Burma Briefing No. 16: Political Prisoner Releases in Burma

As speculation mounts that the government in Burma is about to release some political prisoners, this briefing looks at the history of political prisoner releases in Burma […]

Burma Briefing No. 15: Events in Burma – New or Recycled?

This briefing analyses recent events in Burma, many of which have been hailed as ‘new’, ‘unprecedented’ and ‘progress’. It finds that most of what has taken place in recent months is not new at all, and that Thein Sein is borrowing ideas from his predecessors, Than Shwe and Ne Win […]

Burma Briefing No. 14: War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity in Burma

For twenty years the United Nations has documented human rights abuses in Burma which may be in violation of international law. In March 2010 the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Burma called on the UN to establish a Commission of Inquiry into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity. Later that year, with no serious moves being made to establish an inquiry, he repeated his call, stating: “Failing to act on accountability in Myanmar will embolden the perpetrators of international crimes and further postpone long-overdue justice.” Burma’s democracy movement is also calling for a UN Commission of Inquiry, and human rights groups worldwide are supporting that call […]

Burma Briefing No. 13: Germany and Burma – Business before human rights

Commentary on an article published on 20th June 2011 in the Financial Times by Markus Loening, Germany’s federal commissioner for human rights policy.

It is rare for a German government official to make a detailed statement on their thinking on Burma policy, and the article is more revealing than perhaps was intended.

Loening’s arguments expose a fundamental misunderstanding of the situation in Burma, the history of EU policy, of the Burmese economy, and of the dictatorship itself […]

Burma Briefing No. 11: Burma’s New Constitution – Denying Ethnic Rights

This briefing looks at the wide-ranging negative impacts Burma’s new Constitution will have on ethnic groups in Burma. The Constitution is likely to lead to the continued Burmanisation of ethnic minorities and increased militarisation of ethnic areas, with the subsequent increase of human rights abuses which always follows […]

Burma Briefing No. 7: Support for a United Nations Commission of Inquiry

This briefing details the growing international support for a UN Commission of Inquiry into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Burma […]

Burma Briefing No. 6: Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi has now spent more than 15 years in detention, most of it under house arrest. According to Burmese law, she must be released from her current period of detention on Saturday 13th November.

World leaders regularly express support for Aung San Suu Kyi and the struggle for human rights and democracy in Burma. However, when it comes to acting on requests from Aung San Suu Kyi for practical international support, they have been less forthcoming.

This briefing provides recommendations for action from the international community, whether or not Aung San Suu Kyi is released on 13th November […]

Burma Briefing No. 5: Burma’s Fake Election and the Post-Election Structure

While the international community has focused primarily on the process of the elections, this briefing analyses not only how the election process is unfair, but also how the military have brought in a new constitution which renders parliament powerless to bring in genuine democratic reform without military consent […]

Burma Briefing No. 4: The European Union and Burma

This briefing examines how the European Union, one of the most powerful political and economic blocs in the world, has so far failed to use its influence in an effective and productive way to help promote democracy and human rights in Burma […]

Burma Briefing No. 3: Burma’s nuclear programme could be bad news for human rights

Rather than persuade the international community to finally take action against Burma’s generals, recent evidence of Burma’s nuclear programme could be bad news for human rights, diverting international attention away from human rights, and turning the focus to disarmament […]