(Bangkok/Geneva, 2 February 2021) — The UN Human Rights Council must act urgently to ensure accountability and address the deteriorating human rights situation in Sri Lanka, said the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), following the release of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights report[1] on reconciliation, accountability and human rights in [ Read more ]

Impunity is the absence of accountability and the rule of law. Impunity is defined in an international human rights instruments as the ‘impossibility, de jure or de facto, of bringing perpetrators of violations to account’, in criminal, civil, administrative or disciplinary proceedings, because such perpetrators are not made subject to inquiries that will allow them [ Read more ]

South Asian Youth for Inclusive Development: Empowering Individuals; Strengthening Communities (YIELD) was an action research that was implemented in India and Bangladesh from January 2018 to July 2020. In India, Misaal Foundation built a network of youth from minority Muslim communities and in Bangladesh, Bandhu Social Welfare Society built a network of youth from sexuality [ Read more ]

  The COVID-19 pandemic is the defining global health crisis of our time considered to be the biggest public health crisis in recent history and has presented a tremendous challenge to our societies. Globally, the pandemic has caused immense health and socio-economic problems. More than 59 million people have tested positive for the virus with [ Read more ]

The sudden rise in the number of cases of Covid-19 has caused serious community concerns. Given the devastation that is being caused by the dangerous pandemic, prevention requires even more than eternal vigilance. Anything done to create complacency among the people works in favour of the virus. The art of war against this kind of [ Read more ]

Socio-economic and psychological impact on families of PTA detainees following the Easter Sunday Attacks, Sri Lanka Introduction This research was undertaken to highlight the socio-economic impacts faced by the families of those arrested and detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).The PTA has predominately targeted men belonging to ethnic and religious minorities (Tamils and [ Read more ]

Date: 23 September 2020 To, H.E. Mr. Mohammad Haneef Atmar, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Afghanistan H.E. Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh H.E. Dr. Tandi Dorji, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Bhutan H.E Dr. S. Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, India H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, Minster of Foreign Affairs, Maldives H.E. Mr. Pradeep [ Read more ]

Sri Lanka: Human Rights Under Attack Lawyers, Human Rights Defenders and Journalists Arrested, Threatened, Intimidated 29 July 2020: The Sri Lankan government should end the targeted arrests, intimidation and threats against the lives and physical security of lawyers, activists, human rights defenders and journalists, 10 international human rights organizations said today. A campaign of fear [ Read more ]

Joint Oral Statement[1]: 44th session of the Human Rights Council Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association Delivered by Budi Tjahjono 10 July 2020 Thank you, Madam President. As the Special Rapporteur’s report demonstrates,[2] the space for Sri Lankan civil society is rapidly [ Read more ]

States’ reaction to COVID-19 will shape the discourse on human rights for years to come (Bangkok, 8 May 2020) – As COVID-19 intensifies inequalities, the way Governments respond to the pandemic now will alter and shape the human rights discourse for the years to come, experts and civil society leaders said in a webinar today. [ Read more ]