Hugo Swire Impersonates Ostrich In British Parliament

Burma Campaign UK today accused Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire of sticking his head in the sand, trying not to see or talk about human rights problems in Burma which don’t fit the positive picture he is trying to present. The accusation comes following his ducking questions in the British Parliament yesterday about the growing number of political prisoners in Burma […]

69th Session of the UN General Assembly – Situation of human rights in Myanmar: Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar

I. Introduction

I. The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar was established pursuant to Commission on Human Rights resolution 1992/58 and recently extended by Human Rights Council resolution 25/26. The present report is submitted pursuant to Council resolution 25/26 and General Assembly resolution 68/242.

II. Background

2. Following the completion of the term of the previous mandate holder, the current mandate holder took up her functions only in June 2014, which resulted in a shorter period than usual to conduct a country visit and review the information gathered. The present report therefore sets out the Special Rapporteur’s preliminary observations, to be supplemented by her oral statement to the General Assembly […]

UN Expert’s Final Report: “Prospect of a Brighter Future for the Ethnic Groups of Myanmar is Real”

GENEVA (17 March 2014) – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana, today presents his final report* to the Human Rights Council prior to the end of his mandate. He reflects on the progress the country has made during his six years on the mandate while highlighting the remaining challenges[…]

Myanmar/Rakhine Commission: “Positive Starting Point but Government Must Address Impunity”

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana, today welcomed some forward thinking recommendations from the Rakhine Investigation Commission report. However, he expressed concerns over the lack of recommendations to address impunity and ensure investigations into credible allegations of widespread and systematic human rights violations targeting the Muslim community in Rakhine State […]

Religious Violence in Myanmar, the Consequences of Government Inaction in Tackling Prejudice and Discrimination – UN Expert

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana, today expressed serious concerns over the spread of violence between Muslim and Buddhist communities in Myanmar and urged bold steps by the Government to counteract this frightening trend […]

Human Rights Council Highlights International Law Violations in Burma

Burma Campaign UK welcomes the United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution on Burma, passed by consensus on Thursday 21st March.

The resolution highlighted serious human rights abuses which could violate international law […]

Resolution on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar

The full text of the United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution that calls on the government to end human rights violations and ensure accountability and end impunity, maintains the resolution under agenda Item 4 of “Human rights situations that require the Council’s attention” and also extends the mandate of Special Rapporteur on human rights in Burma, Tomás Ojea Quintana.

Joint Oral Statement to the 22nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council

Mr. President:

Lawyers Rights Watch Canada, Lawyers for Lawyers and Asian Legal Resource Centre welcomes the report of the Special Rapporteur.[1] We share his appreciation of the progress towards recognition of human rights in Myanmar,[2] including the release of some prisoners of conscience […]

Oral Statement at the Interactive Dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Burma/Myanmar

Thank you, Mr. President. FORUM-ASIA, in association with its member organisation Human Rights Education Institute of Burma (HREIB) and Burma Partnership, welcomes the report of the Special Rapporteur (A/HRC/22/43) which demonstrates the need for sustained attention of this Council on the human rights situation in the country. The Special Rapporteur’s present mandate must be maintained even in the context of the positive developments as serious human rights violations remain unaddressed […]

Myanmar: Independent Human Rights Monitoring Still Needed

As Myanmar President Thein Sein concludes his visit to Europe, the United Nations Human Rights Council is scheduled to discuss the situation of human rights in Myanmar and the need for continued international human rights monitoring in the country. Considering remaining human rights concerns in the country, it is critical that international human rights monitoring mechanisms are maintained in Myanmar […]