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Category: HRC46

  • Summary of FORUM-ASIA’s interventions at the 46th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC46)

    The 46th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council took place from 22 February to 23 March 2021. FORUM-ASIA’s advocacy focused on human rights situations in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Kashmir and the Philippines. It also engaged in discussions on the topic of reprisals in several other Asian countries, including in West Papua, Hong Kong, India and Thailand. It also supported side events on the protection for human rights defenders in Asia, Hong Kong democracy and human rights, hate speech against minorities in South Asia and the impact of online caste-hate speech.

     

    Important step forward in the pursuit of accountability in Sri Lanka

    The resolution of the 46th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council on promoting accountability, reconciliation and human rights in Sri Lanka marks a modest yet an important milestone in the quest for accountability in Sri Lanka. This resolution – the first after the Sri Lankan government’s withdrawal of support for the resolution 30/1 which outlines the commitments of both the government and the Council for accountability, reconciliation and human rights in Sri Lanka – paves the way forward towards accountability in absence of the government’s support.

    The resolution, in a crucial step forward, aims to strengthen the capacity of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) “to collect, consolidate, analyse and preserve information and evidence and to develop possible strategies for future accountability processes gross violations of human rights and serious violations of international humanitarian law in Sri Lanka.”

    The report follows a damning report by the High Commissioner, which pointed to trends emerging over the past year which “represent a clear and early warning signs of a deteriorating human rights situation” and set the scene for “the recurrence of the policies and practices that gave rise to grave human rights violations.” Expressing concern over these trends identified in the High Commissioner’s report, the resolution mandates enhanced monitoring and reporting to the Council by the OHCHR.

    Before the session, pointing to attempts by the government to subvert accountability, FORUM-ASIA called on the Council to act urgently on the recommendations of the High Commissioner’s report to ensure accountability and address the deteriorating human rights situation. In an oral statement during the session, FORUM-ASIA reiterated these calls drawing attention to attacks and reprisals against human rights defenders and civil society, systematic discrimination against Muslims and other minorities, and Sri Lanka’s descent towards authoritarianism with the adoption of the new amendment to the Constitution. During the session, FORUM-ASIA also supported a joint civil society call for international accountability in Sri Lanka, including by mandating the OHCHR to collect and preserve evidence, and enhance monitoring and reporting on the deteriorating situation.

    The resolution was adopted amid heightened fear of attacks and reprisals against civil society and human rights defenders who advocate international accountability in Sri Lanka. This, in particular, foregrounds the need for protection of human rights defenders, victims and survivors in the process of implementing the resolution.

     

    Global condemnation of Myanmar’s military junta

    At the 46th session, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on the situation of human rights in Myanmar by consensus. This resolution condemns the 1 February military coup, use of violence including lethal force against and killings of peaceful protestors standing up for democracy, arbitrary detention of political leaders, human rights defenders, journalists, activists, as well as violence against Rohingya and other ethnic minorities, and calls for accountability.

    Adoption of the resolution by the consensus of the Council sends an important message of global condemnation of Myanmar military’s illegitimate seizure of power from the elected civilian government, and its past and ongoing atrocities against civilians and ethnic and religious minorities including Rohingya.

    The resolution, in addition to extending the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, mandates enhanced monitoring and reporting by the Special Rapporteur and the High Commissioner on the current crisis as well as implementation of reports by the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar.

    During the session, FORUM-ASIA called for accountability for Myanmar military’s atrocities including genocide against Rohingya, and on the UN Security Council and the international community to impose global arms embargoes and targeted sanctions against the military, its businesses and associates.

    The Special Rapporteur, presenting his report to the Council, said that the military junta’s systematic and violent crackdowns on peaceful protestors could amount to crimes against humanity and called for coordinated international action against the junta.

    The global condemnation of junta reflected in statements by States during the session as well as the resolution appears to have made no impact on the ground as the junta continue to escalate its systematic violence against peaceful protestors. It is imperative that the Security Council follows up its statements and the Council’s resolutions with concrete action including arms embargoes, targeted sanctions against the military, its businesses and associates, and a delegation to Myanmar to monitor and prevent further atrocities.

     

    Spotlight on restrictions on killings of human rights defenders and shrinking civic space in Asia

    During the session, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders raised alarm at the widespread killings of human rights defenders around the world. According to the Special Rapporteur’s report to the Council, a total of 1,325 defenders have been killed in at least 64 countries, including several countries in Asia. The Special Rapporteur particularly highlighted the elevated numbers of killings in Philippines and India.

    FORUM-ASIA statement on the situation of human rights defenders during the session drew attention to how vilification and normalization of violence against defenders by state actors and through government narrative as in the Philippines fuels conditions that enable recurrence of killings. FORUM-ASIA called on the Council to pay attention to trends in violence against defenders as an important early warning sign of greater and more systematic restrictions on human rights.

    In the oral update on the global human rights situation to the Council,  the High Commissioner called attention to “serious contraction in civic space” across South East Asia. These include arbitrary detention and arrests, harassment and violence and criminal charges faced by human rights defenders, activists and journalists in Cambodia, Indonesia – including in Papua region, Philippines, Thailand, Lao PDR, and Vietnam.

    In India, the High Commissioner drew attention to the farmers protests, suggesting criminal charges against journalists and activists reporting on protests, and attempts to restrict freedom of expression on social media, “are disturbing departures from essential human rights principles.”

     

    More action needed on Kashmir, Philippines and several other Asian countries

    The High Commissioner expressed concern at the restrictions on communication and civil society activists in Indian-Administered Kashmir, as well as restrictions on internet access in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir.

    In a statement during the session, FORUM-ASIA echoed the High Commissioner’s concerns about restrictions on fundamental freedoms in Kashmir. In particular, FORUM-ASIA drew attention to the raids in October 2020 on homes and offices of human rights defenders and NGOs by India’s anti-terror authorities which are clear attempts at intimidation that have contributed to the escalation of the ongoing crisis in the Indian-Administered Kashmir. FORUM-ASIA called on the High Commissioner to continue to monitor and report on the situation in Kashmir.

