Draft Media Law a Step Backward for Burma

Draft legislation designed to govern the media in Burma threatens to reverse fragile press freedom gains recently achieved under President Thein Sein’s democratic reform program, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today […]

Win Myint, Kan Min Thar and Tun Oo Still Jailed in Burma

Burma Campaign UK today called on Hugo Swire MP, British Foreign Office Minister with responsibility for Burma, to pressure the military-backed government in Burma to secure the unconditional release of Win Myint, Kan Min Thar, Tun Oo and all remaining political prisoners […]

World Must Act to End Burmese Military Aggression Against Kachin

A new report by the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT) details widespread civilian casualties from recent Burma Army offensives in Kachin areas and urges international pressure to end military aggression against the Kachin people […]

4,000 Strong Petition Calls For Thein Sein To Release All Political Prisoners

Burma Campaign UK today delivered a petition with 4,000 signatures to the Burmese Embassy in London, calling on President Thein Sein to ensure the release of all political prisoners in Burma.

The Burmese Embassy refused to accept the petition, but Burma Campaign UK left it in the Embassy anyway […]

Myanmar: Press Bill Falls Far Short of International Law and Would Leave Press Open to Abuse

Despite promises of reform, a new press bill to be presented in parliament retains a vagueness that will leave the print media open to abuse from the government and other powerful actors.

The draft Press Law Bill (2013) says that the media should become “a fourth pillar” of democracy “watching and guiding the other three”. The media will not however become a fourth pillar under this draft because it undermines their role and overly restricts their work […]

The Death of Phyo Wai Aung: Myanmar’s Brutal Institutions Claim Another Victim

At the twentieth session of the Human Rights Council, the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) drew the attention of delegates—not for the first time—to the case of Phyo Wai Aung, a young man falsely convicted of involvement in a bombing attack during 2010 that killed 10 people and injured scores […]

Is Germany Siding With Burma To Downplay Human Rights Abuses?

Members of the European Burma Network today called on Germany to come clean over whether it is working behind the scenes to have Burma downgraded as a priority for the United Nations Human Rights Council. The European Burma Network which brings together advocacy organisations working for human rights and democracy in Burma […]

BROUK Welcomes Statement of Tomás Ojea Quintana and Urges International Community to Take Immediate Action

On 16 February 2013, following a five-day mission to Burma, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Tomás Ojea Quintana expressed his concern about the “profound crisis” in Arakan state. He highlighted the lack of adequate health care in the larger Rohingya Muslim […]

Myanmar: “Reforms Continue Apace, But Key Human Rights Issues Remain Unaddressed” – UN Expert

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana, commended the progress achieved so far by the reform process in Myanmar, but called on the Government to urgently address a number of human rights issues […]

Targeting and Torturing Public Enemies Through the Unlawful Associations Act in Myanmar

In January 2013, the Asian Legal Resource Centre released a special dossier of 36 cases brought by personnel of the Myanmar armed forces and police under the 1908 Unlawful Associations Act, against people accused of contact with the Kachin Independence Army […]