Letter to Prime Minister Tony Abbott Re: Human Rights in Foreign and Domestic Policy
OCTOBER 14, 2013

The Hon. Tony Abbott, MP
Prime Minister
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600

Re: Human Rights in Foreign and Domestic Policy

Dear Prime Minister Abbott,

Congratulations on your recent election as Prime Minister of Australia.

Human Rights Watch is a nongovernment organization that monitors and reports on international human rights, refugee, and humanitarian law issues in more than 90 countries around the world. In August, Human Rights Watch launched its first ever Australia office in Sydney. We look forward to working with you over the next three years to strengthen Australia’s protection of human rights.

In the memo that follows, we outline a wide range of human rights concerns from countries where we work and where we believe the right mix of pressure and engagement from Australia may make a significant difference in promoting respect for human rights. These countries are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam. We also make several recommendations in the areas of domestic policy in which Human Rights Watch has expertise – asylum seekers and refugees, disability rights, same-sex marriage, and multilateral institutions.      Full Story