Indonesia’s Supreme Court has decided to overturn the guilty verdict of spy-cum-pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto of premeditated conspiracy to murder prominent human rights defender Munir Said Thalib in September 2004. The move by the court could be another setback for Indonesia’s weak judicial system and further tarnish efforts by the administration of Indonesian president Susilo [ Read more ]

FORUM-ASIA strongly condemns the Singapore government’s detention and deportations of civil society activists during the recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank annual meetings in the country. The harsh and intimidating treatment of activists and speakers from civil society organisations, as well as the denial of fundamental freedom of expression, is a cause for [ Read more ]

Cambodia's international donors must hold the country's government to its commitments to protect human rights, fight corruption, and ensure the protection of land and natural resources, said a group of five leading international organisations from Asia, Europe and the United States.Cambodia's international donors must hold the country's government to its commitments to protect human rights, [ Read more ]

In a statement issued today, 26 Sri Lankan civil society groups, including FORUM-ASIA members INFORM and Law and Society Trust, reiterated their calls for the UN Human Rights Council to take decisive action to address the grave humanitarian and human rights crisis in Sri Lanka, highlighting serious violations such as the killing of civilians, abductions, [ Read more ]

In a statement issued today, 26 Sri Lankan civil society groups, including FORUM-ASIA members INFORM and Law and Society Trust, reiterated their calls for the UN Human Rights Council to take decisive action to address the grave humanitarian and human rights crisis in Sri Lanka, highlighting serious violations such as the killing of civilians, abductions, [ Read more ]

Sri Lanka was placed high on the agenda at the opening session of the UN’s premier human rights body, as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concern about “grave breaches of international human rights and humanitarian law” in Sri Lanka, while regional and international human rights groups called for an independent international human [ Read more ]

APWLD and FORUM-ASIA share concerns expressed by United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions and concurs about his recommendation regarding the need for an international human rights monitoring mission in Sri Lanka, to address the rising number of extrajudicial killings and the grave human rights and humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka. Both also expressed their [ Read more ]

The NGOs' submission to the UN Human Rights Council bemoans the continued lack of independence of the judiciary and the legislature in Cambodia, and highlights several repressive new laws likely to be used to target opposition politicians or other government critics. These include a law which – contrary to Cambodia's Constitution – makes it illegal [ Read more ]

FORUM-ASIA strongly condemns the actions of the Singapore government in deporting a number of civil society activists when they arrived in the country earlier this week. About 30 activists were deported from Singapore when they attempted to enter the country to participate in activities related to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank meetings.FORUM-ASIA [ Read more ]

FORUM-ASIA has signed a boycott of the IMF-World Bank meetings in Singapore. The call for the boycott comes in response to the announcements last week that a number of civil society organisation representatives will not be allowed to enter the IMF-World Bank meetings in that country, and to the failed effort by the Singapore government [ Read more ]