It has been two years since the adoption of the UN Human Rights Council resolution 22/6 in which the Council unanimously called upon governments to create a safe and enabling domestic environment for human rights defenders (HRDs).
In this context the Council called upon states to keep legislation that affects HRDs in line with international human rights standards while not restricting their freedoms of expression, association and assembly. In the last two years there has been little progress in Asia on some of these very specific calls made by the Council. In fact some countries in Asia saw further deterioration.
In the region, HRDs continue to be criminalised in many countries while restrictions through registration laws and other legal measures relating to topics such as public order or the internet hamper their freedoms of assembly and expression. Even Asian defenders who cooperated with the Council have not been spared and in the last two years several have been subjected to reprisals in the hands of their governments.
In this context the side event will attempt to:
- Review the last two years and identify some of the glaring gaps in the region concerning the follow up to resolution 22/6; and
- Examine some good practices towards creating, maintaining and protecting enabling environments for HRDs in the region by governments/intergovernmental bodies and stakeholders
Speakers:
- Mr. Michel Forst (UN Special Rapporteur on HRD)
- Ms. Khin Ohmar (Burma Partnership, Burma)
- Mr. Shazad Ahmed (Bytes for All, Pakistan)
- Mr. Zulkiflee SM Anwar Ulhaque (Zunar) (Cartoonist, Malaysia)
- Mr. Ruki Fernando (INFORM, Sri Lanka)
- Mr. Boyet Mabunga, FORUM-ASIA
Moderator:
- Mr. Iniyan Ilango, FORUM-ASIA