    During the session, FORUM-ASIA led a joint statement by 8 NGOs on the Philippines which called on the Council to set an international accountability mechanism to end the cycle of violence and impunity in the country, given the escalation of killings and the absence of progress towards accountability since the adoption of the Council’s resolution on September 2020.

    FORUM-ASIA called for the Council’s attention on the situations in several other Asian countries including in West Papua, Hong Kong, India and Thailand.

     

    FORUM-ASIA’s oral statements at the #HRC46

    This post was originally published on FORUM-ASIA.

  • [Joint Statement] HRC46 Statement: NGO End of Session

    46th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council

    NGO[1] End of Session statement

    Oral statement delivered by ISHR

    On behalf of 16 NGOs including the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)

    Thursday, 25 March 2021

    • Civil society participation
    • Environmental justice
    • Racial Justice
    • Right to health
    • Attempts to undermine HRC mandate
    • Country-specific resolutions
    • Country-specific State statements
    • Human rights situations that merits the HRC’s attention

     

    Civil society participation

    We welcome some important advances such as the possibility for NGOs to make video statements, which should be maintained and expanded after the pandemic for all discussions, including in general debates. We object to the removal of access details for online informal negotiations from Sched without explanation or justification, effectively restricting CSO access to negotiations and favoring CSOs based in Geneva or with existing contacts with diplomats. In addition, the lack of webcast archives in all UN languages, and the lack of accessibility measures such as closed captions and sign language interpretation for most HRC discussions all impede participation, accountability for States’ positions and commitments, and ultimately for the Council’s work. We are concerned by the renewal for another year of the ‘efficiency’ measures piloted in 2020, despite their negative impact on civil society participation in a year also impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We urge States to reinstate general debates in the June sessions, to preserve their open-ended nature, and maintain the option of video intervention also in general debates.

     

    Environmental justice

    It’s high time the Council responds to calls by States and civil society to recognize the right of all to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, and establish a new mandate for a  Special Rapporteur on human rights and climate change.

    We welcome the joint statement calling for the recognition of the right of all to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment that was delivered by the Maldives, on behalf of Costa Rica, Morocco, Slovenia and Switzerland and supported by 55 States. We call on all States to seize this historic opportunity to support the core-group as they continue to work towards UN recognition so that everyone in the world, wherever they live, and without discrimination, has the right to live in a safe, clean and sustainable environment.

    We welcome the joint statement that was delivered by Bangladesh, on behalf of 55 States, calling the Council to create a new Special Rapporteur on human rights and climate change. We believe this new mandate would be essential to supporting a stronger human rights-based approach to climate change, engaging in country visits, normative work and capacity-building, and further addressing the human rights impacts of climate responses, in order to support the most vulnerable. This mandate should be established without further delay.

     

    Racial Justice

    Over 150 States jointly welcomed that the implementation of HRC Resolution 43/1 will center victims and their families. We urge the Council to respond to the High Commissioner’s call to address root causes of racism including the “legacies of enslavement, the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans, and its context of colonialism”. The Council must answer to the demands of victims’ families and civil society’s, and establish – at its next session – an independent inquiry to investigate systemic racism in law enforcement in the United States and a thematic commission of inquiry to investigate systemic racism in law enforcement globally, especially where it is related to legacies of colonialism and transatlantic slavery.

     

    Right to health

    The resolution on ensuring equitable, affordable, timely, and universal access by all countries to vaccines in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is a welcome move in highlighting the need for States not to have export and other restrictions on access to safe diagnostics, therapeutics, medicines, and vaccines, and essential health technologies, and their components, as well as equipment  and encouraged States to use all flexibilities within TRIPs. However, a revised version of the resolution tabled was further weakened by the deletion of one paragraph on stockpiling of vaccines and the reference to ‘unequal allocation and  distribution among countries”. The specific deletion highlights the collusion between rich States and big pharmaceuticals, their investment in furthering monopolistic intellectual property regimes resulting in grave human rights violations. The reluctance of States, predominantly WEOG States who continue to defend intellectual property regimes and States’ refusal to hold business enterprises accountable to human rights standards is very concerning during this Global crisis.

     

    Attempts to undermine HRC mandate

    We regret that once again this Council has adopted a resolution, purportedly advancing ‘mutual beneficial cooperation’ which seeks to undermine and reinterpret both the principle of universality and its mandate. Technical assistance, dialogue and cooperation must be pursued with the goal of promoting and protecting human rights, not as an end in itself or as a means of facilitating inter-State relations. We reiterate our call on all States, and especially Council members, to consider country situations in an independent manner, based on objective human rights criteria supported by credible UN and civil society information. This is an essential part of the Council’s work; reliance on cooperation alone hobbles the Council’s ability to act to support the defenders and communities that look to it for justice.

     

    Country-specific resolutions

    We welcome the new mandate for the High Commissioner focused on the human rights situation in Belarus in the context of the 2020 Presidential election. It is now essential for States to support the High Commissioner’s office, ensuring the resources and expertise are made available so that the mandate can be operationalised as quickly as possible.

    We welcome the renewal of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Iran, and we urge Council to consider further action to hold Iranian authorities accountable, in view of the systematic impunity and lack of transparency surrounding violations of human rights in the country.

    We welcome the call for additional resources for the Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, increased reporting by OHCHR as well as the work of the IIMM. Lack of international monitoring on, the imposition of martial law in Myanmar to prosecute civilians, including protesters, before military courts, the dangerous escalation of violence by the Tatmadaw and the widespread human rights violations amounting to crimes against humanity demand more efforts to ensure accountability.

    We welcome the renewal and strengthening of the OHCHR’s monitoring and reporting mandate on Nicaragua, in a context of steady human rights deterioration marked by the Government’s refusal to cooperate constructively with the Office, over two years after its expulsion from the country. The adopted resolution lays out steps that Nicaragua should take to resume good faith cooperation and improve the situation ahead of this year’s national elections. It is also vital that this Council and its members continue to closely follow the situation in Nicaragua, and live up to the resolution’s commitments, by considering all available measures should the situation deteriorate by next year.

