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AFAD Statement on Pakistan’s 27th Amendment, Shrinking Civic Space, and the Challenge for Human Rights Defenders (HRDs)
The 27th Constitutional Amendment (PCA) proposes sweeping changes to Pakistan’s political and institutional framework. It will restructure Article 243 to create a new position for the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), granting the army chief overarching command over all military branches and abolishing the post of the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee[1]. The amendment also confers lifetime criminal immunity upon five-star officers, allowing them to retain their rank, privileges, and uniform indefinitely.
AFAD Condemns Indonesia's Move to Declare Dictator Soeharto a National Hero, Warning of Deepening Historical Revisionism and National Trauma
The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) condemns in the strongest possible terms the decision by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to posthumously declare the late dictator Soeharto a “national hero” on November 10, Heroes Day. This action, taken despite protests from numerous historians, activists, and civil society members, represents a profound betrayal of justice and an alarming descent into historical revisionism.
Statement on Bangladesh’s Landmark Trial on Enforced Disappearances
The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) welcomes the landmark step taken by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) of Bangladesh in remanding 15 high-ranking army officers, including five generals, on charges of enforced disappearances committed during the deposed Awami League regime, and for extrajudicial killings and torture linked to the 2024 uprising that toppled the former government. This represents the first time in Bangladesh’s history that formal charges have been brought for enforced disappearances and senior military officials face a civilian court.
Three Protesters Still Disappeared: AFAD Calls for Release
After the demonstrations held from 25–31 August 2025, AFAD’s member organization in Indonesia, the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (KontraS), received a surge of reports of missing individuals, particularly from Jakarta and Bandung, the main centers of mass mobilization. In response, on 1 September 2025, KontraS launched a reporting channel for persons who had allegedly disappeared in the context of the protests. Through this channel, a dedicated task force not only collected reports but also worked to verify the whereabouts of those reported missing and to document security force actions that may constitute enforced disappearances.
