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IMADR delivered the oral statement on “Intersectional approach to hate speech against minorities in social media” at the 13th session of the Forum on Minority Issues. Whole text can be read below or download here.  ——— Oral Statement: 13th session of the Forum on Minority Issues Item 5: Towards a safer space for minorities: positive initiatives to address online hate speech: the role of national human rights institutions, human rights organizations, civil society and other stakeholders 20 November 2020 Thank you Madam Chair, IMADR congratulates the Special Rapporteur for the success in convening the second Asia-Pacific Regional Forum despite many challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Regional Forum allowed […]

IMADR delivered the oral statement on “Reprisals against indigenous human rights defenders” at the 45th session of the Human Rights Council. Whole text can be read below or download here.  . ——— Oral Statement: 45th session of the Human Rights Council Annual half-day panel discussion on the rights of indigenous peoples 23 September 2020 Thank you Madame President, We welcome the decision of the Human Rights Council to dedicate the issue of indigenous human rights defenders to this annual panel. We share concerns with the panellists about the prevalence of intimidation, harassment and violence against indigenous human rights defenders. Indigenous human rights defenders’ engagement with the UN human rights mechanisms […]

IMADR submitted a written statement on “Truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence in Sri Lanka” at the 45th session of the Human Rights Council. Whole text can be read below or downloaded here.  ——— Truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence in Sri Lanka Introduction In 2009, the 26-year civil war in Sri Lanka between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ended. The war was characterised with arbitrary arrests, the killing of civilians, enforced disappearances, torture and abductions.[1] Women, especially Tamil women, suffered sexual and gender-based violence by the security forces including rape, sexual slavery and home invasions as highlighted by the […]

IMADR delivered the joint oral statement on “Transitional justice in Sri Lanka” at the 45th session of the Human Rights Council. Whole text can be read below or download here. Co-sponsors of the statement are: Amnesty International; Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA);  Franciscans International; and Human Rights Watch. ——— Joint oral statement: 45th session of the Human Rights Council Item 3: Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence 17 September 2020 Thank you, Madam President. We thank the Special Rapporteur for presenting the much-awaited report on Sri Lanka. To supplement the information in the report, we wish […]

IMADR delivered the joint oral statement on “Freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in Sri Lanka” at the 44th session of the Human Rights Council. Whole text can be read below or download here. Co-sponsors of the statement are: Amnesty International; Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA);  Franciscans International; Human Rights Watch; International Service for Human Rights (ISHR); and Minority Rights Group International. ——— Joint Oral Statement[1]: 44th session of the Human Rights Council Item 3: Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association  10 July 2020 Thank you, Madam President. As the Special Rapporteur’s report demonstrates,[2] the […]

IMADR condemns the police killing of George Floyd and racial discrimination in the United States June 5, 2020 On the morning of May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a black man, was killed by a police officer on a street of Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the United States. According to eyewitnesses, Mr. Floyd was held by a police officer by the neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds as he was knocked to the ground and suffocated to death. During the incident, he continued to ask for help for three minutes, saying he could not breathe. IMADR strongly condemns the police killing of Mr. Floyd. There have been repeated incidents of violence […]

May 25, 2020 NGO Joint Statement Calling for the Provision of the “Cash Handouts to Support Students” to All the Students in Need On May 19, the Ministry of Education of Japan announced the establishment of the scheme of the Emergency Cash Handouts to Support Students for Their “Continuous Learning”, which aims to grant cash benefits to higher education students who face financial difficulties as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic so that they do not need to give up their education. We welcome the launching of the support for the “continuous learning” of students in need. First of all, however, the number of eligible students under the scheme is […]

IMADR delivered the oral statement on “Civil society participation in regional forums on minority issues” at the 43rd session of the Human Rights Council. Whole text can be read below or download here.  . ——— Oral Statement: 43rd session of the Human Rights Council Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on minority issues 11 March 2020 Madam President, We thank the Special Rapporteur for his presentation of the annual report. We would also like to congratulate the Special Rapporteur for the success of the first regional forums in 2019. As one of the co-sponsors of the last Asia-Pacific Regional Forum held in Thailand, we are convinced that regional […]

IMADR delivered the joint oral statement on “Accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka” at the 43rd session of the Human Rights Council. Whole text can be read below or download here. Co-sponsors of the statement are: Amnesty International; Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA); CIVICUS; Franciscans International; Human Rights Watch; IMADR; International Service for Human Rights (ISHR); and Minority Rights Group International ——— Joint Oral Statement: 43rd session of the Human Rights Council Item 2: General Debate on reports and oral updates of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General 28 February 2020 Madam President, We are deeply concerned by indicators of a significant backsliding on human rights […]

Side event on “Sri Lanka: A failure of justice”  is held by 10 human rights NGOs including IMADR at the 4erdt session of the Human Rights Council from 13:00, Friday 28th February at Room XXIII in Palais des Nations. For further information, click on the flyer below.

IMADR delivered the oral statement on “Human rights and minority language education in the Asia Pacific region” at the 12nd session of the Forum on Minority Issues. Whole text can be read below or download here.  ——— Oral Statement: 12th session of the Forum on Minority Issues – Education, Language and the Human Rights of Minorities 28-29 November 2019 IMADR would like to congratulate the Special Rapporteur for the first Asia-Pacific Regional Forum, which emphasized the principle that the rights of linguistic minorities are human rights. The Forum in Bangkok also shed light on achievements and challenges unique to the region. Minorities in Sri Lanka struggle with educational and linguistic […]

IMADR delivered the oral statement on “Arbitrary detention in Okinawa, Japan” at the 42nd session of the Human Rights Council. Whole text can be read below or download here.  All Okinawa Council for Human Rights (AOCHR), an NGO without ECOSOC consultative status, supported the statement. ——— Oral Statement: 42nd session of the Human Rights Council Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention 13 September 2019 Speaker: Taisuke KOMATSU Thank you Mr. President, We thank the Working Group for its continuous efforts to respond to human rights violations suffered by persons deprived of liberty and drawing the attention of States and the international community to their situations. We […]

IMADR delivered the joint oral statement with Franciscans International on “Enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka” at the 42nd session of the Human Rights Council. Whole text can be read below or download here.  ——— Joint Oral Statement: 42nd session of the Human Rights Council Item 3: Interactive Dialogue with the Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence 11 September 2019 Speaker: Taisuke KOMATSU (IMADR) Thank you Mr. President, We thank the Working Group for its follow-up report on Sri Lanka. This month marks the two years anniversary of the legislative establishment of the Office on […]