AJC STATEMENT: ‘ASIA JUSTICE COALITION WELCOMES THE ARREST OF THE FORMER PHILIPPINES PRESIDENT RODRIGO DUTERTE’

 

On 14 March, the Asia Justice Coalition welcomed the arrest and surrender of the former Philippines President Rodrigo Roa Duterte by the Philippine National Police to the International Criminal Court. While the execution of this arrest warrant is the first for the Philippines situation and any in Asia before the ICC, AJC hopes this will be the first of many such actions. The AJC also acknowledged the determination, resolve, and tireless efforts by survivors, victim groups, and their representatives in their fight against impunity.

 

PODCAST WITH DR. PILLAI ON THE SITUATION IN THE PHILIPPINES

 

On 28 March, Asia Justice Coalition Executive Director Dr. Priya Pillai was in conversation with Prof. Douglas Guilfoyle and Ruby Rosselle Tugade on the arrest and surrender of former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte. Check the full episode of the podcast here. On 11 March, Dr. Pillai also wrote a blog post on the arrest of Rodrigo Duterte for the Philippines "war on drugs".

 

CSW SIDE EVENT ON GENDER JUSTICE & CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY

 

On 17 March, Asia Justice Coalition, Global Justice Center, Atlantic Council, Physicians for Human Rights, and Women's Initiatives for Gender Justice co-organised a side event on the margins of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) on 'Gender Justice and the Crimes Against Humanity Treaty Initiative'.

 

PANEL ON THE ONGOING CHALLENGES IN ACHIEVING GENDER EQUALITY IN INTERNATIONAL LAW

 

On 6 March 2025, Asia Justice Coalition Executive Director Dr Priya Pillai participated in the T.M.C. Asser Instituut's special International Women’s Day event, honouring the life and legacy of Bertha von Suttner, the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. The panel discussion featuring Prof. Dr. Janne E. Nijman and Priya Pillai, explored the ongoing challenges in achieving gender equality in international law and the essential role women play in global justice.

AJC SECRETARIAT ON MYANMAR EARTHQUAKE

 

On 29 March, following the high-intensity earthquake in Myanmar and the declaration of a state of emergency, the Asia Justice Coalition secretariat called for safe, rapid, and unimpeded humanitarian access. Further, AJC called on States to ensure all parties to the conflict, including the Myanmar military, immediately end the ongoing attacks and military operations across the country and ensure compliance with international law.

 

AJC PUBLISHED A PRIMER ON ‘TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE’

 

On 19 March, the Coalition published a primer on ‘Transitional Justice’. The primer offers a concise explanation of the following: 1) what is meant by 'transitional justice'; 2) what are the pillars of transitional justice; 3) what are some challenges in pursuing transitional justice; and 4) what are People's Tribunals, and how do they contribute to transitional justice.

 

DR. PILLAI JOINS NLSIU AS PROFESSOR OF PRACTICE

 

On 16 March, Dr. Priya Pillai was appointed as the Professor of Practice at National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore, India.

 

AJC #IWD2025 TESTIMONIALS

 

On 7 March, ahead of International Women’s Day, the Asia Justice Coalition published two testimonials from members of the Women Leaders in International Justice & Accountability (WIJA) Project in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, who strongly advocated for increased representation of women in leadership positions. AJC reiterated that prioritising the building of women’s professional leadership in the law opens possibilities for legal empowerment and further access to justice.

AJAR, BROUK: ‘CIVIL SOCIETY CALLS FOR DISASTER RELIEF FOR EARTHQUAKE SURVIVORS AND AFFECTED COMMUNITIES IN MYANMAR’

 

On 30 March, Asia Justice and Rights and the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK joined over 250 civil society organisations to call upon the international community to immediately mobilize resources and direct disaster emergency relief to survivors and affected communities of the earthquake. The statement further called for the aid to “be channeled through local community groups and frontline responders in collaboration with the National Unity Government (NUG), Ethnic Resistance Organizations (EROs), and civil society” and reiterated “that these disaster relief efforts, through any implementing partners, must not be exploited, manipulated, or weaponized by the military junta for its political and military gain.”

 

AI: ‘URGENTLY FACILITATE ACCESS TO HUMANITARIAN AID FOR EARTHQUAKE SURVIVORS’

 

On 28 March, Amnesty International called upon all parties to the armed conflict to prioritize the needs of civilians whose lives have been upended in this disaster and ensure that they have unfettered access to aid. According to Amnesty, “Human rights must be at the centre of all relief efforts, and there must be no discrimination in aid provision.”

