Asian NGOs question independence of national human rights institutions in parallel reports
3 March 2009 4:36 am

The Asian NGOs Network on National Institutions (ANNI) submitted reports to the Sub-Committee on Accreditation of the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights on 25 February 2009. Their reports are parallel to the meeting of the Sub-Committee, which will be held from 26-30 March 2009 in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss the application for reaccreditation of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, as well conduct a special review of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM). 

In 2007, the International Coordinating Committee downgraded the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka to "B" status. It was observed that the commission "did not take measures to ensure its independent character and political objectivity, as required by the Paris Principles". The committee also expected the commission, which operates in a state of emergency, to "conduct itself with a heightened sense of vigilance and independence in the exercise of its mandate".

The Sub-Committee on Accreditation informed the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) last year its intention to downgrade it to "B" status, giving one year for the SUHAKAM to prove its conformity with the Paris Principles. It also recommended the commission to strengthen its independence by providing "clear and transparent appointment and dismissal processes in the founding legal documents", and to ensure the "representation of different segments of society and their involvement in suggesting or recommending candidates to the governing body of the Commission". The committee also expressed concern over its members' term, which is two years.

National human rights commissions are a part of domestic human rights protection mechanisms established by governments. They function independently in accordance with the "Paris Principles", a set of minimum standards adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993. Their major mandate includes investigation into human rights violations and human rights education, as well as policy recommendations on human rights issues.

Reports of the Asian NGOs Network on National Institutions are a part of its work in helping the development and establishment of national human rights institutions in Asia: independent, accountable, transparent and effective.
 
To read the report on the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, please click here.