    We welcome the increased monitoring and reporting on the situation of human rights in Sri Lanka. However, in light of the High Commissioner’s report on the rapidly deteriorating human rights situation and Sri Lanka’s incapacity and unwillingness to pursue accountability for crimes under international law, the Council should have urged States to seek other avenues to advance accountability, including through extraterritorial or universal jurisdiction.

    While we welcome the extension of the mandate of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan (CHRSS), we regret the adoption of a competing resolution under the inadequate agenda item 10. This resolution sends a wrong signal as myriads of local-level conflicts and ongoing SGBV and other violations of fundamental rights continue to threaten the country’s stability. We urge South Sudan to continue cooperating with the CHRSS and to demonstrate concrete progress on key benchmarks and indicators.

    We welcome the report by the Commission of Inquiry on Syria on arbitrary imprisonment and detention and reiterate the recommendation to establish an independent mechanism “to locate the missing or their remains”, and call on States to ensure the meaningful participation of victims and adopt a victim-centered approach, including by taking into consideration the Truth and Justice Charter of Syrian associations of survivors and families of disappeared when addressing arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance.

     

    Country-specific State statements

    We welcome States’ leadership and statements on human rights situations that merit the HRC’s attention.

    We welcome the joint statement on the situation in Ethiopia’s Tigray region and urge all actors, including the Ethiopian Federal Government, to protect civilians and ensure unhindered humanitarian access. Those responsible for crimes under international law, including Ethiopian soldiers, members of armed militias and non-State groups, and Eritrean soldiers involved in Tigray, must be held criminally accountable. The HRC should mandate an independent investigation and reporting by the High Commissioner.

    For the first time in seven years, States at the HRC have united to condemn the widespread human rights violations by Egypt and its misuse of coutner-terrorism measures to imprison human rights defenders, LGBTI persons, journalists, politicians and lawyers and peaceful critics. We welcome the cross-regional joint statement by 32 States and we reiterate our call supported by over 100 NGOs from across the world on the HRC to establish a monitoring and reporting mechanism on the situation.

    We welcome the joint statement by 45 States focused on the human rights situation in Russia, including the imprisonment of Alexi Navalny and the large number of arbitrary arrests of protestors across Russia. The statement rightly expresses concern for shrinking civil society space in Russia through recent legislative amendments and Russia using its “tools of State” to attack independent media and civil society.

    In the context of mounting international recognition that Israel imposes an apartheid regime over the Palestinian people, we welcome Namibia’s call for the “restoration of the UN Special Committee on Apartheid in order to ensure the implementation of the Apartheid Convention to the Palestinian situation.”

     

    Human rights situations that merits the HRC’s attention

    The next session will receive a report on pushbacks from the Special Rapporteur on human rights of migrants. The Council must respond to the severity and scale of pushbacks and other human rights violations faced by migrants and refugees in transit and at borders and the ongoing suppression of solidarity, including by answering the High Commissioner’s call for independent monitoring. The Council’s silence feeds impunity, it must build on the momentum of the joint statement of over 90 States reaffirming their commitment to protection of the human rights of all migrants regardless of status.

    While the OHCHR expressed deep concern about the deteriorating human rights situation and the ongoing crackdown on civil society in Algeria, and called for the immediate and unconditional release of arbitrarily detained individuals, the Council has remained largely silent. As authorities are increasingly arbitrarily and violently arresting protesters – at least 1,500 since the resumption of the Hirak pro-democracy movement on 13 February, we call on the Council to address the criminalisation of public freedoms, to protect peaceful protestors, activists and the media.

    Cameroon is one of the human rights crises the Council has failed to address for too long. We condemn the acts of intimidation and reprisal exercised by the Cameroonian government in response to NGOs raising concerns, including DefendDefenders. This is unacceptable behavior by a Council member. The Council should consider collective action to address the gross human rights violations and abuses occurring in the country.

    We echo the calls of many governments for the Council to step up its meaningful action to ensure that concerns raised by civil society, the UN Special Procedures and the OHCHR about the human rights situation in China be properly addressed, including through an independent international investigation. We also regret that a number of States have taken an unprincipled approach of voicing support to actions, such as those by the Chinese government, including in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, through their national and other joint statements.

    We call for the Council’s attention on the rapid deterioration of human rights in India. Violent crackdowns on recent farmers’ protests, internet shutdowns in protest areas, sedition and criminal charges against journalists reporting on these protests, and criminalisation of human rights defenders signal an ongoing dangerous trend in restrictions of fundamental freedoms in India. We call on India to ensure fundamental freedoms and allow journalists, HRDs and civil society to continue their legitimate work without intimidation and fear of reprisals.

    We once again regret the lack of Council’s attention on the human rights crisis in Kashmir. Fundamental freedoms in the Indian-administered Kashmir remains severely curtailed since the revocation of the constitutional autonomy in August 2019. Raids in October and November 2020 on residences and offices of human rights defenders and civil society organisations by India’s anti-terrorism authorities in a clear attempt at intimidation have further exacerbated the ongoing crisis. We call on the OHCHR to continue to monitor and regularly report to the Council on the situation in both Indian and Pakistani administered  Kashmir, and on Indian and Pakistani authorities to give the OHCHR and independent observers unfettered access to the region.

    Nearly six months since its adoption, the Council Resolution 45/33 on technical assistance to the Philippines has proven utterly insufficient to address the widespread human rights violations and persistent impunity. Killings in the war on drugs continue, and attacks on human rights defenders and activists have escalated. The killing of nine unarmed activists on 7 March 2021 clearly demonstrates that no amount of technical assistance will end the killings as long as the President and senior officials continue to incite violence and killings as official State policy. It is imperative that the Council sets up an international accountability mechanism to end the cycle of violence and impunity in the Philippines.

    [1] The statement is endorsed by: International Service for Human Rights; Franciscans International; Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR); International Commission of Jurists (ICJ);  International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR); Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA); African Centre For Democracy And Human Rights Studies; International Federation for Human Rights Leagues (FIDH); MENA Rights Group; International Lesbian and Gay Association; Impact Iran; Ensemble contre la Peine de Mort (ECPM); Siamak Pourzand Foundation; Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS); ARTICLE 19; CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation.

     

    ***

    For a PDF version of this statement, click here

    For further information, please contact:

    This post was originally published on FORUM-ASIA.

