Southeast Asia: New ICJ report highlights discriminatory online restrictions against LGBT people
The authorities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand should immediately reform laws, policies and practices that have led to violations of the right of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and gender diverse (LGBT) persons to safely and freely express themselves and access information online, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) said in a new report launched today.
The 50-page report, Silenced But Not Silent: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Persons’ Freedom of Expression and Information Online in Southeast Asia, documents the restrictions and barriers LGBT individuals face to safely and freely express themselves and access information online in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Southeast Asia: governments must act to counter abusive lawsuits brought by businesses targeting human rights and public interest advocates (SLAPPs)
“Business enterprises continue to use their clout to nullify the work of human rights and public interest advocates through abusive lawsuits (SLAPPs) and far more needs to be done by governments to protect against this practice,” said the panelists during the forum titled ‘Addressing SLAPPs Against Human Rights Defenders in South-East Asia: Challenges and Lessons Learned’ on 9 June 2023.
Singapore: Long overdue decriminalization of consensual same-sex relations between men overshadowed by discriminatory constitutional amendment purporting to “protect” definition of marriage
While long overdue, the welcome incoming repeal of Section 377A of Singapore’s Penal Code is overshadowed by the proposed constitutional amendment barring judicial review of laws and policies that discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons. If passed, this amendment will undermine human rights, the separation of powers and the Rule of Law in Singapore, said the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), together with ILGA Asia, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) and Sayoni, in a joint statement and accompanying legal analysis today.
Asia: Strategic litigation an effective tool to protect the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer persons
ILGA Asia and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) organized a webinar on the use of strategic litigation to protect and promote the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) persons in Asia in Bangkok on 28 October 2022.