Aung San Suu Kyi and EU Parliament Urged to Place Human Rights, Anti-Muslim Violence at the Top of the Agenda of European Visit

Legislators from across Southeast Asia today called on Aung San Suu Kyi and European Parliamentarians and leaders to use the National League for Democracy (NLD) leader’s visit to Europe to secure greater commitments to tackle persistent human rights concerns in Myanmar, and draw particular focus on growing sectarian conflict and anti-Muslim violence there […]

133 Ethnic Civil Society Organizations Express Concern and Reservation Regarding Foreign Military Engagement with the Burmese Military

Today, October 17, 2013, 133 civil society organizations, representing 15 of Burma’s ethnic nationalities, submitted a joint letter to President Barack Obama of the United States, Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom, and Prime Minister Tony Abbott of the Commonwealth of Australia expressing great concern and reservation regarding their military engagement with the Burmese military. Along with details of human rights atrocities and ongoing conflict the Burmese military continues to perpetrate, the joint letter pens explicit preconditions that must be met prior to any military engagement and states the criteria for military engagement should it move forward […]

Burma: Joint Letter from Ethnic Nationalities Civil Society Organizations Regarding Foreign Military Engagement with the Burmese Military

Dear President Obama, Prime Minister Cameron, and Prime Minister Abbott,

We, the undersigned 133 ethnic nationalities civil society organizations, are writing to express our concerns and reservations about your countries’ military engagement with the Burmese military.

We appreciate the concern the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia have shown over the years for the human rights violations the Burmese military has committed against us, as well as your support for our pursuit of genuine democracy and national reconciliation. While your intentions may be genuine, we are deeply concerned that your current approach to military-to-military relations will neither prove beneficial to our mutual goals of ending the Burmese military’s perpetration of human rights violations against us, nor bring us closer to national reconciliation […]

EU-Myanmar: Embrace Civil Society!

The developing EU-Myanmar partnership must reflect commitments to civil society, said an alliance of human rights organizations ahead of the launch of the EU-Myanmar Joint Task Force. “We urge you to ensure substantive civil society participation in all areas of the task force,” the organizations wrote in a letter to EU High Representative Catherine Ashton […]

Invisible Enemies: A Video to Respond to the Landmine Threat in Burma/Myanmar

Geneva Call is pleased to release the video on landmines in Burma/Myanmar entitled ‘Invisible Enemies: responding to the landmine threat’.

Invisible Enemies aims to inform different stakeholders – including the government, armed non-State actors, civil society, communities and villagers – about the short and long-term impact of landmines […]

EU Must Highlight Ongoing Human Rights Abuses in UNGA Burma Resolution

Members of the European Burma Network welcome the decision of the European Union to continue with the annual United Nations General Assembly resolution on Burma.

We are concerned that despite the fact that the government of Burma has not met a single one of the twenty main demands made in last year’s resolution, the European Union had seriously considered discontinuing the resolution […]

CSW Calls on UN General Assembly to Address Violations of Freedom of Religion or Belief in Burma

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) today urged the United Nations General Assembly to focus on continuing violations of human rights, including abuses of freedom of religion or belief, in the forthcoming annual resolution on Burma.

While significant changes have taken place in Burma during the past two years, including the release of many political prisoners, the participation of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Parliament, increased space for civil society, political actors and the media, and the agreement of fragile, preliminary ceasefires with most armed ethnic resistance organisations, grave violations of human rights continue to be perpetrated, in particular against religious and ethnic minorities […]

UN General Assembly: Establish Clear Benchmarks to Address Continuing Abuses in Myanmar

Wartime Abuses in Kachin State, “Ethnic Cleansing” in Rakhine State, Tens of Thousands Denied Access to Aid

The United Nations General Assembly should adopt a strong and comprehensive resolution on the situation of human rights in Myanmar to promote much-needed human rights reform in the country, Fortify Rights said today. When it considers a forthcoming resolution on Myanmar, the UN General Assembly should condemn the wide range of ongoing human rights violations by the government and armed forces of Myanmar and provide clear benchmarks for measurable improvement, including establishing the presence of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Myanmar […]

UK Must Ensure UN General Assembly Burma Resolution Tackles Sexual Violence

Burma Campaign UK today called on the British government to ensure that ending rape and sexual violence in Burma is included in the UN General Assembly resolution on Burma, a draft of which is expected to be completed by the European Union this week.

Burma Campaign UK also called on the British government to raise rape and sexual violence in Burma when the United Nations Security Council discusses Women Peace and Security on 18th October […]

HURFOM Releases “Disputed Territory” to Highlight Unjust Land Acquisition in Mon Areas

The Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) has released a report titled “Disputed Territory: Mon farmers’ fight against unjust land acquisition and barriers to their progress,” to illustrate contemporary struggles against past and on-going land disputes. Drawing from almost 100 interviews conducted in Ye, Yebyu, and Kyaikmayaw townships, the report presents cases of land confiscation and abuse in Mon areas and elevates the voices of farmers who are actively pursuing justice […]