AJC HIGHLIGHTS
BROUK BRIEFING ON 'SLOW DEATH' 2022

AJC STATEMENT CONDEMNING THE ISSUANCE OF DEATH SENTENCES BY THE MYANMAR MILITARY

 

On 10 June, Asia Justice Coalition released a statement condemning the issuance of death sentences against four Myanmar nationals by a non-independent military tribunal. Any such execution conducted by the Myanmar military stands to carry a chilling effect on the exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country. The statement called on the military junta to stop the planned execution and drop the charges and conviction against the said individuals and release them immediately.

 

AJC SUBMISSION TO UN RAPPORTEUR ON FREEDOM OF PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY CITED FOR MYANMAR

 

The UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly presented his report at the 50th session of the Human Rights Council. AJC’s 2021 submission has found a mention in the UNSR report entitled'Protection of human rights in the context of peaceful protests during crisis situations' and has been cited for Myanmar. (Paragraph 48, footnote 53)

 

BHRN: PRESENTATION AT THE 50TH HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

 

On 14 June, AJC member Kyaw Win (Burma Human Rights Network) participated in an interactive dialogue with the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights on the situation in Myanmar.

HRW: ‘ALLOW NEWLY ARRIVED ROHINGYA ACCESS TO ASYLUM’

 

On 7 June, Human Rights Watch called on the Thai government to provide 59 rescued Rohingya asylum seekers with assistance and immediate access to procedures to determine their refugee status.

 

FORTIFY RIGHTS: NEW REPORT ON THE ROLE OF IDENTITY DOCUMENTS IN THE ROHINGYA GENOCIDE 

 

On 8 June, Fortify Rights released a new report entitled Genocide by Attrition: The Role of Identity Documents in the Holocaust and the Genocides of Rwanda and Myanmar, documenting how the Myanmar military junta is using identity documents to facilitate the Rohingya genocide, mirroring tactics used in the Holocaust and Rwandan genocides. Watch the report release here.

 

HRW AND AI EXPRESSES CONCERN ON THE ISSUANCE OF DEATH SENTENCES IN MYANMAR

 

On 7 June, Human Rights Watch condemned the issuance of death sentences against Phyo Zeya Thaw, Ko Jimmy, and two other Myanmar nationals in disregard of basic rights in the farcical trials by the Myanmar military. On 16 June, Amnesty International released a letter (co-signed by HRW) calling on the Myanmar military to immediately halt plans to carry out the executions and establish an official moratorium on executions.

 

 

CPJ-ICJ Series on Justice and Accountability

PANEL DISCUSSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN MYANMAR #50HRC

 

On 15 June, AJC members Tun Khin (BROUK), HRW, and ICJ along with Laetitia van den Assum and Wai Wai Nu participated in a panel discussion on the root causes of human rights violations and abuses against Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar at the Human Rights Council. The recording of the discussion is available here.

 

HRW: ‘THE ROHINGYA’S DECADE OF DETENTION’

 

On 15 June, Human Rights Watch marked the 10th anniversary of the 2012 Rohingya exodus from Myanmar. Drawing on interviews with Rohingya and humanitarian workers from 2012 to the present, it documents how the authorities have capitalized on the ethnic cleansing campaign launched in June 2012 to segregate and confine a population they had long sought to remove from daily life in the predominantly Buddhist country.

 

GCR2P: WEBINAR ON ATROCITY CRIMES IN MYANMAR

 

On 21 June, the Global Centre for Responsibility to Protect co-hosted an event “Quo Vadis? The Prosecution of Atrocity Crimes from Myanmar to Ukraine” with AJC members Savita Pawnday (GCR2P), Akila Radhakrishnan (GJC), and Arsalan Suleman (Foley Hoag LLP) amongst others. The event explored the role of international tribunals, the UN, and domestic prosecutions, as well as norms and principles, such as the Responsibility to Protect, in deterring and prosecuting atrocity crimes. The recording of the event is available here.

