Urgent Appeal on the Situation of Myanmarese Refugees in India
India has become an increasingly important destination for refugees fleeing Myanmar since the 2021 coup d’état. While the Indian government has condemned the violence, it has simultaneously ordered several frontline states to identify “illegal immigrants” with a view to deporting them. As states expand their detention systems there are increasing reports about mistreatment in custody, paltry detention conditions, and pushbacks along the border.
In an urgent appeal, the GDP and the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network, in collaboration with civil society partners in India, have called on the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar, Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture, Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, and Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, to immediately address this situation and to consider calling on India to:
- Cease the arbitrary detention of all Myanmar nationals, including children
- Stop the arbitrary criminalisation of immigration infractions
- Consider adopting the 1951 Refugee Convention
- Ensure that all detention sites meet international standards
- Ensure that vulnerable groups are never placed in detention
- Ensure that detention time limits are kept to a minimum and never become indefinite
- Guarantee the right to access detention centres for independent institutions
- Ensure the eradication of racial profiling and other discriminatory practices in migration control activities
Recommended
Sept. 22, 2025
Upholding Not Undermining International Law Civil Society Open Letter to States
In advance of this week’s UN General Assembly High-level meeting, speeches by Heads of State and Government and reported efforts to enlist UN Member States in an attempt to undo international legal protections for refugees, 271 civil society organisations released an open letter to UN Member States calling on them to uphold, preserve, strengthen, and celebrate international refugee, human rights, and humanitarian treaties—and to reject efforts to undo or undermine legal norms.
July 21, 2025
APRRN deeply saddened by the loss of Ravi Hemadri
For over 25 years, Ravi dedicated his life to community mobilisation, training, advocacy, and research. Our community of practitioners and advocates working on the rights of refugees and other vulnerable people on the move in Asia Pacific has lost a friend and colleague. But his legacy will continue to inspire those who worked with him. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family and loved ones.
May 22, 2025
APRRN Urgent Appeal to the Government of Pakistan to Immediately Halt Forced Deportations of Afghan Refugees
The Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) express our grave concern over the ongoing forced deportations of Afghan refugees by the Government of Pakistan under the so-called “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan.” In April 2025 alone, some 144,000 Afghans returned from Pakistan, including nearly 30,000 who were deported.