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The Current State of the Judiciary in Myanmar
By Burma Lawyers Council • April 1, 2012In March 2012 the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) concluding its 19th session issued a new (draft) Resolution on the situation of human rights in Myanmar. Concerning the judiciary the HRC:
Calls upon the Government of Myanmar to ensure the independence and impartiality of the judiciary and the independence of lawyers, and to guarantee due process of law
The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana, in his “Progress report” which he presented to the HRC during the 19th session, recommended to Myanmar that:
Greater attention be paid to judicial reform and the capacity-building and training of judges and lawyers to address continuing concerns regarding the independence, impartiality and effectiveness of the judiciary; and technical assistance be sought from the international community, particularly from OHCHR and other organizations
The BLC supports the above statements and recommendations by the Human Rights Council and Special Rapporteur and wants to give some more in depth information on five issues concerning the judiciary in Myanmar: i) Independence and impartiality of the judiciary; ii) Military justice and court martial; iii) Access to the judiciary; iv) Corruption in the judiciary; and v) Ability for lawyers to defend clients.
Tags: Burma Lawyers Council, Judiciary, Legal SystemThis post is in: Law
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