  • HRC46 Written Statement: Environmental Violations committed by the Government of Bahrain

    Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB) submitted a written statement, to the Human Rights Council during its 46th session concerning Environmental Violations committed by the Government of Bahrain. Continue reading below for the full text of the statement, or click here for PDF

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  • ADHRB Call on the Council to hold Bahrain and it’s Supporter Accountable for Human Rights Violations in the Country

     On 19 March, ADHRB has delivered an oral intervention at the United Nation Human Rights Council session 46 during interactive debate under item 8.

     

    Madam President

    The Implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action calls for democracy, the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Yet, democracy is only possible if people are allowed to freely express themselves and to fully participate in society.

    In Bahrain, citizens who want democracy are punished by the authorities. During the pro-democracy movement in 2011, the unelected ruler, King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, called on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to march into Bahrain and implement a violent crackdown on Bahraini civilians. Thousands of protesters were arrested and hundreds remain in prison today.

    This included individuals like human rights defender Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace, and political leader Hassan Mushaima, who were both sentenced to life in prison for leading these calls for democratic change.

    The Al-Khalifa royal family is a brutal regime that would not have been able to maintain its iron grip without the intervention of Saudi and Emirati forces, as well as the unconditional security, military, and economic support from the United States and the United Kingdom.

    The Council should remind those countries to stop supporting perpetrators of human rights abuses in Bahrain. The international community must respect the needs and desires of the Bahraini people to finally achieve democracy and self-determination.

     

    The post ADHRB Call on the Council to hold Bahrain and it’s Supporter Accountable for Human Rights Violations in the Country appeared first on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

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  • HRC 46: Arbitrary detentions in Yemen

     On 19 March, ADHRB has delivered an oral intervention at the United Nation Human Rights Council session 46 during interactive debate under item 9.

    We draw the Council’s attention to the restrictions on mobility occurring in Yemen by the Saudi led Coalition, and the arbitrary detentions that involve discrimination based on religious sect or political affiliation.

    The Saudi Coalition mistreats Yemeni travelers coming from the northern parts of Yemen by rejecting passports issued from Sana’a and by issuing restrictions on mobility. Only one land passage, called el-Wadeea, and two airports in Aden and Sayun are offered. Ultimately, travelers are forced to brave hundreds of kilometers to reach these destinations; in the end, they are stuck waiting for days at terminals and some are even detained because of their regional and sectarian affiliation. This was the case of scholar Yahya al-Dailami  who was released after a 13- month detention without cause, and Dr. Mustafa al-Mutawakkil   who has been detained since April 2017, as well as other journalists, students and merchants.

    Moreover, the de facto authorities in Sana’a have been arbitrarily detaining people for over a year without formal charges, the provision of a lawyer, a family visit or call or an opportunity to be heard in a fair, speedy trial.  While we welcome the release of Professor Hamid Aqlan, the President of the University of Science and Technology in Yemen, we call on the de facto authority to afford him and all others arbitrarily detained their due process rights protected by the Constitution of the Republic of Yemen..

    We call on all parties to the war on Yemen to end arbitrary detentions and ultimately end the war.

    Thank you.

    The post HRC 46: Arbitrary detentions in Yemen appeared first on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

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  • [Webinar and HRC46 Side Event] Impact of Online Caste-Hate Speech

    Date: Monday, 22 March, 2021

    Time: 2 PM (CET) / 8PM (BKK)

    Venue: Zoom

    Registration: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUlduCtpj8oHdHINucCA08Rb_SiGIAXWJle

    ****

    The aim of the side event is to discuss the various forms in which online caste-hate speech manifests, the gravity of such manifestations and the concrete means to combat it. The event will be composed of a panel of UN experts, Dalit activists and partner NGOs, composing a mix of technical background and first-hand experience. The event will take stock of the debates and conclusions of the 2020 edition of the Forum on Minority Issues, which tackled the issue of online hate speech and will feature a presentation of ground-breaking research on caste-hate speech commissioned by IDSN.

     

    Keynote speaker:

    • Fernand de Varennes, UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues

    Panellists: 

    • Murali Shanmugavelan, Researcher and author of IDSN’s caste-hate speech report
    • Beena Pallical, National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights, India
    • Riya Singh, Dalit Women Fight Collective, India
    • Tamanna Singh Baraik, Bangladesh Dalit and Excluded Minorities, Bangladesh
    • Anju Kandel, Jagaran Media Centre, Nepal
    • Elaine Alam, Faces Pakistan, Pakistan

    Other digital activists and experts from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (TBC)

    Moderated by Meena Varma, Executive Director, International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN)

    Sponsored by FORUM-ASIA, International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR) and Minority Rights Group (MRG) and supported by International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN), this side event aims to discuss the various forms in which online caste-hate speech manifests, the gravity of such manifestations and the concrete means to combat it.

    ***

    Media contact:

    For more information or to set up an interview with any of the speakers, please contact Melissa Ananthraj, Communication and Media Programme Manager, FORUM-ASIA at communication@forum-asia.org

    About the organisations:

    • The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) is a Bangkok-based regional network of 81 member organisations across 21 Asian countries, with consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and consultative relationship with the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights. Founded in 1991, FORUM-ASIA works to strengthen movements for human rights and sustainable development through research, advocacy, capacity-development and solidarity actions in Asia and beyond. It has sub-regional offices in Geneva, Jakarta, and Kathmandu. forum-asia.org
    • International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR) is an international non-profit, non-governmental human rights organization devoted to eliminating discrimination and racism, forging international solidarity among discriminated minorities and advancing the international human rights system. Founded in 1988 by one of Japan’s largest minorities, the Buraku people, IMADR has grown to be a global network of concerned individuals and minority groups with regional committees and partners in Asia, Europe, North America and Latin America. IMADR’s International Secretariat is based in Japan and maintains a UN liaison office in Geneva. IMADR is in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). imadr.org
    • Minority Rights Group International is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) with an international governing Council that meets twice a year. We have consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and observer status with the African Commission for Human and Peoples’ Rights. It campaigns worldwide with around 150 partners in over 50 countries to ensure that disadvantaged minorities and indigenous peoples, often the poorest of the poor, can make their voices heard. minorityrights.org
    • International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN) was founded in March 2000 to advocate for Dalit human rights and to raise awareness of Dalit issues nationally and internationally. IDSN is a network of international human rights groups, development agencies, national Dalit solidarity networks from Europe, and national platforms in caste-affected countries. idsn.org

    This post was originally published on FORUM-ASIA.