 

FORTIFY RIGHTS: ‘COORDINATE WITH INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT TO ENSURE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR CRIMES BY ROHINGYA MILITANT COMMANDER’

 

On 20 March, Fortify Rights called upon Bangladesh authorities to coordinate with the International Criminal Court in The Hague for the prosecution of Ata Ullah abu Ammar Jununi, Commander-in-Chief of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), for war crimes in Myanmar and Bangladesh. On March 18, 2025, Bangladeshi authorities arrested Ata Ullah and other senior ARSA leaders in Narayanganj on the outskirts of Dhaka. Bangladesh authorities are reportedly holding Ata Ullah and other members of ARSA in remand for offenses under the Bangladesh Anti-Terrorism Act and other crimes.

 

LAW: HRC SIDE EVENT ON SITUATION IN CHIN STATE, MYANMAR

 

On 19 March, Legal Action Worldwide and the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) organised a side event and panel discussion during the 58^th session of the Human Rights Council on 'The Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar: A focus on Paletwa, Southern Chin State'.

 

HRW: ‘MYANMAR JUNTA’S FARCICAL PLANS FOR ELECTIONS’

 

On 11 March, in the backdrop of the announcement by the military junta to hold elections in January 2026, Asia Justice Coalition member Human Rights Watch called on Asian states, including ASEAN member states, Japan, South Korea, and India, to firmly oppose Myanmar’s sham elections that will only serve to legitimize military control.

‘BHRN MOURNS LIVES LOST IN DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE, URGES IMMEDIATE HUMANITARIAN ACCESS AND END TO MILITARY JUNTA ATTACKS’

 

On 31 March, the Burma Human Rights Network released a statement to mourn the tragic loss of more than 1,600 lives following the devastating earthquake in Myanmar. According to Kyaw Win (Director, BHRN), “In the midst of this catastrophe, the military junta continues to launch airstrikes in parts of the country, further compounding the suffering of survivors and obstructing life-saving aid. This level of cruelty is unconscionable. The international community must pressure the junta to immediately cease all military operations and to guarantee full and unhindered access for emergency responders and humanitarian aid.”

 

FORTIFY RIGHTS: NEW REPORT ON VIOLATIONS BY ROHINGYA MILITANT GROUPS IN BANGLADESH

 

On 18 March, Fortify Rights published a new report entitled ‘“ I May Be Killed Any Moment:” Killings, Abductions, Torture, and Other Serious Violations by Rohingya Militant Groups in Bangladesh’ documenting how members of Rohingya armed groups, including ARSA, have killed, abducted, tortured, and threatened Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh—crimes that may amount to war crimes under international law. The report finds reasonable grounds to believe that certain acts committed by armed groups in Bangladesh are sufficiently linked to the ongoing armed conflict in Myanmar, that they may be considered war crimes under international law.

 

GJC: CSW SIDE EVENT ON MYANMAR AND WOMEN’S RIGHT

 

On 18 March, Global Justice Center co-sponsored a side event at the 69^th session of the Commission on the Status of Women on ‘Resisting Authoritarianism and Conflict – Myanmar Women’s Fight for Rights and Equality’ at the UN Headquarters.

 

BROUK: ‘UN SECRETARY GENERAL BANGLADESH VISIT VITAL FOR ROHINGYA FUTURE’

 

On 12 March, ahead of the visit of the UN Secretary-General to Bangladesh, the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK called for a breakthrough on aid to Rakhine State, aid to refugees in Bangladesh, and action to end the ongoing genocide of Rohingya in Burma. The statement called upon the UN Secretary General to use his visit to the refugee camps to highlight the crisis in the camps and to mobilise donors to increase support.

 

LAW: ‘ROHINGYA WOMEN – THE GRASSROOTS ADVOCATES BEHIND GENOCIDE ARREST WARRANTS’

 

On 8 March, Legal Action Worldwide celebrated the groundbreaking work of Shanti Mohila. Shanti Mohila members have mobilized to raise awareness of the large-scale sexual and gender-based violence endured by Rohingya women between 2016 and 2017 and provided key witness statements in The Gambia v. Myanmar case before the International Court of Justice and testified in the investigative hearings under the universal jurisdiction principle before the Buenos Aires federal criminal court.

FORTIFY RIGHTS: ‘ESTABLISH HUMANITARIAN CORRIDOR FOR WAR-AFFECTED CIVILIANS IN MYANMAR’

 

On 12 March, Fortify Rights called on the government of Bangladesh and the Arakan Army (AA) to immediately facilitate humanitarian aid and cross-border trade to reach war-affected civilians in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. Fortify Rights documented how the Myanmar military junta has imposed severe restrictions on aid deliveries, directly resulting in civilian deaths. The junta has also blocked trade routes, exacerbating food and medicine shortages in Rakhine State. According to Fortify, “Junta-imposed restrictions on aid have led to preventable deaths and may amount to war crimes.”

