmandu, 25 March 2022) – The Asian NGO Network on National Human Rights Institutions (ANNI) urges the Government of Bangladesh to take immediate measures to amend the National Human Rights [ Read more ]

49th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council Item 6: Adoption of the Universal Periodic Review outcomes of Thailand   Delivered by Ahmed Adam On behalf of Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation 23 March 2022      We note that Thailand has accepted [ Read more ]

49th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council Item 4: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar Delivered by Khin Ohmar On behalf of Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) 21 March 2022    Mr. President, We welcome the Special Rapporteur’s report as well [ Read more ]