Joint Statement on "pressing human rights isues: human rights defenders"

First session of the Human Rights Council

Joint Statement by The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)

On behalf of: Centre for Organisation Research & Education (CORE), International Women’s Rights Action Watch (IWRAW) Asia –Pacific and Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD).

26 June 2006

Geneva, Switzerland.

Mr. Chairperson,

As you are aware, Asia remains the only region in the world without a regional human rights mechanism and where ratification of core international treaties is low, with many reservations entered upon what has been ratified. Given this context, the system of Special Procedures has been invaluable to Asian human rights defenders (HRDs) and victims.

Among the various mandate holders of the Special Procedures, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) on Human Rights Defenders has been one of the key instruments for the promotion and protection of Human Rights Defenders. We therefore call upon the inaugural members of the Council at the outset to strengthen her mandate and to provide all necessary political support and material assistance for the full implementation of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.

In Asia, the three freedoms of assembly, association and expression are continuously undermined as governments in the region introduce ordinances and so-called anti-terrorist initiatives to repress and obstruct the operation of HRDs. In particular, women human rights defenders (WHRDs), including lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender defenders suffer multiple exclusions and discriminations under oppressive cultures of patriarchy in the region.

The failure of national laws in most countries of the region to comply with the standards in the Declaration on HRDs has also resulted in the disappearances, extrajudicial killings and persecution of HRDs in Asia.

Moreover, the governments of the region continue to refuse the requests by the Special Representative to visit their countries. We therefore urge the governments of Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan and Singapore to accept her request and to fully facilitate her visits without any obstructions. We note with concern that the Special Representative, during her six-year mandate, has only visited one country in Asia. We hope that the inaugural members of the Council will accept further visits in the future, given the spirit of cooperation that has been expressed in the previous week.

Furthermore, we urge Asian governments to issue standing invitations to all of the Special Procedures’ mandate holders. To date, only Iran, Maldives and Mongolia have issued such invitations in Asia, and we are disappointed that none of the Asian candidates issued any pledges to do so upon issuing their candidacies to the Council.

We also look forward to a Council that will put in place mechanisms to maximise the participation of HRDs in its work, and consider in its universal periodic review the Member States’ responses to the requests, communications and recommendations by the Special Procedures and the steps taken to give them effect.

Thank you for your attention.

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