(Kathmandu/ Bangkok, 25 October 2019) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASA) expresses concern over the alleged abduction of Muhammad Ismail, the father of Pashtun women human rights defender Gulalai Ismail. Muhammad Ismail was last seen being picked up by men wearing black militia dress outside Pashawar High Court yesterday.[1] Gulalai’s family [ Read more ]

23 October 2019 Maldives: Civil society groups call for better respect for civic freedoms in report to the UN Civil society groups CIVICUS and FORUM-ASIA have submitted information to the UN Human Rights Council on civic freedoms in the country ahead of its review in 2020. While welcoming the human rights improvements undertaken by the [ Read more ]

(Bangkok/Kathmandu, 22 October 2019) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASA) and the undersigned civil society organisations strongly condemn the ‘temporary’ suspension of the Maldivian Democracy Network (MDN),[1] a leading human rights organisation in the Maldives and a member of FORUM-ASIA. We call on the Government of the Maldives to immediately revoke the [ Read more ]

(15 October 2019, Bangkok) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and Asia Democracy Network (AND), on behalf of their members, express solidarity with Sevan Doraisamy, the Executive Director of Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) and Executive Committee member of FORUM-ASIA, as he faces intimidation and harassment from the Kangar Police. On 11 [ Read more ]

(Kathmandu/Bangkok, 11 October 2019) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) strongly condemns the killing of Abrar Fahad, a student of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). He was allegedly beaten to death by members of Chhatra League, the student wing of the ruling party Awami League, following his Facebook [ Read more ]

Phnom Penh, 04 October 2019 – We, the undersigned civil society organizations strongly condemn the decision by the Municipal Court judge to continue the investigation into unsubstantiated espionage charges against Yeang Sothearin and Uon Chhin. The pair were arbitrarily arrested, detained and charged for the peaceful exercise of their freedom of expression and for their [ Read more ]

  India: End communication blockade in Jammu and Kashmir without further delay Kathmandu/Bangkok/Paris/Geneva, 4 October 2019: Today completes two months of the unprecedented communication blockade in Jammu and Kashmir, India. The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), CIVICUS, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) urge [ Read more ]

(Bangkok, 3 October 2019) – The Asian NGO Network on National Human Rights Institutions (ANNI) and its members deplore the flawed selection process for the appointment of new commissioners for the National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh (NHRCB). The lack of a participatory, transparent and merit-based selection process has resulted in the selection of commissioners with [ Read more ]

HRC42: Joint end of session statement The Council reaffirmed that reprisals can never be justified. Council members rejected attempts to weaken the text including deleting the references to the roles of the Assistant Secretary-General and the Human Rights Council Presidents. The resolution listed key trends such as the patterns of reprisals, increasing self-censorship, the use [ Read more ]

  Indonesia: Government should stop abuse of power by Indonesian police (Bangkok, 27 September 2019) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), together with its members in Indonesia, the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS), the Human Rights Working Group (HRWG), the Indonesian [ Read more ]