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From: Ananya Chatterjee |Block Sender |Save Address
To:, "voices_akhila" , "Ammu Joseph" ,
Subject: [docuwallahs] Fw: Civil Society Appeal for Human Rights
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 02 21:56:25 IST



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----- Original Message -----
From: SAFHR
To: SAFHR General Mail
Cc: Harsh Kapoor ; ICVA, Switzerland ;  ichrdd@web.apc.org ;  iamehkri@hotmail.com ; huright ; HURIDOCS, Switzerland ; HRs Watch Asia ; Henri ; HRCP ; Anees Jillani ; Ananya Chatterjee ; Ana Mercedes Gomez ; Anand Patwardhan ; Amit Chakraverty ; Amit Basu ; Amir Mir ; Amena Mohsin ; Amanullah Khan ; Ali Mohsin Quzilbash ; Alan Keenan ; Ajaya Dixit ; AIPP ; Ain-O-Salish Kendra (Dha ; AHURA Bhutan ; AHRCHK ;  afsan@bangla.net ; Admiral L. Ramdas ; Adilure Rehman Khan ; Abul Hasnat Monjurul KABIR ; Abha Joshi ; Abbas Rashid ; A H Nayyar
Sent: Monday, March 11, 2002 12:20 PM
Subject: Civil Society Appeal for Human Rights


To
Mrs Mary Robinson,
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Appeal to U N High Commissioner for Human Rights to request South Asian governments to stop restrictive practices that prevent human rights organizations from working together for peace.

Dear Mrs Mary Robinson,

This is to bring to your attention an Appeal (attachment) by leading civil society activists of India, Pakistan and Canada expressing concern at the increasing restrictions being imposed by the governments of South Asia on human rights defenders and democratic movements to network regionally in support of peace.
The signatories to the Appeal urge that in your interaction with South Asian governments, you request the region's political leaders to stop restrictive practices on travel and meetings that prevent civil society organisations and human rights defenders from working together in support of peace and the promotion of human rights and democracy.

Yours Sincerely,
Rita Manchanda
Programme Executive SAFHR

South Asia Forum for Human Rights
G. P. O. Box 12855 Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel: +977-1-541026 Fax: +977-1-527852
E-mail:  south@safhr.org

Appeal to U N High Commissioner for Human Rights to request South Asian governments to stop restrictive practices that prevent human rights organizations from working together for human rights and peace.

The South Asia Forum for Human Rights (SAFHR) attempted twice to hold a consultation of civil society actors on peace and justice in Jammu and Kashmir. This consultation was to review the progress of the ongoing peace building initiatives in Jammu and Kashmir through "seeding community activism and strengthening grass-roots democracy". In the first instance, SAFHR was forced to cancel the consultation on December 15, 2001, just three days before it was to begin, under pressure of the government of Nepal. In the second instance the consultation had to be cancelled on February 14, on the instructions of the Home Ministry of Nepal, just four days before it was scheduled to begin on February 18, 2002. We have learnt that on both occasions, the Government of Nepal ordered the cancellations at the behest of the Government of India.
This is only the last instance in a long line of interventions by the governments of South Asia to stop civil society initiatives and impose serious restrictions on the legitimate work of human rights defenders and democratic movements in the countries of the region.
· In India, educational institutions are effectively debarred from holding meetings and seminars for exchange of views on human rights and peace if foreign academics are invited, in the name of the provision to secure prior government permissions.
· In Bangladesh, severe visa restrictions are imposed on foreign intellectuals invited to academic and deliberative gatherings.
· In Sri Lanka, human rights organizations have to secure permission from the Ministry of Defence before inviting guests to meetings on peace and human rights.
· In Pakistan, the government refuses to issue visas and withholds permission for peace rallies and public meetings of trade unions and political parties.
· In Nepal, the government has started discouraging, restricting and prohibiting civil society representatives from meeting on regional issues of peace, while its capital hosts the head quarter of SAARC.
· In South Asia no regional body can be registered
In such a pervasive atmosphere of restrictions on travel and exchange of views in the region, it is in the interest of democracy and human rights that the human rights community and the UN Human Rights High Commissioner draw the attention of respective governments to these undesirable restrictions and prohibition practices.
The human rights community of South Asia appeals to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to request the governments of the region to stop their restrictive practices which prevent the human rights organizations in the South Asian countries from exercising their moral and political function of extending democratic rights.
Signatories:
Mr. I A Rehman, Executive Director, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan,
Dr. Mubashir Hasan, former Finance Minister of Pakistan and an eminent peace activist,
Ms. Asma Jehangir, eminent Human Rights lawyer of Pakistan and UN Special Rapporteur on Enforced Disappearances,
Mr. Ved Bhasin, Editor and Publisher of “Kashmir Times” the largest circulation English daily newspaper of Jammu and Kashmir,
Dr. Siddiq Wahid, a leading academic from Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir,
Mr. Murray Thompson, Director, Peace Fund Canada,
Dr. Shree Mulay, (McGill University) Board member, CERAS- diaspora NGO,
Mr. Augusthy Thomas, Friedrich Naumann Stiftung
Mr. Tapan Kumar Bose, Secretary General SAFHR and leading human rights and peace activist Dr. Ranabir Samaddar, Director, SAFHR Peace Studies Programme and an eminent academic
Ms. Rita Manchanda, Programme Executive, SAFHR