- Category: Statements
We, the undersigned civil society organisations, call for the immediate and unconditional release of Kashmiri journalist and human rights defender Irfan Mehraj. While on a professional assignment on 20 March 2023, Mehraj was summoned for questioning and arbitrarily detained by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Srinagar under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
- Category: Statements
A Joint Statement by the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD), Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Maayer Daak, and Odhikar on International Women’s Day 2024
Bangkok/Dhaka/Manila/Paris (8 March 2024): The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day, “Invest in women: Accelerate progress,” deeply resonates with the current situation in Bangladesh. Investing in women and girls means safeguarding their well-being, protecting their rights, providing inclusive economic opportunities, and promoting gender equality in all spheres of life. Regrettably, gender-based wage discrimination, sexual harassment in workplaces and other forms of gender-based violence (GBV), and insufficient provision of healthcare undermine the rights of the women workers.
- Category: Statements
On this International Women's Day, the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) honors the resilience and leadership of women in the global fight against enforced disappearances. With the inception of the Women Elevating Discourse on Gender and Enforced Disappearances (WEDGED) initiative, AFAD highlights the indomitable spirit of women who lead the charge for justice, truth, and reparation. This initiative underscores the vital role of women in confronting this grave human rights violation and seeks to amplify their voices in the discourse surrounding gender and enforced disappearances. AFAD aims to create a platform for women to
- Category: Statements
The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) joins the global human rights community in commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The theme for the year-long initiative, "Freedom, Equality and Justice for All," echoes the values enshrined in the UDHR and emphasizes the ongoing efforts to protect and expand human rights globally.
- Category: Statements
We, the undersigned organisations, call for the immediate and unconditional release of human rights defenders Khurram Parvez and Irfan Mehraj, who are currently being detained in Rohini jail in India. Khurram has been in pre-trial detention for two years now, on politically motivated charges under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), an Indian counter-terror law that violates international human rights standards.
Irfan has been in pre-trial detention since March 2023, similarly on politically motivated charges. Indian authorities’ persecution of Khurram and Irfan is an emblematic part of their ongoing, systematic criminalization of civil society, and the defense of human rights, in Indian-administered Kashmir.
- Category: Statements
The Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance (FIND) is now live on Facebook. Please join us here:
https://www.facebook.com/FIND.NATL/videos/7122099434500752/?mibextid=zDhOQc
- Category: Statements
A Solidarity Message by the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD)
for the Families of the Disappeared (FOD) in Sri Lanka
A Solidarity Message by the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD)
for the Families of the Disappeared (FOD) in Sri Lanka
- Category: Statements
The Asian Federation against Enforced Disappearances (AFAD) joins the international human rights community in strongly denouncing the conviction by the Cyber Tribunal of Dhaka sentencing Adilur Rahman Khan and ASM Nasiruddin Elan, Secretary and Director of human rights organization Odhikar respectively, to two years imprisonment for being fearless activists in defense of human rights, rule of law and fundamental freedoms in Bangladesh.