UNICEF Welcomes the Release of 24 Children from the Tatmadaw, Calls for Acceleration of Discharges

The Tatmadaw officially discharged 24 children in a ceremony in Yangon on 15 February, Friday, attended by senior officials of the Tatmadaw, the Representative of UNICEF as co-chair of a UN Country Task Force on children and armed conflict, senior officials […]

Harvard Plan to Restart Irrawaddy Dams Will not Buy Peace

A recent proposal by a Harvard University think-tank to restart the Irrawaddy-Myitsone dam project in order to “power the peace process” in Kachin state fails to address the political root causes of the conflict […]

Savage Torture in Ordinary Criminal Cases

One misconception about the use of torture in Myanmar is that it has been a form of human rights abuse most commonly associated with the cases of political prisoners, and therefore in the current period we should expect the incidence of torture to diminish as political conditions change […]

Statement of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar

I have just concluded my five-day mission to Myanmar – my seventh visit to the country since I was appointed Special Rapporteur in March 2008. I would like to express my appreciation to the Government of Myanmar for its invitation, and for the cooperation and flexibility shown during my visit, in particular for my visits to Rakhine State and Kachin State […]

ASEAN Must Support Efforts to Renew Mandate for UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Myanmar

The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) today called on Indonesia and other ASEAN member states to support calls for the United Nations Human Rights Council to maintain its resolution and renew the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for human rights on Myanmar to continue to monitor the situation there […]

The Appointment of New Representatives of Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam and the Re-appointment of Representatives to the AICHR

Pursuant to Article 5.2 of the Term of Reference (TOR) of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) – which states that “Each Member State shall appoint a Representative to the AICHR who shall be accountable to the appointing […]

Kachin Farmer Arrested and Tortured in Burma – Free Mading Zau Bawk!

Burma Campaign UK today called for the immediate release of Mading Zau Bawk and other remaining political prisoners in Burma. Mading Zau Bawk is a 23-year-old Kachin farmer who was arrested in May 2012 and tortured brutally by the military-backed government in Burma […]

Statement of Karen Women Organization’s 6th Congress

The Karen Women Organization held its 6th congress from 1st to 8th February 2013. There were 138 Representatives of 7 districts of Karen state, refugee camps, invited organizations and special guests who participated at the meeting, which was held at Lay Wah, Karen State […]

Burma’s Prisoner Review Must Include All Those Unfairly Detained

The Burmese government’s decision to form a committee to review political prisoner cases is a step in the right direction but the review needs to have a much wider reach, Amnesty International has said.

The government yesterday announced it would proceed with setting up the committee, which will look into granting amnesties to political prisoners […]

Human Rights Situation Deteriorated as Fighting Intensified in Kachin State

Burma’s human rights situation in January 2013 remained poor, in large part, due to the intensified fighting in Kachin State. In January 2013, the Burmese military admitted that it had launched an aerial assault against the strongholds of the KIO/KIA.

According to a member organization of the ND-Burma, there are over 25,000 refugees being sheltered in close proximity to the aerial attacks. Reports of civilian causalities have also been received […]