 

BROUK PRESIDENT TUN KHIN AT THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

 

On 7 March, Asia Justice Coalition member Tun Khin (President, Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK) participated in panel discussion on 'Four Years of Carnage in Myanmar: Refocusing Global Attention' during the 58^th session of the Human Rights Council along with Khin Omar, Marzuki Darusman, Chris Sidoti, and Yanghee Lee.

BHRN: ‘ROHINGYA FACE DIRE HUNGER CRISIS AS FOOD AID SLASHED’

 

On 8 March, in the wake of reduced food assistance aid announced by the World Food Programme, Asia Justice Coalition member the Burma Human Rights Network called on donor governments to take immediate action to prevent a worsening humanitarian disaster. According to Kyaw Win (Executive Director, BHRN), “The international community is failing Rohingya refugees at a time when they need support the most. These cuts will leave families struggling to survive on dangerously low food rations, pushing children into severe malnutrition and exposing thousands to preventable deaths.”

 

BROUK: ‘ROHINGYA RATIONS CUTS WILL MEAN REFUGEES ON BRINK OF STARVATION’

 

On 5 March, the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK expressed alarm at a Reuters report that the rations of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh will be slashed from $12.5 to just $6 dollars a month (around £4.60), or 15p a day. According to Tun Khin (President, BROUK), “Rations were already too small, and refugees already suffer so much, living in terrible conditions, donors must step up and increase funding. Rohingya are facing a choice of genocide in Burma or starvation in Bangladesh. Both are a result of repeated failures by the international community to prevent genocide and to support genocide survivors.”

‘MYANMAR'S HUMAN RIGHTS CRISIS IS AT A PIVOTAL MOMENT SAYS TOM ANDREWS, SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR’

 

On 19 March, Tom Andrews, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, updated the Member States during the 58th session of the Human Rights Council. According to him, “The sudden, chaotic withdrawal of support by member states, principally the government of the United States, is already having a crushing impact. Hopes that other nations might step up to help fill the gaps left by US cuts are being dashed by announcements that aid budgets in other countries are also being cut, not as severely and not as abruptly, but reduced nevertheless, even as military spending is being increased.”

 

‘HIGH COMMISSIONER TÜRK DECRIES LITANY OF HUMAN SUFFERING IN MYANMAR’

 

On 28 February, UN High Commissioner Volker Türk delivered his statement on the situation in Myanmar at the 58^th session of the Human Rights Council. Türk called for an arms embargo, coupled with targeted sanctions consistent with international law – including on jet fuel and dual-use goods – to better protect the people of Myanmar. Creative strategies are needed to provide humanitarian assistance across borders and support local service providers.

 

‘IN BANGLADESH, UN CHIEF VOWS TO PREVENT ROHINGYA SUFFERING AS AID CUTS LOOM’

 

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, during his visit to the Rohingya refugee camps in southern Bangladesh, vowed to do everything in his power to prevent further hardship as drastic aid cuts threaten food supplies and other critical relief efforts. According to Guterres, “It is essential that the international community does everything to make sure that peace is reestablished in Myanmar and that the rights of the Rohingyas are respected, that discrimination and persecution like the one we have witnessed in the past, will end. We will not give up until conditions allow for the voluntary, safe and sustainable return for all refugees here.”

‘A THIRD OF MYANMAR’S POPULATION FACES FOOD INSECURITY: UN HUMAN RIGHTS EXPERTS’

 

On 13 March, UN human rights experts expressed alarm at the unprecedented food security crisis that is worsening an already devastating human rights situation across Myanmar, where more than 19.9 million people are currently in need of humanitarian assistance. The statement called on the “international community and world leaders to move beyond political rhetoric and take all available measures to ensure that life-saving food assistance reaches all populations in need. ASEAN, as the major regional alliance, must prioritise humanitarian assistance for those affected by the conflict in Myanmar, including by facilitating cross-border aid to those in border regions and providing refuge and substance to those seeking safety and security in neighboring countries"

 

RFA: ‘MYANMAR JUNTA ANNOUNCES SCHEDULE FOR DECEMBER, JANUARY ELECTION’

 

On 26 March, Radio Free Asia reported that “Myanmar’s junta…plans to hold a national election in four phases in December and January, the first time the military has outlined a detailed schedule for the controversial vote.”

 

‘MIGRANT DEATHS IN ASIA HIT RECORD HIGH IN 2024, UN DATA REVEALS’

 

On 25 March, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that the year 2024 marked the deadliest on record for migrants in Asia, with at least 2,514 lives lost along the region’s perilous migration routes. The spike in migrant deaths was primarily linked to two of the region’s most vulnerable populations: the minority Muslim Rohingya fleeing Myanmar and Afghans escaping conflict and instability. Deaths among Rohingya migrants more than doubled, reaching 889 compared to 436 the previous year.