27 May 2015 President Benigno S. Aquino III Presidential Communications Operations Office 3/F New Executive Building (NEB), Malacañang Compound Email: [email protected] Dear Mr. President, Re: Civil Society’s Concerns on Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines (CHRP) Must Be Adequately Addressed The Asian NGO Network on National Human Rights Institutions (ANNI) writes to you to [ Read more ]

30 August 2014 Today, on the occasion of International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, we, the undersigned organizations, urge ASEAN member states to end acts of enforced disappearances in Southeast Asia. Cases of enforced disappearances continue to occur in the region. Victims include human rights defenders as well as ordinary citizens. Enforced disappearances [ Read more ]

Oral statement delivered by Ms. Gayathry Venkiteswaranon behalf of Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)   Wednesday, 11 June 2014 Mr. President, FORUM-ASIA makes this statement in solidarity with the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA). We welcome this initiative at the international level to discuss the important issue of the safety of journalists and hope [ Read more ]

FORUM-ASIA ORAL STATEMENT ON THE OCCASION OF TASK FORCE DETAINEES’ 40TH ANNIVERSARY (Delivered  by Evelyn Balais-Serrano, FORUM-ASIA Executive Director during the TFDP Officers and Staff Grand Reunion on June 1, 2014, St Joseph’s College, Quezon City, Philippines) The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) extends its warmest congratulations to Task Force Detainees – [ Read more ]

JOINT STATEMENT OF PHILIPPINE-MALAYSIAN CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS Standoff in Lahad Datu: Engage in Dialogue Now with all stakeholders to resolve the crisis peacefully We the undersigned Civil Society organisations (CSOs) from Malaysia and Philippines are extremely concerned over the on-going standoff between the Malaysian security forces and followers of the Sultanate of Sulu’s heirs, Jamalul [ Read more ]

Thank you, Madam President. FORUM-ASIA makes this statement in association with its member organization, Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA)[1]. While we appreciate that the Philippine government accepted 53 recommendations at the outset, we regret that their positions on the 35 pending recommendations were available before this Council only yesterday (A/HRC/21/12/Add.1), which deterred us [ Read more ]

Manila Continues Southeast Asia’s Push towards Ending Impunity Manila/New York-The Coalition for the International Criminal Court, a global network of some 2,500 non-governmental and civil society organizations in 150 countries, commends the Philippines for its decision to join the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court (ICC). By depositing its instrument of [ Read more ]

(20 May 2011, Geneva/Bangkok) – The United Nations General Assembly today elected 15 new member States to the Human Rights Council (Council), a 47-member intergovernmental body mandated to promote universal respect for the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. Seats to the Council are allotted by regional groupings, and today’s election saw the inclusion [ Read more ]

PRESS RELEASE PNoy’s action on Rome Statute hailed by CICC Asia network (MANILA, 13 April 2011) – Country representatives of member organizations of the Coalition for the International Criminal Court, gathered in Manila for a Regional Strategy Meeting for Asia on 11-13 April 2011,  applaud the decision by President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III to [ Read more ]

Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) and relatives of political prisoners/detainees join the other members of UATC or the United Against Torture Coalition Philippines and the freedom from torture advocates worldwide in commemorating the International Day in Support of Torture Victims by challenging P-Noy (President-elect Benigno S. Aquino III) to release all political prisoners/detainees who are most often also victims of torture and to prosecute [ Read more ]