AJC, CPJ, ICJ: INTERNATIONAL CONSULTATION ON THE SITUATION IN MYANMAR: REGIONAL SOLUTIONS

On 3 October, the Asia Justice Coalition, the Centre for Peace and Justice of Brac University (Bangladesh), and the International Commission of Jurists organized an international consultation to renew focus and joint efforts relating to the situation in Myanmar in Bangkok, Thailand. The event was divided into three-panel discussions on the situation in Myanmar, ASEAN and Neighboring States Response to Myanmar Coup and International Justice for the Rohingya. The event witnessed the participation (in person and online) of more than 51 people including AJC members HRW, Amnesty International, Fortify Rights, LAW, and BROUK. A meeting report outlining the major recommendations from the Consultation will be released in November 2022 keeping with the Chatham-House Rule.

MYANMAR MILITARY AIRSTRIKES IN KACHIN STATE

On 23 October, the Myanmar military carried out an indiscriminate air strike at a music concert organised by Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) to commemorate the ethnic organization’s 62nd anniversary. The attack reportedly killed over 60 and injured 100 people, including civilians. The military also blocked access to humanitarian and medical aid from reaching those in need. AJC secretariat and members including HRW, Amnesty International, BHRN (Kyaw Win spoke to AlJazeera here), GCR2P condemned the attack and called on ASEAN and the UN Security Council to revisit the Five-Point Consensus, impose a global arms embargo and targeted sanctions, referring the situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court.

AJC JOINS THE HAGUE HUMANITY HUB

In October, the Asia Justice Coalition joined the Hague Humanity Hub as its member. The secretariat is looking forward to new collaborations, connections, and partnerships.

ICJ: REPORT ON VIOLATIONS OF THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF IN MYANMAR

On 28 October, the International Commission of Jurists released a new report entitled “violations of the right to freedom of religion or belief since the coup d’état in Myanmar”, which examines the situation of the right to freedom of religion or belief in Myanmar since the military coup.

MALAYSIA MUST HALT THE FORCIBLE DEPORTATION OF REFUGEES TO MYANMAR

AJC members Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch called on the Malaysian government to immediately halt all forced deportations of people from Myanmar and ensure they are given the opportunity to claim asylum. Malaysian Immigration authorities have deported more than 2,000 Myanmar nationals (150+ in October 2022 itself) back to the country without assessing their asylum claims and have put them at risk of persecution, torture, arbitrary detention, and ill-treatment.

AJC SECRETARIAT WELCOMES THE MOVEMENT ON THE DRAFT MLA TREATY

On 13 October, the Asia Justice Coalition secretariat published a letter it wrote to the Mutual Legal Assistance Initiative welcoming movement on the draft Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty. The full letter can be read here.

LAW: ‘ALL EYES ON INDONESIA’S CONSTITUTIONAL COURT WHICH COULD BE ON VERGE OF MAKING HISTORY’

On 9 October, Antonia Mulvey (Executive Director, Legal Action Worldwide) co-wrote an op-ed in the Jakarta Post on the ongoing constitutional case before the Indonesian Constitutional Court that may allow the Human Rights Court to hear a case against the Myanmar military.

ASEAN FOREIGN MINISTERS’ EMERGENCY MEETING ON MYANMAR

On 27 October, the foreign ministers from ASEAN met in Jakarta, Indonesia to discuss the situation in Myanmar ahead of the annual ASEAN summit (10-13 November). AJC members Fortify Rights, Amnesty International, BHRN, HRW, and GCR2P called for urgent action by the regional bloc in protecting Myanmar refugees, restrict dual-usage technology and arms transfers and access to oil and gas revenues to the Myanmar military, facilitate humanitarian aid to civilians across Myanmar.

AI: ‘JAPANESE FILMMAKER JAILED FOR SEVEN YEARS IN LATEST ATTACK ON INDEPENDENT MEDIA’

On 6 October, Amnesty International reiterated that filming a protest is not a crime and called on the Myanmar military to “release Toru Kubota immediately and let him go home. It should also drop charges against and release all journalists arrested and sentenced simply for doing their job.”

FORTIFY RIGHTS: ‘PROSECUTE OFFICIALS INVOLVED IN ROHINGYA TRAFFICKING AND MISHANDLED INVESTIGATION’

On 18 October, Fortify Rights called on the Malaysian government to “prosecute officials involved in trafficking Rohingya refugees to “death camps” in Wang Kelian, including those who were criminally negligent in the police investigation. In response to the 2019 Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) findings into mass graves and trafficking camps discovered in 2015 in Malaysia and to give Rohingya victims and their families a measure of justice, the Malaysian government must provide reparations and prosecute officials implicated in the horrendous crimes in Wang Kelian.”

