British Parliamentarians Call on Government to Prioritise Human Rights During Burmese President Thein Sein Visit

British Parliamentarians from the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Democracy in Burma are calling on Foreign Secretary William Hague to prioritise human rights when he meets Burmese President Thein Sein in London.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group For Democracy in Burma has recently heard evidence on a number of serious human rights issues, including the continuing recruitment of child soldiers, ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya, religious persecution against the Chin ethnic minority, and possible war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Burmese Army against Kachin civilians […]

Burma: UK’s Cameron Should Press President on Rights

Demand Accountability for Crimes Against Humanity, Release of Political Prisoners

Britain’s Prime Minster David Cameron should urge visiting Burmese President Thein Sein to bring those responsible for atrocities against Burma’s Muslims to justice, release all political prisoners, and ensure that new legislation meets international human rights standards, Human Rights Watch said today. Thein Sein is visiting the United Kingdom from July 14 to 16, 2013 […]

One Year After the Violence Began: Civil Society Organisations Deeply Concerned by the Human Rights and Humanitarian Situation of Stateless Rohingya

The Rohingya, a stateless minority of Myanmar, have endured decades of abuse, persecution and discrimination. One year ago, on 3 June 2012, the massacre of ten Muslims travelling in Rakhine State, following the killing and reported rape of a Buddhist woman, marked the beginning of a series of violent attacks against the Rohingya and other Muslim communities. The violence of June and October 2012 resulted in countless deaths, destruction to property, large scale internal displacement and segregation within Rakhine state of Myanmar. Consequently, thousands of Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia and
beyond […]

UN Security Council Should Refer Burma to ICC over Ethnic Cleansing and Crimes Against Humanity Against Rohingya

The Burma Rohingya Organisation UK is calling on the British government to support the United Nations Security Council referring Burma to the International Criminal Court.

Human Rights Watch today released a new report ‘All You Can Do is Pray’, which provides evidence of ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity against the Rohingya […]

Thein Sein Prosecution Raised In UK Parliament

Lord Alton of Liverpool has asked the British government whether it might be possible to arrest Thein Sein for human rights abuses if he goes ahead with a planned visit to the UK early next year.

The UK applies universal jurisdiction for the use of torture, but only under certain limited conditions […]

Human Rights Commission Recognises Kachin Abuses

Burma’s national human rights commission (MNHRC) has accused the army of committing serious abuses against civilians in Kachin state, in the wake of a five-day mission of inquiry to the conflict-torn region […]

The War in Kachin State: A Year of More Displacement and Human Rights Abuses

In the past year, the Tatmadaw has deployed nearly 25% of its battalions to Kachin State, escalating its war with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and bringing further suffering to civilian populations in Kachin State and Northern Shan State.

Tatmadaw soldiers have constantly targeted civilians in Kachin State and Northern Shan States as part of their military operations against the KIA. Human rights abuses have included extrajudicial killings, rape of women, arbitrary arrests, torture, forced displacement, the use of human shields, forced labor, and the confiscation and destruction of property. All of these systematic abuses would be considered war crimes and/or crimes against humanity under international law […]

Revisiting Human Rights in Myanmar

On 23 May 2012, Amnesty International concluded its first official visit to Myanmar since 2003. This report illustrates Amnesty’s general impressions of the current human rights situation, and looks at five specific topics: political imprisonment, rule of law, ethnic minorities, accountability, and economic, social and cultural rights.

Annual Report 2012: Myanmar

The government enacted limited political and economic reforms, but human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law in ethnic minority areas increased during the year. Some of these amounted to crimes against humanity or war crimes […]

Launch of “Uncertain Ground: Landmine Use in Eastern Burma”

Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) today released a major new report documenting the continued challenges posed by widespread use of landmines in eastern Burma and called for urgent humanitarian mine action that addresses the priorities and concerns […]