Honorable Dinesh Gunawardena Minister of Foreign Affairs, Skills Development and Employment and Labour Relations Mehavara Piyasa Colombo 05 Honorable Minister, Proposals to ensure employee rights and wellbeing within the COVID 19 pandemic disaster situation and recovery process           As the labour unions and organizations that represent the export processing zone employees, firstly we wish to thank [ Read more ]

43rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council Item 3 – Interactive Dialogue with the SR on Freedom of Religion and Belief 3 March 2020 Delivered by Budi Tjahjono – Franciscans International Madam President, We welcome the Special Rapporteur’s report on Sri Lanka. We wish to highlight continuing attacks on freedom of religion and belief, [ Read more ]

Joint Oral Statement: 43rd session of the Human Rights Council Item 2: General Debate on reports and oral updates of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General   28 February 2020 Madam President, We are deeply concerned by indicators of a significant backsliding on human rights in Sri Lanka, underscored by the government using their address [ Read more ]

Date: Friday, 28 February 2020 Time: 13.00 – 14.00 (Geneva Time) Venue: Room XXIII, Palais des Nations

Ekneligoda disappearance:10 years struggle for truth and justice By Ruki Fernando from our member INFORM Human Rights Documentation Centre Today, 10th January 2020, is 10 years since the disappearance of journalist and cartoonist Prageeth Ekneligoda. It also marks 10 years of struggle for truth and justice by his wife, Sandya Ekneligoda and two young sons. Investigative reports [ Read more ]

For this month’s e-newsletter, FORUM-ASIA talked with Sakuntala Kadirgamar, Executive Director of Law & Society Trust (LST), a member of FORUM-ASIA in Sri Lanka. In this interview, Sakuntala shares with us her experiences as a human rights advocate working in a conflict-torn country, and her belief in human rights and people’s power. How did you [ Read more ]

(Kathmandu/Bangkok, 2 July 2019) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) strongly denounces Sri Lanka’s intention to reinstate the death penalty, as announced earlier this year by President, Maithripala Sirisena. Last Wednesday, on 26 June, he announced that he had signed the warrants for the execution of four convicted drug offenders. While [ Read more ]

41st Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council Joint Oral Statement: General Debate Item 2 Oral update by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights 25 June 2019 Delivered by Fr Ashok Stephen OMI – Franciscans International Thank you Mr.  President, Franciscans International, International Movement against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR) [ Read more ]

We, the undersigned organisations, write with concern for the safety of refugees and asylum seekers in Sri Lanka in the wake of the Easter Sunday attacks. Over 250 people were killed, and hundreds injured in the Easter Sunday attacks on April 21, 2019. We condemn these attacks and call upon the authorities in Sri Lanka [ Read more ]

(Bangkok/Kathmandu, 10 April 2019) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) strongly condemns the arrest of award-winning, Sri Lankan novelist, Shakthika Sathkumara for writing a story about homosexuality and child abuse in the Buddhist clergy in Sri Lanka. Shakthika has been charged with inciting religious hatred and violating international human rights law [ Read more ]