HRW: ‘MILITARY USED JAPAN-FUNDED SHIPS’

On 11 October, based on the analysis of the letters from Myanmar officials, Human Rights Watch reported that “two of three vessels delivered by Japan between 2017 and 2019 were used to transport more than 100 soldiers and material to the town of Buthidaung on the Mayu River in Rakhine State, where the military is fighting the Arakan Army, the ethnic armed group.” HRW called on the Japanese government to suspend non-humanitarian aid to Myanmar and sanction junta officials implicated in serious human rights violations.

GJC & GCR2P: WEBINAR ON 'THE UN’S NEW AGENDA FOR PEACE &#WHATSHAPPENINGINMYANMAR’

On 28 October, the Global Justice Center and the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (GCR2P) held an online panel discussion on 'The UN’s New Agenda for Peace and the Situation in Myanmar: Examining Priorities in Practice'. The panel included AJC member Tun Khin (BROUK), Tom Andrews (UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar), Wai Wai Nu (Founder, Women’s Peace Network), Christen Broecker (Deputy Director, Jacob Blaustein Institute), May Sabe Phyu (Director, Gender Equality Network), and Savita Pawnday (Executive Director, Global Centre for R2P). The full recording of the event is available here.

AI: ‘PUMA ENERGY TO LEAVE AMID SCRUTINY OF AVIATION FUEL SUPPLIES’

On 5 October, Amnesty International called on Puma Energy “to ensure a safe and responsible disengagement now that it is leaving the country, including by providing a transparent and clear roadmap of its plans and preventing the military from accessing its aviation fuel infrastructure. Any valuable assets Puma Energy leaves behind should not fall into the hands of the military or its crony businesses.”

AJC SECRETARIAT ACTIVITIES

On 3 October, the secretariat senior legal fellow Jennifer Keene-McCann spoke on ‘Universal Jurisdiction’ as a part of a panel on ‘International Justice for the Rohingya’ at the Bangkok Consultation. On 17 October, the secretariat head Dr. Priya Pillai wrote a post on 'Myanmar and the Myriad Efforts for International Justice' for the US-Asia Law Institute, NYU School of Law. On 22 October, the secretariat head participated in an expert roundtable on “Prosecuting Sexual and Gender-Based Crimes at the International Criminal Court” at the International Law Weekend 2022 organised by the International Law Association (American Branch). On 24 October, the secretariat head participated in a high-level panel hosted by the Bangladesh High Commission in the United Kingdom at the U.K Parliament on “5 Years of the Rohingya Crisis: Renewed Pledges towards Justice and Sustainable Returns”.

‘FORCED RETURNS TO MYANMAR MUST STOP IMMEDIATELY’

On 26 October, Volker Türk, the UN Human Rights Chief called for a moratorium on any forced returns of refugees and migrants to Myanmar, given its dire human rights crisis. According to him, “with rising levels of violence and instability, and the collapse of the Myanmar economy and social protection systems, this is simply not the time to be returning anyone to Myanmar. This is especially the case for anyone with specific protection concerns, such as political activists or military defectors, who are at grave risk upon return”.

SPECIAL ENVOY OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL ON MYANMAR SUBMITS REPORT TO UNGA

On 25 October, Noeleen Heyzer, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Myanmar presented the report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Myanmar to the UNGA Third Committee. She condemned the recent airstrikes in Kachin State and emphasised that the crisis continues to take a catastrophic toll on Myanmar's people, with serious regional implications.

AUNG SAN SUU KYI CONVICTED BY MILITARY COURT

On 12 October, Reuters reported that a court in military-ruled Myanmar sentenced Aung San Suu Kyi to three years in prison on two charges of accepting a bribe, to be served concurrently.

‘UNHCR DEPLORES CONTINUED DEPORTATION OF MYANMAR ASYLUM-SEEKERS FROM MALAYSIA’

On 25 October, the UNHCR expressed its serious concerns over the continued deportation by Malaysia of asylum-seekers from Myanmar back to their country, placing lives at risk. In the last two months alone, hundreds of Myanmar nationals are reported to have been sent back against their will by the authorities. UNHCR called on the Malaysian government to immediately stop the forced returns of Myanmar nationals seeking safety from serious harm and abide by their international legal obligations and ensure full respect for the rights of people in need of international protection.

UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR SUBMITS REPORT ON MYANMAR

On 26 October, Tom Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar presented his report to the UNGA Third Committee highlighting the essential work being done by Myanmar civil society in the most challenging of circumstances to document atrocities, deliver humanitarian assistance, and respond to the needs of displaced and traumatized communities. He also called for a coalition of like-minded nations to launch a coordinated initiative to deprive the junta of the weapons, finances, and legitimacy it needs to sustain its attacks, while also increasing humanitarian support to the people of Myanmar.