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On 24th January, national and international human rights organisations urged the Government of Japan to immediately release the prominent peace activist in Okinawa, Mr. YAMASHIRO Hiroji. Mr. Yamashiro has been detained for over 3 months since October 2016. Read the joint statement below or download here.  Statement in Japanese  is also available. ——— January 24th, 2017 To: Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Japan Prosecutor – General Statement to Request the Release of Mr. Yamashiro Hiroji Mr. Yamashiro Hiroji, one of the leaders of nonviolent peace movement in Okinawa, was arrested for a quasi-flagrant offence on October 17th, 2016 and has been in detention for more than two months. While the repulsion among Okinawan people grew […]

On 13 January, civil society of Sri Lanka, including the IMADR Asia Committee, sent a joint letter to the Members States of the UN Human Rights Council which demands the extension of  the duration of the resolution ‘Promoting Reconciliation, Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka (A/HRC/30/1). Read the letter below or download here. . ——— 13th January 2017 To: Members States of the United Nations Human Rights Council CONTINUED SUPPORT ON SRI LANKA We, the undersigned activists, academics and organisations from Sri Lanka, write this letter in the lead up to the 34th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) at which Sri Lanka is to be taken up for discussion […]

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has recently urged the Government of Japan to take further actions to address the issues of violence against foreign and minority women, “comfort women” and the situation of Burakumin. In the letter to the Government of Japan , the CERD expressed the lack of satisfaction and pointed out shortcomings of the Government’s measures. During its 91st session, the CERD considered the follow-up report of the Government of Japan . The Government was requested to take immediate measures to implement the three recommendations on the abovementioned issues within one year of the adoption of the 2014 concluding observations (CERD/C/JPN/CO/7-9) . Japan NGO Network for the Elimination of Racial […]