- Category: Statements
Manila: The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) extends its solidarity to Rama Ramanathan, Spokesperson of Citizens Against Enforced Disappearances (CAGED), a human rights organization based in Malaysia.
Ramanathan has recently faced intimidation by the Royal Malaysian Police for writing an article about activist Jufazli Shi Ahmad who was arrested in March this year for allegedly insulting the Prime Minister of Malaysia. The article mentions that the sister of Jufazli may have prevented his disappearance owing to her awareness of her rights and suspicion of police efforts.
- Category: Statements
“Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.” ― Shannon Alder
TODAY, November 2 in the Philippines, marks the All Souls’ Day where families come together to visit the graves of their loved ones. But for many families of the disappeared, who are clueless about the fates and whereabouts of their loved ones, a visit to the cemetery is no option. They refuse to recognize the disappeared as dead.
- Category: Statements
THE HAGUE, September 26, 2019 – On the fifth year of the disappearance of the 43 students of Ayotzinapa, Mexico, the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) calls on the Mexican government to ensure that the new rounds of investigations are properly conducted in accordance with international legal norms. As the whereabouts of the 43 students remain unknown, and in light of the courts ordering the release of 77 out of the 142 identified suspects, the Mexican government has a long road ahead in resolving one of its worst human rights tragedies in recent history.
- Category: Statements
30th August 2019
Manila: Today, on the occasion of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) brings attention to the global issue of enforced disappearances that violates the fundamental rights to life, liberty, and security of the disappeared individual and the family.
- Category: IDD-AFAD-MO
Dhaka/Manila, 30 August 2019: The International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances is observed globally on 30 August every year and this gives us the opportunity to remember the numbers of people who were disappeared due to armed conflict, war, occupation, xenophobia, authoritarianism and political turmoil; and to show solidarity with the victim-families. While commemorating this day, Odhikar and AFAD remember the victims of enforced disappearance and respect the struggles of the families of the disappeared persons around the world.
- Category: Statements
14 August 2019: Following serious concerns expressed by the UN Committee against Torture (CAT) about torture in Bangladesh, seven human rights organizations call on the Bangladeshi government to recognize the magnitude of the problem and address and implement the nearly 90 recommendations made by the UN body.
- Category: Statements
Accountability Watch Committee (AWC) expresses its serious concerns over the recent acts of the Indian government to transform the federal status of the northwestern state of Kashmir into the Union Territory in contravention to the Article 370 of the Indian Constitution. Established during the princely state’s accession into the Indian state approximately 70 years ago, this Article guarantees some special privileges to the people of Kashmir.
- Category: Statements
Statement: SOUTH ASIA FORUM FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (SAFHR)
Article 370 has been abrogated by a Presidential order and with it democratic India’s colossal betrayal of 13 million of its citizens. The historic state of Jammu and Kashmir has been annihilated. The RSS, BJP and the Hindu right wing parties and organisations have been continuously calling for the abrogation of Article 370. Hindu right wing nationalists have called this move of the government as the “final solution”. Clearly it is not as evinced by the fact that 8,000 paramilitary troops were being airlifted to the Kashmir valley as the Home Minister announced the abrogation of Article 370. Already 35,000 additional troops have been sent to Kashmir over the past three days. This is in addition to more than half a million army men and para-military forces of the Indian state already deployed in Kashmir.