The Burmese Government Must Immediately End Human Rights Violations, Including Violence Against Women, in Palaung Areas

During the past four months, the Burmese Army has been carrying out fierce military offensives in Palaung areas against the Shan State Army-North (SSA-N), Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA). The Palaung Women’s Organization and Ta’ang Students and Youth Organization (TSYO) are gravely concerned at the impacts of the fighting on local communities, who have suffered widespread abuses by the Burmese military […]

Joint Statement on the Official Report of the Rakhine (Arakan) Investigation Commission

We the undersigned organizations reject the 186-page official report dated 22 April 2013 of the Arakan Investigation Commission as follows […]

Labour Activist Jailed For Cutting Down A Tree

A labour activist has been jailed for 7 and half years after being falsely accused of cutting down trees.

Burma Campaign UK today urged Hugo Swire MP, British Foreign Office Minister with responsibility for Burma to do more to push the military-backed government in Burma to release Myint Soe and all remaining political prisoners in Burma […]

Tun Aung Sentence Increased By Six Years

Political prisoner Tun Aung has had his prison sentence increased by six years, despite British Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire MP asking Burmese government ministers for his release.

The decision of the Burmese government to take court action to increase his sentence raises yet more doubts about British government claims that by befriending the government of Burma they will have more influence to improve human rights […]

Burma: Human Rights Groups Condemn Ongoing Crackdown on Protests and Peaceful Assemblies

Report Highlights Violations of Freedoms of Expression, Peaceful Assembly and Association

The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), together with its member Human Rights Education Institute of Burma (HREIB), and Burma Partnership, called on the Burma government to respect the freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association […]

Statement by Local Residents at Ramree Island Regarding Shwe Gas Project, Deep Sea Port, and Oil and Gas Pipeline

Construction of Daewoo’s Shwe gas project, as well as CNPC’s Maday deep sea port and oil and gas pipeline have damaged our (local people’s) livelihoods and environment in Kyauk Phu Township since 2009. Additionally, there has been ongoing forcible land confiscation, providing no compensation or a limited amount of compensation for the confiscated rice farms and lands […]

Myanmar/Rakhine Commission: “Positive Starting Point but Government Must Address Impunity”

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana, today welcomed some forward thinking recommendations from the Rakhine Investigation Commission report. However, he expressed concerns over the lack of recommendations to address impunity and ensure investigations into credible allegations of widespread and systematic human rights violations targeting the Muslim community in Rakhine State […]

Myanmar Must Look Beyond ‘Flawed’ Report to Stop Cycle of Buddhist-Muslim Violence

Recommendations in a government-backed report investigating last year’s devastating violence in Myanmar fail to effectively tackle discrimination against Rohingya Muslims and could trigger more human rights abuses, Amnesty International said.

The government-appointed Rakhine Commission this week issued a briefing on its investigation into violence between Buddhist and Muslim communities in Rakhine state, western Myanmar, which first erupted in June 2012 […]

BURMA: Criminalization of Rights Defenders and Impunity for Police

The Asian Human Rights Commission condemns in the strongest terms the announcement of the commander of the Sagaing Region Police Force, Myanmar, that the police will arrest and charge eight human rights defenders whom it blames for inciting protests against the army-backed copper mine project at the Letpadaung Hills, in Monywa. The commission also condemns the latest round of needless police violence against demonstrators there […]

Lifting EU Sanctions Will Unlikely Lead to an Improved Human Rights Situation in Burma

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and its member organization Altsean-Burma regret that the European Union (EU) has discarded its own benchmarks for reform in order to dismantle sanctions against Burma/Myanmar.

The disposal of this important and legitimate instrument to push forward positive change in the country is inconsistent, as mass atrocities continue in Kachin state and targeted violence endangers Rohingya and other Muslims in the western and central regions. In addition to undermining its own credibility, the EU decision threatens to decelerate the pace of reforms and prolong a state of impunity in Burma/Myanmar […]