Latest news with #HumanRightsCouncil
Scoop
5 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Myanmar: UN Report Maps Pathway To Fulfil Aspirations For Peace, Inclusivity And Democracy
GENEVA (26 May 2025) – In the face of years of suffering and abuse, the vast majority of the people of Myanmar are united in their defiance of military authoritarianism and violence, a report by the UN Human Rights Office finds, calling for renewed international resolve to end the military's stranglehold on power and to support the democratic aspirations of the Myanmar people. 'Ever since the military disrupted Myanmar's democratic path in 2021, the country has endured an increasingly catastrophic human rights crisis marked by unabated violence and atrocities that have affected every single aspect of life,' said UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk. 'Over the past months, my Office has consulted with Myanmar people across all ethnic communities, sectors and demographics, particularly listening to the voices of young people, on their vision for the future,' the High Commissioner said. 'They have been united in one message: they don't want to be ruled by guns, but, rather, yearn for a peaceful, inclusive and democratic society.' Due to be presented to the Human Rights Council on 1 July 2025, the report underscores the importance of tackling the root causes of the crisis, including unchecked political and economic power concentrated in the military's hands, generalised impunity, instrumentalization of laws and institutions to serve military interests, and an overall system of governance based on structural racial discrimination, exclusion anddivision. It identifies four key areas to the path forward: accountability, good governance, sustainable development and the actions of international and regional stakeholders. The report also identifies the 'constituents for change' -- namely women, youth, civil society organisations and grassroots networks, pro-democracy actors and the media. The voices in the report call for dismantling military-controlled institutions and economic structures, pointing in particular to the military's domination and exploitation of the economy and natural resources for their own enrichment. Former political prisoners emphasized the role of an instrumentalized judiciary as complicit in human rights violations, with judges viewed as systematically failing to exercise independent authority, convicting individuals on scant evidence of guilt, and sending thousands to jail. Lawyers highlighted that the judicial system has become entirely subordinated to the military, and will need a complete overhaul to regain people's trust. There is also a growing recognition of past human rights violations and abuses, including against minority and other marginalized communities like the Rohingya. Perpetrators from all sides must be brought to justice, according to international standards. The report emphasises the importance of criminal accountability, whether through domestic, international, or hybrid legal systems, as part of a wider set of transitional justice measures. Freeing all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, was consistently indicated as a also being necessary, the report added. Noting achievements made by communities in establishing local institutions and forms of governance, the report highlighted that many areas of the country have begun to build bottom-up democratic structures, often with increased participation of women. It also documented that people who have fled their homes indicated nearly unanimously their intention to return home, whenever safe, and to contribute to the establishment of a just and democratic society. A key practical way to support these individuals in the meantime is the provision of formal longer-term legal status in countries where they have sought refuge and protection, with the possibility to access healthcare, education, and employment. This particularly applies to the Rohingya for whom the pre-conditions of safety, citizenship and rights necessary for any sustainable return still do not exist. Due to deepening food insecurity in Rakhine and drastic cuts to humanitarian aid in Bangladesh, it is imperative that support is maintained and increased, the report states. The ASEAN group of States and other stakeholders should explore options for cross-border assistance to alleviate the suffering of the Rohingya. The Myanmar people, it adds, call for a more effective and decisive approach by the wider international community, including through appropriate targeted sanctions, as well as political engagement with democratic forces and emerging governance structures. 'This report underscores the importance of planning for the day-after, where human rights are the front and centre of the new Myanmar,' Türk said. 'There are strong, resourceful and principled individuals and groups rallying and creating the conditions for an inclusive and democratic future. They are a shining example of hope for a peaceful future.'
