Burma: Drop Charges Against Peaceful Protesters

End Protest Denials; Amend Law on Assembly for International Standards

Authorities in Burma should drop charges against activists who participated in peaceful protests against government policies, Human Rights Watch said today. Nine peace activists now face criminal charges for demonstrating in Rangoon without a permit on September 21, 2012, International Peace Day. Anti-mining protesters and land rights activists elsewhere in Burma have also been subject to intimidation and prosecution […]

Movement Against Article 18

On 27 December, the Movement for Democracy Current Forces (MDCF) led a protest calling for abolishment of Article 18 of the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Law and Article 505(b) of the Penal Code. Rather than granting freedom of expression, assembly and association, these laws are being used to intimidate, silence and arrest human rights defenders and activists in Burma […]

The Decree on the Right to Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession

The Decree on the Right to Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession is one of the first laws governing civil and political rights to be adopted since the election of a quasi-civilian government in November 2010. ARTICLE 19’s analysis of the law finds the law to be inconsistent with the right to freedom of expression and the right to assembly.

In the analysis, ARTICLE 19 appreciates the Decree’s recognition of the state’s duty to protect assembly participants. However, the requirement for permission to hold an assembly, the grounds for denying permission, the lack of a court appeal and the absence of guarantees for media access to assemblies are problematic and must be urgently revised […]

New Law on Demonstrations Falls Short

Burma’s new law on the right to peaceful assembly falls far short of international standards, Human Rights Watch said today. President Thein Sein signed the assembly law, the Law Relating to Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession […]