Burma: Telecoms Risk Complicity in Surveillance, Censorship

International telecommunications companies risk being linked to human rights abuses if they enter the Burmese market before adequate protections are in place, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. Burma’s human rights reforms thus far have been inadequate, including in the Internet […]

Human Rights Council: Maintain Scrutiny of Burma

International Pressure Needed on Minority Rights, Political Prisoners, Laws

The United Nations Human Rights Council should retain its current level of scrutiny of Burma’s still poor human rights situation, Human Rights Watch said today. The draft resolution on Burma for the council’s present session should continue the mandate […]

Retrograde Bill Threatens Tentative Progress

Although eight privately-owned dailies are to be launched on 1 April in a development that is without precedent in the past 40 years, Reporters Without Borders is very concerned about a proposed new law on printing and publishing that was submitted to parliament on 4 March […]

Burma/Myanmar: New Forms of Control and Threats to Freedoms of Expression, Assembly and Association Amidst Reforms Fanfare

An international fact-finding mission was conducted by Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) on 24- 30 October 2012 to assess the situation of freedoms of expression, assembly and association in Burma, against the backdrop […]

Draft Media Law a Step Backward for Burma

Draft legislation designed to govern the media in Burma threatens to reverse fragile press freedom gains recently achieved under President Thein Sein’s democratic reform program, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today […]

Myanmar: Press Bill Falls Far Short of International Law and Would Leave Press Open to Abuse

Despite promises of reform, a new press bill to be presented in parliament retains a vagueness that will leave the print media open to abuse from the government and other powerful actors.

The draft Press Law Bill (2013) says that the media should become “a fourth pillar” of democracy “watching and guiding the other three”. The media will not however become a fourth pillar under this draft because it undermines their role and overly restricts their work […]

Human Rights Situation Deteriorated as Fighting Intensified in Kachin State

Burma’s human rights situation in January 2013 remained poor, in large part, due to the intensified fighting in Kachin State. In January 2013, the Burmese military admitted that it had launched an aerial assault against the strongholds of the KIO/KIA.

According to a member organization of the ND-Burma, there are over 25,000 refugees being sheltered in close proximity to the aerial attacks. Reports of civilian causalities have also been received […]

Myanmar Waits Approval of Draft Rights Law

A draft Myanmar National Human Rights law aimed at broadening the work of the human right commission and ensuring its independence has been sent to President U Thein Sein, the commission’s chairman said last week […]

Burma: Continued Violations of Fundamental Freedoms and New Forms of Control Expose the Empty Façade of Reforms

Human rights protection in Burma will remain illusory if fundamental freedoms of expression, assembly and association are not properly safeguarded in the current legal reforms in Burma, warned the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development […]

List of the Most Problematic Provisions in the 2008 Constitution and Burmese Laws

This document gives an overview of provisions in the 2008 Constitution, Burmese laws and the Penal Code that are, in the view of the BLC, the most problematic for the development of rule of law and democracy in Burma […]