European Parliament Calls on the MNHRC to Intensify its Work of Promoting and Safeguarding the Fundamental Rights of Citizens

In a resolution dated 20 April, the European Parliament, among other things, called “on the National Human Rights Commission to intensify its work of promoting and safeguarding the fundamental rights of citizens.” This statement came only few days after Catherine Ashton, European Union High Representative announced that she has launched a programme to help the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission.

We welcome this statement as the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission is not yet an independent and effective mechanism to promote and protect human rights for the people of Burma.

We hope that the European Union will work closely with the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission in order to ensure it respects the Paris Principles. These principles are minimum conditions that must be met for a national human rights institution to be considered independent and effective in protecting and promoting the rights of the people […]

Crucial Benchmarks Must Be Met Before Sanctions Fully Lifted

On 23 January, the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union decided to lift the visa bans on Burma’s top government officials, including President Thein Sein, the vice-presidents, ministers and speakers of the two houses of Parliament. In its statement, the Council praised the recent reforms made by Thein Sein’s government while ignoring the serious issues that have not yet been addressed, including ongoing armed conflict and grave human rights abuses in ethnic nationality areas, continued detention of hundreds of political prisoners, and failure to make critical political, economic and legal reforms.

Contrary to the Council’s statement, Thein Sein’s government has not made enough effort to engage ethnic nationalities in the political process. While there have been ceasefires reached with some armed ethnic groups and initial steps taken towards agreements with the Karen National Union and Kachin Independence Organization, the government has not shown the willingness to address the underlying political issues of ethnic equality and self-determination. Furthermore, the Burma Army continues to deploy troops, engage in battle with the Kachin Independence Army and attack civilians fleeing from fighting, giving reasons to doubt the government’s sincerity in achieving peace […]

The Spirit of the 1988 Uprising Lives On – Activists Call for UN Commission of Inquiry

Twenty-three years after the 8 August 1988 nationwide people’ s uprising, groups inside Burma and around the world hosted events that demonstrated that the desire for freedom remains as strong today as it was in 1988. On that fateful day in 1988, hundreds of thousands of people, young and old, men and women, from all walks of life and a range of ethnic groups, took to the streets as part of a student led movement for democracy. Burma’s military regime, headed by General Ne Win, sensed a profound threat to its grip on power and cracked down hard on the protesters, killing at least 3,000 and imprisoning and torturing many thousands more […]

The European Union should back UN inquiry on Burma

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) today called on the EU and its Member States to press for a United Nations Commission of Inquiry (COI) to be set up to investigate serious on-going human rights violations in Burma/Myanmar […]

EU Must Maintain Burma Sanctions

Burma Campaign UK today called on members of the European Union to maintain targeted sanctions on Burma, following the release of a policy statement on sanctions by the National League for Democracy (NLD).

The European Union has a ‘Common Decision’ on Burma foreign policy, which has to be renewed every April. Some European countries, including Italy and Germany, are believed to favour relaxing some sanctions […]

European Parliament Condemns ‘Atrocious’ Violations against Karen

The European Parliament passed a Resolution on Thursday 25 November 2010, following sham elections in Burma and the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. The Resolution noted that the elections were not free or fair, and the release of Aung San Suu Kyi by itself did not represent a positive step forward, without other fundamental changes.

The Resolution also highlighted how the “Burmese military continues to commit atrocious human rights violations against civilians in the ethnic Karen homelands on the Thai border, acts which include extrajudicial killings, forced labour and sexual violence …. continues widespread and systematic forced recruitment of child soldiers” […]

Week 35: 2010 Election Watch (2-8 November)

Developments

Widespread evidence of electoral fraud, irregularities, threats, harassment, and lack of independent monitoring characterized Election Day and the days leading up to it:

• In the days before the election, local SPDC officials, polling station officials, and Union Solidarity and Development (USDP) members throughout the country solicited advance and proxy votes, in the overwhelming majority of cases specifically for the USDP […]

EU: Act on UN Inquiry Into International Crimes in Burma

Special Rapporteur’s Report Bolsters Call for Justice

Governments concerned about war crimes and crimes against humanity in Burma should move beyond mere condemnation and establish a United Nations commission of inquiry as follow-up to a UN expert’s report on Burma released today, Human Rights Watch said today. In a letter to European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton released today, Human Rights Watch called for Ashton and the EU to back the report of the UN special rapporteur on Burma, Thomas Quintana, and show leadership in support of a commission of inquiry […]

Former UN Rapporteurs Call on EU to Support a Commission of Inquiry

On October 5th, former UN Special Rapporteurs on human rights in Burma, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro and Yozo Yokota, sent a letter to Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission. The letter called on the EU to support the establishment of a commission of inquiry into crimes against humanity and war crimes in Burma […]

Open letter to H.E. Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy vice-President of the European Commission

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) addressed yesterday an open letter to H.E. Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and vice-President of the European Commission calling upon the European Union to support the establishment of a United Nations commission of inquiry in Burma/Myanmar […]