  • HRC46 Oral Statement on Item 3: Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development

    46th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council

    Item 3: Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development – General Debate

    Oral Statement Delivered by Syme de Leon on behalf of

    Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)

    Monday, 8 March 2021

     

     

    Madam President, FORUM-ASIA draws the Council’s attention to violence against human rights defenders in Asia including killings and threats. In 2020, FORUM-ASIA recorded 37 killings of defenders across Asia, with the highest number of cases documented in the Philippines, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.[1]

    The report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders presented to this session of the Council echoes concerns about the widespread killings of human rights defenders around the world.

    Vilification and normalisation of violence against defenders, often through government narratives and persistent impunity for violations against defenders fuel the conditions that enable these killings to repeat. This includes, for example, the continued use of violence and excessive force against HRDs protesting peacefully. Emblematic cases can be seen in Thailand, where pro-democracy protesters were met with water cannons laced with chemicals and protest leaders, with judicial harassment;[2] and in India where tear gas and batons have been used to disperse protesters challenging repressive laws that threaten their lives and livelihoods.[3] Similarly in the Philippines, vilification campaigns such as ‘red tagging’ by state actors, in particular against WHRDs, have resulted in the killings of many defenders. Most recently, Zara Alvarez, a prominent WHRD was gunned down by unknown assailants after being red tagged and receiving multiple threatening messages.[4]

    We are also particularly alarmed by the escalating crackdowns against peaceful protesters in Myanmar since the recent military coup, including through use of excessive force and lethal weapons which have resulted in killings, arbitrary arrest and detention, and internet shutdowns.[5]

    Human rights defenders are at the forefront of resisting government repression. Violence against defenders are often the first early warning signals of greater and more systematic restrictions of fundamental freedoms and human rights. The Council must pay closer attention to trends in violence against HRDs to prevent systematic and widespread human rights violations.

    Thank you.

    [1] Although these statistics alone are concerning, they only represent the emblematic cases that has been captured through FORUM-ASIA’S documentation. For more details on these cases and our statistics, please visit the Asian Human Rights Defenders Portal

    [2] https://www.forum-asia.org/?p=33374

    [3] https://www.forum-asia.org/?p=33846

    [4] https://www.forum-asia.org/?p=32519

    [5] https://www.forum-asia.org/?p=33889

     

    ***

    For a PDF version of this statement, click here

    This post was originally published on FORUM-ASIA.

  • ADHRB raises the Spread of Culture of Impunity in Bahrain at the Human Rights Council

      On 10 March, ADHRB has delivered an oral intervention at the United Nation Human Rights Council session 46 during interactive debate under item 3.

    Madam President-

    We would like to thank the mandates of the Special Procedures for their work; and raise concerns about poor conditions in Bahraini prisons.  as well as ongoing religious discrimination, reprisals, impunity, and police brutality in Bahrain. Just a quick look at the joint communication reports on Bahrain shows ongoing systematic human rights violations in Bahrain and it’s lack of serious or constructive cooperation with the UN mechanism.

    In this regard we would like to point to a book titled “Zafarat” published by Bahraini activists’ news agency “Bahrain Alyoum” in which scores of detailed testimonies of victims of torture and Bahraini political prisoners are documented.

    One of those victims in this book is the Bahraini political prisoner Shaikh Zuhair Ashoor who was arrested for his opposition to the dictatorship in Bahrain and for charges related to freedom of expression and speech. During his detention and interrogation, he was subject to severe torture and to several human rights violations, and recently, he was subjected to enforced disappearance from 10July 2020 to 17 January 2021 during which he was subjected to various forms of torture and harassment as a form of reprisal for his stances and activism calling for the prisoners’ rights. He is currently held in Jau Prison, where he is serving his life sentence.

    This clearly shows the deep rooted practice of torture and culture of impunity at the Bahraini Ministry of Interior led by Minister Rashid bin Abdulla Al-Khalifa, who should be held accountable for these ongoing crimes of human rights violations and sanctioned by using the MaGnitsky Act.

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  • ADHRB at HRC 46: Bahrain engages in constant attacks against Human Rights Defenders

        On 10 March, ADHRB has delivered an oral intervention at the United Nation Human Rights Council session 46 during interactive debate under item 3.

    Madam President-

    We would like to bring to the attention of the council the constant repression that civil society organizations and human defenders are facing in Bahrain especially under the directive of the newly appointed prime minister and crown prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa.

    The right to free expression, assembly and associations are submitted to extensive restrictions. Many of those restrictions also impacts civil society space and thus undermine the activity of CSOs.

    Corruption and nepotism is another serious issue in the country; where the current prime minister and the Al-Khalifa tribe control the economy hence the wealth in the country causing majority of the population to live under poor economic conditions.

    Many leaders of the civil society organizations are deprived of their liberty and spending life imprisonment on charges related to freedom of expression and speech like Dr. Abduljalil Alsingace, Abdulhadi Alkhawaja, and Naji Fatil. In addition, leaders of the political opposition in the country have also been arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment because of their role in the pro-democracy movement and calling for right of self-determination for the people in Bahrain. Like the leader of the political opposition in Bahrain Mr. Hasan Mushima, and his co-leader Mr. Abdulwahab Husain.

    In addition, we are concerned about the lack of cooperation between the Government of Bahrain and the different United Nation mechanisms despite the consistent joint communication reports from several special mandates holder. Bahrain as a member of the Council should be held accountable for its lack of communication with the Council mechanisms.

    Thank you

    The post ADHRB at HRC 46: Bahrain engages in constant attacks against Human Rights Defenders appeared first on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

    This post was originally published on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.

