DHAKA, Dec 20: Human rights experts and activists from across South Asia on Saturday appealed to the regional leadership to frame a Saarc convention on “impunity” in the upcoming summit in January so that the region can work together in combating human rights violations.

They also urged the governments to enact national legislation against impunity, to cancel bilateral agreements on security, military alliances and impunity, and to form a task force at the next Saarc summit to draft a South Asian charter on human rights.

After much heated and lively discussion, the four-point recommendations were unanimously adopted at the concluding session of the two-day seminar.

The participants termed impunity a “power game”, observing that protection of human rights and prevention of human rights violations is possible only when there exists an independent human rights commission in a society along with other pro-active state organs.

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