Will the President of Myanmar Keep His Promise?

The veneer of progress is wearing thin in Myanmar. A year ago, the President of Myanmar, Thein Sein, promised to release all prisoners of conscience. Earlier this year, to mark Myanmar’s Independence Day, the President ordered the release of thousands of prisoners. Now one year on from the promise to release all prisoners of conscience, the promise remains unfulfilled. Even more troubling is the fact that the government is arresting more prisoners of conscience […]

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

Introduction:

Good evening and thank you all for coming today. I have just concluded my first official ten- day mission as Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar. The objective of my visit was to assess the human rights situation in Myanmar through a better understanding of the realities on the ground. Accordingly, I sought to engage constructively with a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including Government officials, political, religious and community leaders, civil society representatives, as well as victims of human rights violations and members of the international community. I was pleased to have had a frank and open exchange of views on a range of matters related to my mandate. And I am grateful that many were so forthcoming in their views on sensitive issues […]

Burma: Eight Chin Activists Convicted; Fined

[Chiang Mai, Thailand] On Wednesday 23 July eight Chin activists – charged under article 18 of “The Right to Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Act” with protesting without permission – were convicted in Matupi township court under presiding Judge Aung Mya, and ordered to pay fines of 30,000 kyats each the same day […]

Four Detained Newspaper Journalists Appear in Court on Emergency Provisions Act Charges

Four of the seven journalists with the weekly Bi Mon Te Nay who were arrested more than two weeks ago on charges of publishing false information and threatening state security were brought before a court in the southern Rangoon suburb of Padeban on 22 July for a preliminary hearing […]

Statement on Repatriation of Refugees from the Thai–Myanmar Border

The Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN), a growing network of 194 organizations and individuals from 26 countries, expresses its grave concern over the recent announcement by the Royal Thai Government regarding the repatriation of refugees living on the Thai – Myanmar border back to Myanmar (Burma). While the announcement does not specify a particular date for repatriation, the intent of the announcement does raise serious humanitarian concerns […]

BURMA/MYANMAR: Immediate Need for Fair Trial and Remedies for Free Speech

During the three year period of new Myanmar Government, new political reforms have been taking place. The authorities stopped censoring the media in June 2012 and also allowed private news media groups to print newspapers in April 2013. As people in Burma only had state owned newspapers for the previous decade, elderly journalists and society of media appreciated this with welcoming heart. Today, news outlets can freely debate political issues and human rights abuse cases that they could not discuss during the military dictatorship, not because they were afraid of but because they could not get published. Even after they stopped censorship, prosecution of the government started to bring journalists in accordance with applicable laws […]

Civil Society’s Recommendations to the ASEAN Ministers Meeting (AMM) in the Review and Amendment of the Terms of Reference (TOR) of the ASEAN

We, members of civil society organizations from Brunei Darussalam, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Republic of Indonesia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), Malaysia, Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the Republic of the Philippines, the Republic of Singapore, the Kingdom of Thailand and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, gathered in Jakarta, Indonesia on 15-16th July 2014 for the 3rd Regional Civil Society Meeting for the Annual ASEAN Ministers Meeting (AMM) with the aim of providing inputs from civil society to the AMM on the review and amendment of the Terms of Reference (TOR) of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR). […]

Burma: Increased Number of Political Prisoners Calls for Renewed International Pressure

Without genuine legislative reform and sustained international pressure, the number of Burma’s political prisoners is set to steadily rise, FIDH and its member organization, the Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma (ALTSEAN-Burma), warned today […]

Burma: Drop Charges against Chin Activists; End Impunity for Sexual Violence

[Chiang Mai, Thailand] The Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) today condemned the Government of Burma for pursuing legal proceedings against 8 Chin activists who demonstrated
against sexual violence perpetrated by Burma Army soldiers, and failing to deliver justice for Chin victims of sexual violence. CHRO urged the Burmese authorities to immediately and unconditionally drop the charges against the activists, and reiterated its long-standing call for an independent and
impartial international mechanism to investigate serious human rights violations in Burma, including sexual violence, in order to deter further violations and help end the culture of impunity […]

Myanmar: One Year on, President’s Promise to Release All Prisoners of Conscience Remains Unfulfilled

One year after President Thein Sein pledged to clear Myanmar’s jails of prisoners of conscience – a pledge which to date remains unfulfilled – Amnesty International calls on the Myanmar authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all those who have been imprisoned simply for the peaceful exercise of their human rights […]