  • [Joint] Open letter to all Commonwealth Heads of Government

    March 8, 2021

    Excellencies,

    Re: Call for independent investigation into Rwandan singer Kizito Mihigo’s death

    Civil society organizations around the world are calling on the Rwandan authorities to allow an independent, impartial, and effective investigation into the death in custody of Kizito Mihigo, a popular gospel singer and peace activist. As your governments mark Commonwealth Day today and prepare to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali in June, we are writing to ask you to engage with your counterparts in the Rwandan government in support of this call.

    On February 14, 2020, the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) confirmed that Mihigo had been arrested close to the border, accused of attempting to illegally cross into Burundi, joining “terrorist” groups and of corruption, as well breaching the terms of his release from prison in 2018. Just days later, on February 17, 2020, Rwanda National Police announced that Mihigo had been found dead in his police cell in Kigali at 5 am that morning, in an alleged suicide.

    However, there are reasons to doubt this version of events. In Rwanda, dissidents and critical voices are often the target of threats, judicial harassment, and arbitrary arrest. In recent years, several opposition members and journalists have gone missing or been found dead in suspicious circumstances. After he released a song in 2014 expressing compassion for victims of the genocide and of other violence, understood as a reference to the crimes committed by the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front as it took control of the country in 1994, Mihigo was threatened, detained incommunicado for 9 days and subsequently prosecuted for conspiracy against the government, among other charges. On 27 February 2015, he was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years. After his presidential pardon and release in 2018, and up to the days before his death, Mihigo informed contacts that he was being threatened to give false testimony against political opponents of the government and wanted to flee the country because he feared for his safety.

    The news of Mihigo’s death caused shockwaves in Rwanda and beyond. Before falling out of favour with the government in2014, Mihigo had played a prominent role in Rwandan public life including helping to compose the new national anthem in 2001 and regularly performing at official functions. A genocide survivor himself, Mihigo’s work to promote reconciliation received equally widespread recognition; in 2011, for example, First Lady Jeannette Kagame presented him with a Celebrating Young Rwandan Achievers award in honour of his work.

    According to General Comment No. 3 on Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, “where a person dies in state custody, there is a presumption of state responsibility and the burden of proof rests upon the state to prove otherwise through a prompt, impartial and transparent investigation carried out by an independent body.” Likewise the Revised United Nations Manual on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions (the Minnesota Protocol), provides that there is a general presumption of state responsibility for a death in custody, unless proven otherwise, and underlines that this is particularly so in cases “where the deceased was, prior to his or her death, a political opponent of the government or a human rights defender; was known to be suffering from mental health issues; or committed suicide in unexplained circumstances.”

     

    On the day that Mihigo’s death was announced, and before an independent investigation could have been conducted, RIB spokesperson Marie-Michelle Umuhoza told local media that Mihigo had “strangled himself” with his bedsheets, had displayed “unusual behavior” while in custody, and had refused to speak with investigators, his lawyer and his family. On February 26, citing an autopsy report, the National Public Prosecution Authority concluded that Mihigo’s death “resulted from suicide by hanging” and said that it would not pursue criminal charges.

    Mihigo is one of several detainees to have died in suspicious circumstances while in detention in Rwanda over the last several years. Independent, impartial and effective investigations capable of leading to credible prosecutions are essential to deter future violations and to promote accountability, justice, and the rule of law, and failure to conduct such investigations is a violation of the state’s obligations under the right to life.

    To ensure justice for Mihigo’s death, Rwandan authorities should allow an independent body to carry out an impartial, thorough and transparent investigation.

    In the Commonwealth Charter of 2013, member states reaffirmed their core values and principles, including upholding human rights, freedom of expression, the rule of law and the role of civil society. Holding the CHOGM summit in Rwanda without addressing the absence of progress by Rwandan authorities towards accountability for human rights concerns more generally, and Mihigo’s death in particular, casts serious doubts on the Commonwealth’s human rights commitments.

    For the sake of human rights in Rwanda and the integrity of the Commonwealth, we urge you to support the call on the Rwandan authorities to allow an independent, impartial, and effective investigation into Mihigo’s death in custody.

     

    Sincerely,

    1. Action des chrétiens pour l’abolition de la torture (ACAT-France)
    2. African Child Care Network ACCN
    3. AfricanDefenders
    4. AfricTivistes
    5. Amnesty International
    6. Article 19 Eastern Africa
    7. Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
    8. Australian Centre for International Justice
    9. Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM)
    10. Brainforest
    11. Bytes for All
    12. CIVICUS
    13. Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI)
    14. Defend Defenders
    15. Defenders Coalition Kenya
    16. Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center (EHRDC)
    17. FIDH within the framework of the Observatory for the protection of Human Rights Defenders
    18. Human Rights Defenders Network-Sierra Leone
    19. Human Rights Watch
    20. Humanitarian Development Organization HDO
    21. Maldivian Democracy Network (MDN)
    22. Network of Civil Society Organizations for the Observation and Monitoring of Elections in Guinea (ROSE)
    23. Nile Initiative for Development NID
    24. Odhikar
    25. Ole Reitov, Artistic Freedom Expert
    26. PEN America
    27. PEN International
    28. Quill Foundation
    29. Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
    30. Réseau de Défenseurs des Droits Humains de l’Afrique Centrale
    31. South Sudan Human Rights Defenders Network
    32. Southern Africa Human Rights Defenders Network (SAHRDN)
    33. The Center for Peace and Advocacy
    34. The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation (Malta)
    35. The Voice Project
    36. Vanguard Africa
    37. World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders

     

    Background on Kizito Mihigo’s previous arrest

     

     

     

    On February 27, 2015, Kizito Mihigo was sentenced to 10 years in prison for conspiracy against the established government or the President of the Republic, forming a criminal gang, and conspiracy to murder following a trial which relied on confessions alleged to have been obtained through torture.

    He had been arrested on April 6, 2014 and held incommunicado for nine days, during which time he said senior government officials repeatedly questioned him about a religious song, Igisobanuro cy’Urupfu (The Meaning of Death), he had written in March in which he prayed for all those killed including victims of the genocide and victims of other violence. He said they also questioned him about his alleged links with the exiled opposition group, the Rwanda National Congress, and that police officers beat him and forced him to confess to the offenses with which he was later charged in court. In a recording Mihigo made on October 6, 2016 while in prison, which was made public after his death, he explains his conclusion that his prosecution was politically motivated in an effort to suppress the song.

