UN rights expert calls on Myanmar to address worrying signs
of backtracking in pivotal year
GENEVA (18 March 2015) – The United Nations Special
Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, called on the
country’s authorities to rapidly address ongoing challenges to the democratic
reform process “before they undermine the success achieved so far.”
“I was very disturbed by reports on 10 March that excessive
and disproportionate force had been used against students and other civilians
and that 127 people were subsequently arrested,” Ms. Lee said during the
presentation of her first report* to the UN Human Rights Council. While
welcoming the release of some detainees, she called for “the immediate release
of all the others.”
Focusing on key issues surrounding democratic space, the
expert drew special attention to the pressure on human rights defenders and
journalists, including reports of regular surveillance, as well as prosecutions
under outdated defamation, trespassing and national security laws, which have a
severe “chilling effect on civil society activities.”
“A free and independent media has a vital role to play in
any democratic society,” she said welcoming the Government’s efforts to reform
media governance. “However, I am concerned that journalists are still being
interrogated and arrested, and that 10 journalists were imprisoned in 2014.
This needs to stop if Myanmar wants to create a meaningful democratic space.”
While noting that economic development had benefited some in
the country, the independent expert urged the Government to ensure that “others
are not left out” and called for “a human rights-based approach to development
programmes.”
The Special Rapporteur expressed concern about the alarming
escalation of fighting in the Kokang region, where over 100 civilians are
reported to have died and tens of thousands have been displaced. “Even during a
state of emergency, the Government has an obligation to strictly uphold
fundamental human rights,” she highlighted.
“Far too often the people of Myanmar have suffered from the
resurgence of violence and human rights violations in ethnic border areas,” the
expert said, noting that there has been limited success in addressing the
underlying issues at the heart of the conflicts, including control over and
benefit from natural resources and accountability for human rights violations.
Ms. Lee warned that discrimination against ethnic and
religious minorities was another factor fuelling conflict and expressed alarm
on the package of four bills currently before Parliament that risks increasing
tension.
“During my last visit in January 2015, I witnessed how dire
the situation has remained in Rakhine State. The conditions in Muslim IDP camps
are abysmal and I received heart-breaking testimonies from Rohingya people
telling me they had only two options: stay and die or leave by boat,” she said.
The expert also cautioned against any provision in the
Rakhine Action Plan that would classify Rohingyas as ‘illegal aliens’ and
subject them to possible prolonged internment in camps or removal from the
territory. “The expiry at the end of March 2015 of the temporary white cards held
by many Rohingyas as identity documentation raises more uncertainties and
further increases their vulnerability,” she stressed.
The Special Rapporteur made a call for collective efforts to
find “meaningful ways to improve the human rights of all in Rakhine State.”
(*) Check the Special Rapporteur’s full report to the Human
Rights Council (A/HRC/28/72):
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session28/Pages/ListReports.aspx
ENDS
Ms. Yanghee Lee (Republic of Korea) was appointed as Special
Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar by the UN Human Rights
Council in 2014. Ms Lee served as member and chairperson of the UN Committee on
the Rights of the Child (2003-2011). She is currently a professor at
Sungkyunwan University, Seoul, and serves on the Advisory Committee of the
National Human Rights Commission of Korea. Ms Lee is the founding President of
International Child Rights Center, and serves as Vice-chair of the National
Unification Advisory Council. Learn more, log on to:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/SP/CountriesMandates/MM/Pages/SRMyanmar.aspx
The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the
Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest
body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name
of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that
address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of
the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not
UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from
any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
Read the Special Rapporteur’s statement to the Human Rights
Council:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=15713&LangID=E
For more information and media requests, please contact
Caroline Avanzo (+41 22 928 9208 / cavanzo@ohchr.org)
For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts:
Xabier Celaya, UN Human Rights – Media Unit (+ 41 22 917
9383 / xcelaya@ohchr.org)
UN Human Rights, follow us on social media:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/UNrightswire
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/UNOHCHR
Nema komentara:
Objavi komentar