UN Special Rapporteur’s Visit Highlight ongoing Human Rights Issues in Burma

Last week, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burma, Ms. Yanghee Lee, completed a 12-day tour of Burma – the first visit of its kind under the new NLD-led Government […]

EU Must Call Rohingya People “Rohingya”

As organisations representing Rohingya people in 9countries, we express our deep concern and disappointment at the decision by the European Union not to use our name when referring to us […]

Eliminating sexual violence in conflict areas

“Do you have an emergency basket at your door?”

This is a question that Ph.D. candidate Jenny Hedström soon learned to ask whenever she interviewed Kachin women about their support for and involvement with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) for her research on gender, peace and security issues in Burma […]

Briefing Paper: The legacy of mass torture and the challenge for reform in Myanmar

Torture has a long history in Myanmar and has been widely employed by the military regimes in power after 1962 […]

Torture, extrajudicial killing, and use of civilians as human shields by Burma Army during new offensive against SSPP/SSA near Upper Yeywa dam site in Kyaukme

During May 2016, the Burma Army has committed grave human rights violations, which meet the definition of war crimes, during a new offensive against the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) in Kyaukme township, northern Shan State, close to the Upper Yeywa dam site on the Namtu/Myitnge river […]

U.S.: Ongoing Atrocity Crimes Against Ethnic Minorities Merit U.S. Sanctions Renewal on Myanmar (Burma)

(Washington, D.C., May 9, 2016)—U.S. President Barack Obama should renew sanctions authority on Myanmar (Burma) for at least another year due to ongoing egregious human rights violations against ethnic minorities in the country, said Fortify Rights and United to End Genocide in a new report published today […]

As Temperatures Rise, so do Religious Tensions

The ugly head of religious extremism has reared again as a number of incidents involving nationalistic and extremist figures spreading hateful and destructive messages have presented a huge challenge to the National League for Democracy (NLD)-led Government just one month into its term in office […]

UN Review Shows Lack of Progress Made by the Outgoing Government

Burma/Myanmar’s response to its second cycle Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the United Nations Human Rights Council (the Council) reflects the lack of progress made by the outgoing government and the need for key human rights challenges to be addressed, representatives who attended the Council said today […]

Questions for rights body as NLD prepares to take office

In what many have hailed as a new dawn in terms of respect for human rights in Myanmar with the coming to power of a National League for Democracy government, some activists are questioning how much, and how soon, anything is going to change […]

Burma Army Moves to Tighten Grip on Power

While people were still in a buoyant mood over the November 2015 elections results, wrapping up last year’s work and preparing for 2016, the Burma Army and the Government had a clearly different agenda, initiating several discreet moves in an attempt to maintain its grip on power during the term of the future National League for Democracy (NLD) Government […]