(Bangkok/Kathmandu – 16 March 2023) –  The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and seven of its member organisations condemn police violence against peaceful Aurat March protesters in Pakistan on International Women’s Day. Since 2018, the Aurat March has been organized annually by feminist organisations to bring to attention the socio-political problems and [ Read more ]

In response to a concerning development in Pakistan, where amendment of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) is being proposed, FORUM-ASIA says: FORUM-ASIA champions freedom of expression and information. We are concerned about a proposed bill in Pakistan that could imprison anyone who “ridicules or scandalises” state institutions such [ Read more ]

Pakistan is the world’s fifth most populous country. Agriculture, directly and indirectly, employs 37.4 per cent of the country’s labour force, 70 per cent of whom are mostly located in rural areas. Not only do rural women receive fewer wages than men, but WAWs are susceptible to malnutrition, discrimination, violence and ill-treatment, including exploitation and [ Read more ]

(Bangkok/Kathmandu, 9 September 2022) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) is deeply concerned about the lack of transparency and the exclusion of civil society in the ongoing ‘peace’  talks between the Government of Pakistan and the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) Pakistan, also known as Pakistan Taliban, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Although the [ Read more ]

Civic space is under attack in South Asia. Across the region, increasingly authoritarian governments are relying on a wide range of repressive laws and other tactics to silence criticism, a trend that only intensified in 2021. While the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan is the starkest example of this, almost all other countries saw alarming restrictions [ Read more ]

The Asian NGO Network on National Human Rights Institutions (ANNI) launched the ANNI Report 2020 on the Performance of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), that critically assesses the performance of NHRIs against the Paris Principles in 2020. The Paris Principles are the minimum international standards for ensuring independent, effective, and credible NHRIs for the promotion [ Read more ]

25 October 2021 H.E. Mr. Imran Khan Prime Minister of Pakistan Prime Minister’s Office Pakistan Secretariat, Constitution Avenue Islamabad, Pakistan Re: Open Letter to the Honourable Prime Minister regarding the Non-functional National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) of Pakistan Honourable Prime Minister Mr. Imran Khan, The Asian NGO Network on National Human Rights Institutions (ANNI), [ Read more ]

48th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council Item 5: Interactive dialogue on the Secretary General’s report on alleged reprisals against those who seek to cooperate or have cooperated with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms  Delivered by Ahmed Adam On behalf of Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) 29 September [ Read more ]

Bangkok, Geneva, Paris, 10 September 2021: FIDH, FORUM-ASIA, and OMCT condemn the serious human rights violations committed by Indian government authorities in Kashmir following the death of Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani on 1 September 2021. The three organizations also condemn the imposition of restrictions that are inconsistent with the country’s international human rights [ Read more ]

Joint Statement by Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances, Defence of Human Rights, International Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances ICAED, FORUM-ASIA, FIDH, CAGE and World Sindhi Congress regarding the approval of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2021 for Enforced Disappearances in Pakistan Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances, Defence of Human Rights Pakistan, International Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances, [ Read more ]