Joint Statement – 13/06/2016 – For a Thai version of this statement, please click here. We, the undersigned civil society groups, are gravely concerned about the legal action taken by the Royal Thai Army for criminal defamation and Computer Crimes Act violations against Woman Human Rights Defenders (WHRD) Ms. Pornpen Khongkachonkiet, Ms. Anchana Heemmina, and [ Read more ]

(Bangkok/Kathmandu, 26 May 2016)– The arbitrary arrest of Shesh Narayan Jha on 23 May, while he was carrying out his professional duties as a journalist, is a flagrant violation of his human rights and a serious attack on press freedoms in Nepal, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) said today. FORUM-ASIA calls [ Read more ]

(Bangkok/Kathmandu, 25 May 2016) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) is deeply concerned about the notice served to Odhikar, a member organisation of FORUM-ASIA in Bangladesh, by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in a manner aimed to intimidate and humiliate Odhikar. The notice was issued on 18 May 2016 under sections 19 [ Read more ]

2016 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights awardee, Maria Chin Abdullah was not allowed to travel to South Korea. The Malaysian authorities should stop arbitrary travel ban on the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (Bersih) democracy activists who have been calling on free and fair elections and democracy in Malaysia. On 15 May 2016, Malaysian [ Read more ]

(Bangkok, 11 May 2016) – The assassination of human rights defender Khurram Zaki is a big loss for the human rights movement in Pakistan and a grim reminder of the extremely difficult conditions human rights defenders face in the country, says the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) today. FORUM-ASIA calls on Pakistani [ Read more ]

(Bangkok, 3 May 2016) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) joins the international community today in commemorating World Press Freedom Day (WPFD). FORUM-ASIA values freedom of the press as a key component of democratic governance and the vital role of free and independent press as a key ally in the promotion [ Read more ]

( 2 May 2016) – We, the undersigned human rights and other civil society organisations, condemn in the strongest terms the politically-motivated charging of six human rights defenders from a Cambodian human rights group, the country’s National Election Committee (NEC) and the United Nation’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNOHCHR). The targeting [ Read more ]

(Bangkok, 5 April 2016) – Thailand must immediately revoke National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) Order 13/2016 which confers sweeping powers on the Royal Thai Armed Forces in contravention of human rights and the rule of law, said the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), Human Rights Watch (HRW), Amnesty International (AI), Asian Forum for [ Read more ]

(Bangkok, 30 March 2016) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) strongly condemns the fatal attack against civilians, mostly women and children, at Gulshan-e-Iqbal Parkin Lahore, Pakistan on 27 March 2016. Media has reported that at least 72 people were killed, including 29 children, and over 340 were injured. Many are in [ Read more ]

We Demand Justice for Berta and Call on the Honduran Government and the International Community to Stop Violence against Women Human Rights Defenders “I have been persecuted not just for political leadership but also for being a woman, for being Lenca. In this country it’s not the same being a male leader and being a [ Read more ]