HRW: HRC SIDE EVENT ON 'JUSTICE FOR THE ROHINGYA AND ALL PEOPLE IN MYANMAR'

 

On 27 June, Human Rights Watch co-organised a side-event with Forum Asia at the 50th session of the Human Rights Council on 'Justice for the Rohingya and All People in Myanmar' with AJC members Shayna Bauchner and Tun Khin and Wai Wai Nu, and Naw Htoo Htoo.

 

AJAR’S ENGAGEMENT WITH ICC OFFICIALS AND STATE PARTIES

 

From 1-3 June, Asia Justice and Rights engaged with ICC Prosecutor and Deputy Prosecutor, as well as officials in charge of outreach and victims issues, during the annual 'ICC-NGOs Roundtables'. AJAR called on the Office of the Prosecutor to be transparent about the progress of its investigation, to be prepared for the future issuance of arrest warrants, and to provide information to the public regarding the Article 12(3) declaration submitted by Myanmar's National Unity Government. On 9th June, AJAR also spoke to ICC State Parties’ delegations and shared a video statement from Rohingya refugees, filmed in the camps in Bangladesh, calling for more resources for outreach and public information by the ICC.

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Ko Jimmy and Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw. Credit - The Irrawaddy

UN EXPERTS CONDEMN MILITARY’S “DIGITAL DICTATORSHIP”

 

On 7 June, the UN experts condemned the Myanmar military junta’s attempts to establish a “digital dictatorship” in Myanmar by imposing further restrictions on the access to internet, internet shutdowns, online censorship, surveillance, and other barriers to the internet access.

 

UN EXPERTS SOUND ALARM OVER JUNTA’S DECISION TO ENFORCE DEATH SENTENCES

 

On 10 June, the UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar and the Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial summary or arbitrary executions called on the Myanmar junta to immediately and permanently halt the imposition of the death penalty and commute all capital sentences handed down to date. Previously, UN Secretary-General called the decision a ‘blatant violation of the right to life, liberty and security guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights’, and urged the Myanmar military to respect the people's rights to life, freedom of opinion and expression.

 

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER’S ORAL UPDATE ON MYANMAR AT #HRC50

 

On 14 June, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet presented her oral update on Myanmar at the 50th session of the Human Rights Council. According to her, “[there is] systematic and widespread use of tactics against civilians, in respect of which there are reasonable grounds to believe the commission of crimes against humanity and war crimes.”

 

IIMM: ‘DEATH SENTENCES ANNOUNCED BY MYANMAR MILITARY MAY CONSTITUTE A SERIOUS INTERNATIONAL CRIME’

 

On 20 June, the Independent Mechanism for Myanmar released a statement on the recent announcement by the Myanmar military to execute four individuals sentenced by the military tribunal. According to Nicholas Koumjian, ‘non-public trials, imposing a death sentence, or even a period of detention, on the basis of proceedings that do not satisfy the basic requirement of a fair trial may constitute one or more crimes against humanity or war crimes’.

UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR PRESENTS HIS REPORT AT THE #HRC50

 

On 30 June, the UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar Tom Andrews called for a decisive action to stop the military junta’s crimes against humanity and war crimes at the Human Rights Council. Previously, on 14 June, he released a new report entitled ‘Losing a Generation’ documenting the military junta's impact on Myanmar's children.

 

OCHA: OVER 1 MILLION DISPLACED IN MYANMAR

 

On 28 June, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs released its 19th Myanmar Humanitarian Update and observed that the number of displaced men, women and children in Myanmar remains above one million. This includes nearly 760,000 people displaced by the conflict and insecurity since the military takeover in February last year.

 

ALJAZEERA: ‘MYANMAR’S AUNG SAN SUU KYI MOVED TO PRISON SOLITARY CONFINEMENT’

 

On 23 June, Aljazeera reported that Aung San Suu Kyi has been transferred from a secret detention location to solitary confinement in a prison compound in the capital, Naypyidaw.

 

UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON MYANMAR VISITS MALAYSIA

 

On 23 June, the UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar Tom Andrews completed his eight-day visit to Malaysia and met with Myanmar refugees in the country. He called on ASEAN members to move from a policy of ‘non-interference’ to one of ‘non-indifference’ towards the mass atrocities committed by the military junta in Myanmar.

US-ASEAN SPECIAL SUMMIT 2022
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