Progress report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana

Myanmar undertook national elections for the first time in over two decades on 7 November 2010. One week later, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was released unconditionally upon the end of her house arrest term. The new national parliament began meeting on 31 January 2011. Amidst much uncertainty, there appears to be some cautious optimism that positive change may be possible. Among those changes that the people of Myanmar dare to hope for is the realization of their economic, social and cultural rights. For this reason, the Special Rapporteur begins to address in the present report the subject of economic, social and cultural rights, starting with the right to education.

The Special Rapporteur also reiterates his call for a Commission of Inquiry into crimes against humanity and war crimes […]

Statement on the Current Situation in Burma, and Recommendations to European Governments

Elections held in Burma in November 2010 had no credibility. They did not meet any internationally accepted standards of being free and fair. Vote rigging on behalf of the main political party established by the military […]

European Parliamentary Caucus on Burma (EPCB) Statement on Postelections Situation in Burma and the European Policy

The European Parliamentary Caucus on Burma calls on the European Union to recognize that a powerless and rubber stamp Parliament which has been designed by the military dictatorship cannot be a path through which the people of Burma can reach their goal of a democratic and […]

New report warns crisis in Burma “puts the credibility of the UN at stake”

The United Nations is at risk of losing legitimacy for failing to establish a formal inquiry into alleged crimes against humanity in Burma, according to a new report published by the German Marshall Fund and the Legatum Institute.

The report’s author, Benedict Rogers, catalogues a grim list of large-scale human rights abuses and brutal oppression of ethnic minorities and opposition […]

Belgium Supports the Establishment of a U.N. Commission of Inquiry with a mandate to examine war crimes and crimes against humanity in Burma

Actions Birmanie salutes the position of principle adopted by Belgium in favour of the creation of a United Nations Special Commission to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Burma […]

Universal Periodic Review of Burma: Deny, Dismiss and Dodge, Military Regime Unwilling to Face up to Massive Human Rights Abuses

On the occasion of the Universal Periodic Review of the human rights situation in Burma at the UN Human Rights Council on 27 January, FIDH, Altsean-Burma and BLC deplore the military regime’s blanket denial of the serious human rights abuses and the entrenched impunity that prevails in the country. The organisations welcome the engagement by a number of Member States in their dialogue with regime officials […]

Statement on the Sixth Congress of the Women’s League of Burma

The Sixth Congress of the Women’s League of Burma was held in a liberated area near the Thai-Burma border from 24 – 26 January 2011. It was attended by fifty-nine representatives from member organizations including program coordinators, regional focal points and members of the Advisory Team.

The Congress reviewed the programs, amended the constitution, laid down future strategic work plans for two years’ term. The Congress also analyzed the current political situation […]

World Report 2011: Burma

Burma’s human rights situation remained dire in 2010, even after the country’s first multiparty elections in 20 years. The ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) continued to systematically deny all basic freedoms to citizens and sharply constrained political participation. The rights of freedom of expression, association, assembly, and media remained severely curtailed. The government took no significant steps during the year to release more than 2,100 political prisoners being held, except for the November 13 release of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi […]

Leading a Common Approach to the Commission of Inquiry on Burma

Canadian Friends of Burma (CFOB) and Canadian civil society organizations would like to encourage the Government of Canada to play an active role in the international call for the implementation of a UN ‘Commission of Inquiry’ into gross human rights violations, specifically ‘crimes against humanity’ and ‘war crimes’ in Burma. Such an inquiry could investigate reports of human rights and humanitarian law violations in Burma, through the mechanisms of the Human Rights Council, the Security Council, the General Assembly, or the office of the Secretary General […]

Burma’s Grave Human Rights Situation Stands Before the UN’s Review

Representatives from the Burma Forum on the Universal Periodic Review (BF-UPR), a coalition of fourteen human rights and civil society organizations, are currently in Geneva to raise concerns over the grave human rights situation in Burma ahead of the country’s first Universal Periodic Review on 27 January. The Review comes at a time when Burma is under the international spotlight, due to the recent release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the controversial November elections which were neither free nor fair, and the forthcoming first session of the new Parliament on 31 January […]