    In the recording, Mihigo described meetings with several high-level government officials, who he said told him that the president did not like his song and that he should “ask for forgiveness,” or risk death. In the recording, Mihigo also described his incommunicado detention from April 6 to 15, 2014, during which he said he was beaten and interrogated by Dan Munyuza, the then Deputy Inspector General of Police and current Inspector General of Police, who told him to plead guilty and “ask for forgiveness” or face a life sentence and death in prison. These allegations suggest Mihigo was a victim of torture and other ill-treatment, as well as other serious violations of his rights to a fair trial, liberty, physical integrity and security.

     

    – END –

    For a PDF of this open letter, please click here.

    For further information, please contact:

    • For Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), in Geneva, Ahmed Adam, UN Advocacy Programme Manager, FORUM-ASIA, adam@forum-asia.org.

    This post was originally published on FORUM-ASIA.

  • From Our Member Karapatan Alliance Philippines (KARAPATAN), The Philippines – On SOJ’s statement at HRC46

    On SOJ’s statement at HRC46

    Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra in his speech before the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council missed a very important point regarding “working domestic accountability mechanisms” in the Philippines — that the killings continue.

    What’s worse is that the domestic mechanisms have allowed such to continue with impunity, with such appalling injustice, that more than four years after, we are still counting the bodies, we are still looking at numerous perpetrators in uniform unpunished, and we still hear the President and his henchmen justify the murder spree. Indeed, there is no amount of window-dressing even at the UN that can hide these indisputable facts.

    If at all, the initial findings of the drug war panel as cited by Sec. Guevarra have only made the call to stop the killings and the policy on the drug war even more imperative. Such findings only prove that an independent probe is even more important, at a time that the human rights situation has gone into a steep descent to a full-blown crisis under an authoritarian regime.

    This post was originally published on FORUM-ASIA.

  • HRC46 Oral Statement on Item 2: Interactive Dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report on the promotion of reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka

    46th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council

    Item 2: Interactive Dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report on the promotion of reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka

    Oral Statement Delivered by Ahmed Adam

    On behalf of the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)

    Wednesday, 24 February 2021

     

     

    Madam President, FORUM-ASIA welcomes the High Commissioner’s report and echoes her concerns on the situation in Sri Lanka.

    Systematic surveillance and harassment of human rights defenders, civil society, journalists, victims and their families, in particular those who advocate for international accountability for past violations, have escalated in the past year Continued detention of human rights lawyer Hejaaz Hizbullah without charge since April 2020 reportedly under the Prevention of Terrorism Act is emblematic of the threats against human rights defenders in Sri Lanka. Such threats and fear of reprisals have led to increasing self-censorship and prevented active participation of defenders and victims in this session of the Council.

    Forced cremation of COVID-19 deceased contrary to the beliefs of Muslims and other minorities as well as WHO guidelines, and obstruction of memorialisation of victims of the conflict by the Tamil community are some of the recent examples of the growing majoritarian policies that have led to resurgence of violence and discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities.

    The 20th Amendment to the Constitution which undermines the independence of the judiciary and democratic institutions such as the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka and removes institutional checks and balances has accelerated Sri Lanka’s descent towards authoritarianism.

    The government has actively obstructed investigations into past violations and demonstrated it has no intention of pursuing accountability. The Council should not be misled by the appointment of a yet another Commission of Inquiry just ahead of this session of the Council. Any hope of justice for thousands of victims and survivors as well as prevention of further deterioration in Sri Lanka depends on the Council’s principled action based on the High Commissioner’s recommendations. Thank you.

     

    ***

    For a PDF version of this statement, click here

    This post was originally published on FORUM-ASIA.

  • [Joint Open Letter] Coalition of 22 Organizations Calls for New UN Human Rights Council Resolution to Protect Human Rights, Justice, and Accountability in Sri Lanka

    February 22, 2021

    Re: Coalition of 22 Organizations Calls for New UN Human Rights Council Resolution to Protect Human Rights, Justice, and Accountability in Sri Lanka

    To the Member States of the Human Rights Council:

    We, the undersigned organizations, urge the Member States of the Human Rights Council to pass a strong resolution at the 46th Session, affirming an international commitment to protect human rights and justice in Sri Lanka, with a particular focus on victims. The deteriorating human rights and accountability context in Sri Lanka is documented in detail in the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ damning January 2021 report1 as well as a joint assessment released by ten UN Special Procedures mandates earlier this month.2 The High Commissioner highlighted that “nearly 12 years on from the end of the war, domestic initiatives for accountability and reconciliation have repeatedly failed to produce results.”3 Just as concerning, the High Commissioner stressed the emergence of “early warning signs of a deteriorating human rights situation and a significant heightened risk of future violations.”4 Given the Government of Sri Lanka’s failure to comply with the State’s human rights obligations and implement agreed-upon accountability efforts and the need for urgent preventative action, it is essential that a new resolution detail immediate, concrete, and independent international efforts, including enhancing monitoring by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), creating an independent international mechanism to collect and preserve evidence of past and ongoing violations and abuses, and prioritizing support to civil society initiatives.

    Multiple UN bodies and dozens of civil society organizations have documented grave human rights violations and abuses in Sri Lanka. The 26-year war between the Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) witnessed serious violations – including allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity – by both parties. The toll on civilians was particularly high in the final stage of the conflict, when tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were killed, primarily by Government forces’ shelling of “No Fire Zones.”5 Following the end of the war, the country remained over-militarized and human rights abuses continued, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, torture, sexual violence, and harassment and persecution of journalists, activists, and government critics.6 Sri Lanka’s Tamil and Muslim populations have disproportionately suffered from these continuing violations and abuses, as they face institutionalized discrimination and higher levels of targeted state-sponsored violence.7

