The Council wrote a submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Human Rights Mechanisms and the Asia-Pacific. The Council was invited by the Committee to a public hearing in Sydney on 18 February and was represented by Harris van Beek with Robyn Kemmis as an observer.
The Council will be represented by Chris Sidoti with Robyn Kemmis as an observer at a meeting on 19 February convened by the Australian Human Rights Commission called to discuss the consultation on a Charter of Rights for Australia.
The Council is concerned about the plight of seven national Bahá’í leaders arrested last year who are to be tried by the “revolutionary court” in Iran. The Council is making representations to the Australian and Iranian Governments. Further information and a photo is available from links at http://news.bahai.org/story/694
The Council has been having discussions with the Asian Center for the Progress of Peoples about regional trainings on the rights-based approach. The possibility of a follow up training for Korean NGOs was also raised in the discussions.