Amnesty International is calling on the United Nations General Assembly to adopt a resolution on the country which addresses the government’s “backtracking on human rights” in light of a report by UN Special Rapporteur Ms Yanghee Lee.
In a statement issued on 28th October, the day Ms Lee presented her first report on the situation of human rights in Myanmar to the 69th session of the UN General Assembly, Amnesty called on the assembly to adopt a strong resolution on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.
Amnesty notes that last year’s UN General Assembly welcomed positive developments in the country and encouraged the government to take further steps to promote and protect human rights.
“However, 2014 saw progress on human rights reforms grind to a halt, with a worrying slide back in key areas. The Myanmar government made progress on very few of the recommendations contained in the 2013 resolution, calling into question its commitment to improving respect for human rights,” the international rights NGO says.
Amnesty says this year’s resolution “must express concern about the seriousness of the human rights situation in the country, which continues, and urge the Myanmar government to take immediate and concrete steps to end human rights violations.”
Expressing concern about the lack of progress on commitments made in 2013, Amnesty highlights the Myanmar government’s failure to uphold its promise to release all prisoners of conscience by the end of 2013, and failure to address ongoing incitement to violence based on national, racial and religious hatred by Buddhist nationalist groups despite new violent incidents.
In addition, the Myanmar government’s voiced commitment to peace is brought into question given the fighting between the Myanmar Army and armed groups that continued in the Kachin and Northern Shan states throughout 2014 and erupted in Kayin State at the end of September.
Amnesty says repeated calls in previous UN General Assembly resolutions to end impunity and take steps towards the establishment of an independent and effective judiciary remain unanswered.
Further, despite committing to doing so, the government failed to sign an agreement for the establishment of a country office of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the statement says. No progress has been made by Myanmar to ratify core human rights treaties, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