    Sri Lanka’s domestic accountability efforts have failed. As noted by the High Commissioner, numerous commissions of inquiry established by successive governments have “failed to credibly establish the truth and ensure accountability”8 and domestic investigations have failed to bring “a single emblematic case . . . to a successful conclusion or conviction.”9 Furthermore, despite co-sponsoring HRC Resolution 30/1 in 2015, which provided a comprehensive roadmap of measures to ensure justice and accountability, the Government of Sri Lanka “remains in a state of denial about the past, with truth-seeking efforts aborted and the highest State officials refusing to make any acknowledgment of past crimes.”10 The High Commissioner highlighted how “the failure to deal with the past continues to have devastating effects on tens of thousands of survivors.”11

    In the past year, prospects for domestic justice and accountability efforts in Sri Lanka have dimmed entirely. Gotabaya Rajapaksa – the former Secretary to the Ministry of Defense who oversaw the brutal end to Sri Lanka’s war – was elected President in November 2019. As one of its first acts on the international stage, the new Rajapaksa administration announced its withdrawal from HRC Resolution 30/1, part of a series of steps that led the High Commissioner to conclude that “[t]he Government has now demonstrated its inability and unwillingness to pursue a meaningful path towards accountability for international crimes and serious human rights violations.”12 The Government has also “proactively obstructed or sought to stop ongoing investigations and criminal trials to prevent accountability for past crimes,”13 promoted credibly accused war criminals, increased militarization of civilian institutions, reversed Constitutional safeguards, increasingly employed and promoted majoritarian and exclusionary rhetoric, increased surveillance and obstruction of civil society, and exacerbated human rights concerns.14

    In a joint assessment released earlier this month, ten UN Special Procedures mandates echoed the High Commissioner’s concern that the human rights and accountability context had further regressed in Sri Lanka, concluding, “[t]here is little hope that any domestic accountability measures will progress or achieve any degree of credibility.”15 They emphasized the “extremely disheartening” fact that their conclusions echo those of UN experts in 2009, who found “impunity has been allowed to go unabated throughout Sri Lanka. The fear of reprisals against victims and witnesses, together with a lack of effective investigations and prosecutions, has led to a circle of impunity that must be broken.”16 We share the High Commissioner’s and Special Procedures’ concerns that continued reliance on the Government of Sri Lanka to improve human rights and accountability will prove futile and dangerous. As both history and recent events in Sri Lanka have shown, if left unchecked, the Government will be emboldened to continue its abuses and further entrench impunity.

    Given Sri Lanka’s long history of violations and failed domestic efforts to advance justice, and the warning signs of increased future abuses, it is critical that the Human Rights Council pass a strong resolution affirming its commitment to meaningful justice and accountability for serious human rights violations and abuses and crimes under international law in Sri Lanka. We join the High Commissioner and Special Procedures mandates in calling on Member States to pass a new resolution that strengthens the High Commissioner’s monitoring and reporting on Sri Lanka, prioritizes support to civil society initiatives assisting victims and their families, and establishes and supports a dedicated capacity to collect and preserve evidence.17 The dedicated capacity should come in the form of an independent international investigative mechanism. We also join the High Commissioner’s call for Member States to pursue alternative avenues for accountability and justice, including “taking steps towards the referral of the situation in Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court,” the pursuit of “investigation and prosecution of international crimes” in national courts using extraterritorial and universal jurisdiction, and the imposition of targeted sanctions, including asset freezes and travel bans against State officials accused of grave human rights violations.18

    A strong resolution with concrete action by the Human Rights Council and UN human rights bodies will not only signal to the Government of Sri Lanka that continuing impunity and abuses are not acceptable, but will also affirm for survivors that the United Nations is committed to securing justice for the harms they experienced.

    Signed,

    Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM ASIA)

    Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA)

    Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA)

    Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)

    International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect (ICRtoP)

    International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)

    International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)

    International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School

    International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR)

    International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)

    European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR)

    Franciscans International

    Freedom from Torture

    Free Press Unlimited

    Human Rights Watch (HRW)

    People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL)

    REDRESS

    Reporters without Borders (RSF)

    Sri Lanka Campaign

    University Network for Human Rights

    World Federalist Movement/Institute for Global Policy (WFM/IGP)

    World Organization Against Torture (OMCT)

     

    1 See “Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka: Report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights,” U.N. Doc. A/HRC/46/20 (27 January 2021) (hereinafter “OHCHR 2021 Report”).

    2 “Sri Lanka: Experts dismayed by regressive steps, call for renewed UN scrutiny and efforts to ensure accountability” (UN Special Procedures Assessment), Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (5 February 2021) (hereinafter “UN Special Procedures Assessment”), available at
    https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26715&LangID=E; see also “Sri Lanka: Experts dismayed by regressive steps, call for renewed UN scrutiny and efforts to ensure accountability” (UN Special Procedures Press Statement), Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (5 February 2021) (hereinafter “UN Special Procedures Press Statement”), available at https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=26725&LangID=E.

    3 OHCHR 2021 Report, supra note 1, at para. 52.

    4 Id. at para. 53.

    5 Id. at para. 9 (citing “Report of the Secretary General’s Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka” (31 March 2011) and “Report of the OHCHR Investigation on Sri Lanka (OISL),” U.N. Doc. A/HRC/30/CRP.2 (16 September 2015)).

    6 OHCHR 2021 Report, supra note 1, at paras. 13, 38, and 55.

    7 Id. at paras. 31, 53; see also “Report of the Special Rapporteur on minority issues on her mission to Sri Lanka,”

    U.N. Doc. A/HRC/34/53/Add.3 (31 January 2017).

    8 OHCHR 2021 Report, supra note 1, at para. 8.

    9 Id. at para. 49.

    10 Id. at para. 52.

    11 Id. at para. 57.

    12 Id. at para. 56.

    13 Id. at para. 26.

    14 Id. at Part III.

    15 UN Special Procedures Press Statement, supra note 2.

    16 Id.

    17 See OHCHR 2021 Report, supra note 1, at para. 61; see also UN Special Procedures Assessment, supra note (recommending the “[e]stablish[ment of] an impartial and independent international accountability mechanism which would seek to build upon the work conducted by different UN mechanisms by investigating, compiling, and analysing information collected from an international criminal law perspective”).

    18 See OHCHR 2021 Report, supra note 1, at paras. 59, 61.

    **

    For a PDF of this open letter, please click here.

    For further information, please contact:

    This post was originally published on FORUM-ASIA.