Leaflet on Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes

This leaflet explains in very simple terms what are crimes against humanity and war crimes, including targeted attacks against civilians, deportation or forcible transfer of population, arbitrary imprisonment, torture, murder, rape or other forms of sexual violence, enslavement and enforced disappearance of persons.

Individuals and solidarity organizations are welcome to print and distribute this leaflet to raise public awareness about the ongoing crimes being committed in Burma […]

Potential War Crimes Exposed in Detail in New Report Titled, Crimes in Northern Burma: Results from a Fact-Finding Mission to Kachin State

Burma’s army is committing serious human rights violations against ethnic communities in Kachin State that may amount to war crimes, according to a new report released today by the Norway-based non-governmental organization Partners Relief & Development […]

Crimes in Northern Burma: Results from a Fact-Finding Mission to Kachin State

On 9 June 2011, civil war broke out in northern Burma between the Burma Army and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), ending a 17-year long ceasefire agreement. This report presents data collected from a Partners investigation in southern Kachin State, Burma in October 2011 […]

Clinton Should Prioritize Burmese Army’s Increase in Mass Atrocities, Violence Against Women During Trip to Burma

Today the U.S. Campaign for Burma welcomed the announcement of Secretary of State Hilary Clinton’s trip to Burma scheduled for December 1, 2011. We urge Secretary Clinton to prioritize seeking an end to the Burmese regime’s systematic and widespread […]

Small Concessions From Naypyidaw Must Not Overshadow Increasing Number of Human Rights Abuses

A year after the flawed election of 2010 in Burma, it is time to take stock of where the country stands. The regime might have taken some positive actions, including suspending the Myitsone Dam in Kachin State, releasing some political prisoners, and most recently making changes to the political party registration laws that would allow the NLD to officially register. But this year was also marked by a dramatic increase in the number of human rights abuses being committed, especially in ethnic areas. Regional civil society and exiled activists from Burma based on the Thai-Burma border gathered today in Jakarta to remind ASEAN and the international community of this outrageous reality. Some small concessions may have been made by Naypyidaw, but these have not affected the majority of Burma’s civilian population, especially ethnic nationalities […]

Civil Society to Hold Public Hearing and Seminar on Human Rights Abuses in Burma

Civil society organizations from Burma and the ASEAN region will be holding a public hearing on human rights abuses and a seminar on the human rights situation in Burma. These back-to-back events come one year after Burma’s elections in 2010 and less than two weeks before […]

Serious International Crimes Continue in Burma Under ‘New’ Regime

Since Thein Sein took office as Burma’s President on 30 March, the regime has continued to perpetrate crimes against humanity and war crimes with total impunity. Reports of serious international crimes have increased significantly in line with the escalation of the ongoing Tatmadaw offensives in Kachin, Shan, and Karen States […]

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 […]

Q & A on an International Commission of Inquiry

In March 2010, the United Nations special rapporteur for human rights in Burma, Tomás Ojea Quintana, called on the UN to consider the possibility of establishing a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into crimes in violation of international law committed in Burma. Thus far, 16 states have endorsed this call to address systematic, widespread, and serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. Such abuses include war crimes and possible crimes against humanity by the Burmese armed forces and non-state armed groups.

Human Rights Watch calls on relevant UN bodies to establish a Commission of Inquiry to investigate reports of violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in Burma by all parties, and to identify the perpetrators of such violations with a view to ensuring that those responsible are held accountable […]

Burma’s Military Regime Refuses to Address Human Rights Abuses at UN Human Rights Council

Last week, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burma, Tomas Ojea Quintana, held an interactive dialogue with the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) following the submission of his progress report to the United Nations General Assembly. Quintana painted a stark picture of Burma’s human rights situation, including the deprivation of social, economic, and cultural rights. Burma’s military regime representatives were once again unwilling to face facts and address widespread human rights violations, credible allegations of crimes against humanity, and criticisms of current political reforms […]