In response to the Indian Supreme Court restoring the ‘guilt by association’ doctrine in criminal jurisprudence: FORUM-ASIA condemns the recent judgement by India’s apex court restoring the doctrine of  “guilt by association”. As per the new ruling, mere membership of a banned organisation will be a crime under India’s repressive anti-terror law: the Unlawful Activities [ Read more ]

(Bangkok/Kathmandu – 30 March 2023) –  The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) is gravely concerned by the arrest of Kashmiri human rights defenders Irfan Mehraj and Khurram Parvez by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA). Their arrest is the latest instance of continued reprisals against human rights defenders, including journalists, in Indian-Administered Kashmir. [ Read more ]

52nd regular session of the UN Human Rights Council Item 6: Adoption of the Universal Periodic Outcomes of India   Statement delivered by Ahmed Adam On behalf of Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH), International Service for Human Rights, CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation and World [ Read more ]

52nd regular session of the UN Human Rights Council Item 4: General debate on the human rights situations that require the Council’s attention Joint oral statement delivered by Ahmed Adam On behalf of Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), Amnesty International, CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, Human Rights Watch, International Federation for [ Read more ]

(Bangkok/Kathmandu, 6 February 2022) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) strongly condemns the Indian government’s ban on the BBC documentary “The Modi Question.” The film explores Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role during the 2002 Gujarat Riots. This ban is a continuation of the unprecedented attacks on the freedom of speech and [ Read more ]

Paris-Geneva, November 22, 2022 – On the first-year anniversary of prominent Kashmiri human rights defender Khurram Parvez’s arrest and detention, four human rights organisations have submitted a complaint to the United Nations (UN) Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. “The detention of Khurram Parvez carries all the signs of an arbitrary detention in clear breach of [ Read more ]

The undersigned organisations call for the immediate and unconditional release of Kashmiri human rights defender Khurram Parvez, who was arrested one year ago on November 22, 2021 on politically motivated terrorism and other charges. Parvez, the Coordinator of the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) and Chairperson of the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances [ Read more ]

To Shri Narendra Modi Prime Minister of India [email protected]; [email protected]   Request for your immediate intervention against the illegal and forceful land acquisition and criminalisation of human rights defenders in Jagatsinghpur District, Odisha, India Your Excellency, We, the undersigned human rights organisations are writing to express our grave concern regarding ongoing numerous violations of human and [ Read more ]

  51st 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), International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), World Organisation against Torture (OMCT), CIVICUS – World Alliance for [ Read more ]

The joint European Union (EU)-India press release, which provides a summary of the topics  discussed during the 10th EU-India human rights dialogue which took place on 15 July 2022 in New Delhi, fails to adequately address pressing issues of security and reprisals faced by human rights defenders in India, five human rights organizations said today. [ Read more ]