Human rights defenders in Asia suffer hostility, India records highest number of violations

Over the past two years, human rights defenders (HRDs) across Asia have been subjected to hostility both online and offline due to the false narratives being spread about them, a report carried out by the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) has revealed. The COVID-19 pandemic brought an even sharper increase in the violations committed against HRDs; the report noted.

The three countries with the highest number of violations recorded are India (177 cases), China (160 cases), and Vietnam (120 cases).

“A total of 1,073 cases of violations were committed against HRDs in 21 countries in Asia. These violations included but were not limited to, physical attacks, intimidation and threats, online attacks, vilification, judicial harassment, arbitrary arrests and detentions, enforced disappearances, and killings. As many as 3,046 HRDs, their family members, NGOs, and communities were affected as result,” the report reads.

• Judicial harassment was the most common violation committed with 535 cases which accounts for almost half of the total violations documented.
• The cases of arrest and detention stand at 422, with many being arbitrary.
• Intimidation and threats remained widespread with 306 cases recorded which included at least 29 cases of death threats.
• Similarly, physical violence was documented in 268 cases and of the 82 individuals across 10 countries who lost their lives to this, an alarming 71 of these were HRDs.
• The number of cases in which fair trials were denied stands at 101.
• Other violations frequently recorded in the last two years include vilification (79 cases), administrative harassment (72 cases), and online attacks and harassment (48 cases).

People speaking out for their rights during peaceful protests in India, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, and others faced widespread violence, vilification, judicial harassment, etc. Furthermore, media workers in countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal remained at high risk and were also subjected to intimidation, threats, and physical violence. Kazakhstan restricted citizens’ right to freedom of peaceful assembly with a new law enacted in May 2020 during a national emergency caused by the pandemic.

On the basis of these findings, FORUM-ASIA has called on member states across Asia to respect their obligations under international human rights treaties and standards and to ensure that all domestic laws comply with these. It also urged for the prompt investigation of human rights abuses and violations against HRDs. Furthermore, it has been recommended that national and transnational corporations ensure the full compliance of operations with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights by implementing the Protect, Respect, and Remedy Framework.

FORUM-ASIA has also called on the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders and other UN agencies to guarantee that the current communications system consistently addresses the situation of HRDs.

FORUM-ASIA is a Bangkok-based regional network of 81 member organizations across 21 Asian countries with consultative status for the United Nations Economic and Social Council.