AFAD Strongly Condemns Deportation of Council Member by Malaysia Gov’t

Manila, Philippines—The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) strongly condemns the deportation of its Council Member and former Chairperson, Mugiyanto, by Malaysian authorities last January 7, 2016. Mugiyanto, an Indonesian human rights defender and co-founder of the Indonesian Association of the Families of the Disappeared (IKOHI), arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport that day at around 11:30 AM where he was then held and interrogated by three police officers, including one anti-terror unit. Mugiyanto was travelling to Kuala Lumpur on invitation to speak at the #YellowMania forum organized by Malaysian electoral rights group, Bersih.

SC Orders Judicial Custody to the Perpetrator in Conflict-era Case

Kathmandu, 21 December 2015. Revoking an order of the Hetauda Appellate Court, the Supreme Court on Monday ordered to remand Chhabilal Paudel into judicial custody. However, the Court has upheld the order of Chitwan District Court and Hetauda Appellate Court in relation to the other perpetrators pinpointed in the FIR. Paudel is identified as one of the main alleged perpetrators in the killings of Krishna Prasad Adhikari of Gorkha District.

A division bench of honorable Justices Girish Chandra Lal Das and Deepak Raj Joshi have found the decision of Hetauda Appellate Court to release him on bail is erroneous and ordered to proceed trial remanding him in judicial custody. Nanda Prasad Adhikari, deceased’s father died in September last year while staging fast –unto- death demanding justice for his son, Krishna Prasad’s murderer. Ganga Maya, a wife of Nanda Prasad, refused to perform his last rites demanding the punishment to the murderer of her son and has been staging hunger strike at Trauma Centre since June 2015.

ICCPR List of Issues Submission

Joint NGO Submission to the UN Human Rights Committee prior to the Adoption of the List of Issues for the review of Bangladesh

Joint submission by:

International organisations:

FIDH (International Federation for Human Rights): FIDH is a non-governmental federation of human rights organizations around the world. Founded in 1922, FIDH is the oldest international human rights organisation in the world, and today brings together 176 member organisations in over 100 countries. Its core mandate is to promote respect for all the rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

OMCT (World Organisation Against Torture): OMCT is the main coalition of international nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) fighting against torture, summary executions, enforced disappearances and all other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. With 311 affiliated organisations in its SOS-Torture Network and many tens of thousands correspondents across the world, OMCT is the largest network of NGOs working for the protection and the promotion of human rights in the world. World Coalition Against the Death Penalty (WCADP): WCADP is an alliance of more than 150 NGOs, bar associations, local authorities and unions. The aim of the WCADP is to strengthen the international dimension of the fight against the death penalty. Its ultimate objective is to obtain the universal abolition of the death penalty.

Regional organisations:

Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD): AFAD is a federation of human rights organizations working directly on the issue of involuntary disappearances in Asia. Envisioning a world without desaparecidos, AFAD was founded on June 4, 1998 in Manila, Philippines. Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC): ALRC is an independent regional NGO holding general consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. It is the sister organisation of the Asian Human Rights Commission. The Hong Kong-based group seeks to strengthen and encourage positive action on legal and human rights issues at the local and national levels throughout Asia.

Bangladeshi organisation:

Odhikar: Odhikar is a human rights organisation based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It holds special consultative status with the ECOSOC of the United Nations.

New publication: Practical Guide on the Committee on Enforced Disappearances

Justice and Peace Netherlands and the Netherlands Helsinki Committee (NHC) have published a practical guide for relatives of disappeared persons and NGOs: The Committee on Enforced Disappearances - Addendum to the Manual Using Law against Enforced Disappearances. The Addendum provides a clear overview of the working methods of the Committee, that monitors the UN Convention on Enforced Disappearances. With this initiative NHC and Justice and Peace have joined forces to raise awareness of the Committee and of the actions which relatives and civil society actors can undertake in interaction with the Committee. The Addendum is available in English, at the website of Justice and Peace Netherlands or you can download the text here.