Scoop
5 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
UN Warns Of ‘Catastrophic' Human Rights Crisis In Myanmar As Violence And Economic Collapse Deepen
26 May 2025 Published ahead of the Human Rights Council's upcoming session, the report highlighted the worsening situation since the military coup in 2021, which derailed Myanmar's democratic transition and ignited widespread armed resistance. In the years since, military forces have targeted civilian populations with airstrikes, artillery bombardments and other forms of violence, while anti-military armed groups have gained ground, particularly in Rakhine state. ' The country has endured an increasingly catastrophic human rights crisis marked by unabated violence and atrocities that have affected every single aspect of life,' said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. Grim toll The report documents a grim toll: military operations killed more civilians in 2024 than in any previous year since the coup. In Rakhine, the Arakan Army seized control of most of the state, displacing tens of thousands, while Rohingya civilians were caught between warring factions, facing killings, torture, arbitrary arrests and widespread destruction of villages. Some Rohingya armed groups have also been drawn into the conflict, according to reports. Economic crisis deepening The escalating violence has had a cascading effect on Myanmar's economy, worsening already dire humanitarian conditions. Myanmar's economy has lost an estimated $93.9 billion since the coup, with the gross domestic product (GDP) not expected to recover to pre-pandemic levels before 2028. Inflation has surged, the kyat has lost 40 per cent of its value, and over half the population now lives below the poverty line, facing food insecurity and soaring prices. The March earthquakes further exacerbated the crisis, leaving thousands more displaced, homeless and without basic services. Military control of revenue Meanwhile, the military continues to control key revenue sources, including the central bank and state-owned enterprises, particularly in the extractive sector. While targeted international sanctions slowed some revenue streams, the junta has maintained its financial lifelines through forced currency conversion, import restrictions, and a crackdown on informal money transfers. Myanmar has also become the world's largest producer of opium and synthetic drugs, with transnational criminal networks thriving under military rule. Multifaceted approach needed The report urged a multifaceted response to the crisis, including urgent humanitarian support, cross-border aid for displaced populations and increased political engagement with Myanmar's democratic forces and emerging governance structures. It also emphasised the need for accountability through international justice mechanisms, including a referral of the situation to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The report also identified key 'constituents for change' in the country's future – women, youth, ethnic minorities, civil society and pro-democracy actors – and highlighted the work of communities who have established local institutions and forms of governance, often with increased participation from women. Hopes for a peaceful future The report underscored the importance of planning for the day-after, ensuring human rights are central to a future Myanmar – from rebuilding systems to restoring fundamental freedoms. ' There are strong, resourceful and principled individuals and groups rallying and creating the conditions for an inclusive and democratic future,' High Commissioner Türk said. ' They are a shining example of hope for a peaceful future. ' The report will be formally presented to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 1 July.
LBCI
23-05-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
UN rights chief urges warring sides in South Sudan to 'pull back from the brink'
The United Nations rights chief urged on Friday for warring sides in South Sudan to pull back from the brink, warning that the human rights situation risks further deterioration as fighting intensifies. "The escalating hostilities in South Sudan portend a real risk of further exacerbating the already dire human rights and humanitarian situation, and undermining the country's fragile peace process,' said the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk. Reuters
Reuters
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
UN rights chief urges warring sides in South Sudan to 'pull back from the brink'
GENEVA, May 23 (Reuters) - The United Nations rights chief urged on Friday for warring sides in South Sudan to pull back from the brink, warning that the human rights situation risks further deterioration as fighting intensifies. "The escalating hostilities in South Sudan portend a real risk of further exacerbating the already dire human rights and humanitarian situation, and undermining the country's fragile peace process,' said the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.
Scoop
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Scam Centres Are A ‘Human Rights Crisis', Independent Experts Warn
21 May 2025 It's believed that hundreds of thousands of trafficked individuals of various nationalities are forced to carry out fraud in the centres located across Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, the Philippines and Malaysia. ' The situation has reached the level of a humanitarian and human rights crisis,' said right experts Tomoya Obokata, Siobhán Mullally and Vitit Muntarbhorn. They stressed that thousands of released victims remain stranded in inhumane conditions at the Myanmar-Thailand border. The underground operations are often linked to criminal networks that recruit victims globally, putting them to work in facilities principally in Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, the Philippines and Malaysia. Many victims are kidnapped and sold to other fraudulent operations, said the rights experts who are known as Special Rapporteurs, reporting to the Human Rights Council. They are not UN staff and work in an independent capacity. They noted that workers are not freed unless a ransom is paid by their families and that if they try to escape, they are often tortured or killed with total impunity and with corrupt government officials complicit. 'Once trafficked, victims are deprived of their liberty and subjected to torture, ill treatment, severe violence and abuse including beatings, electrocution, solitary confinement and sexual violence,' the Special Rapporteurs said. 'Address the drivers of cyber-criminality' The rights experts added that access to food and clean water is limited and that living conditions are often cramped and unsanitary. The experts urged Southeast Asian countries, as well as the countries of origin of the trafficked workers,to provide help more quickly and increase efforts to protect victims and prevent the scams from taking place. This should include efforts that 'go beyond surface-level public awareness campaigns' and which address the drivers of forced cyber-criminality - poverty, lack of access to reasonable work conditions, education and healthcare. Other recommendations to governments included addressing the insufficient regular migration options that push people into the arms of people traffickers. Tomoya Obokata, Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences; Siobhán Mullally, Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, and Vitit Muntarbhorn, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, are neither staff members of the UN nor paid by the global organization. Proliferation of scam farms post-pandemic The dark inner workings of scam farms were revealed in a UN News investigationlast year which found that they had proliferated following the COVID-19 pandemic. 'Southeast Asia is the ground zero for the global scamming industry,' said Benedikt Hofmann, from the UN agency to combat drugs and crime, UNODC. 'Transnational organised criminal groups that are based in this region are masterminding these operations and profiting most from them,' said Mr. Hofmann, Deputy Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, at a Philippines scam farm that was shut down by the authorities in March 2024. When UN News gained access to the compound, it was found to have housed 700 workers who were 'basically fenced off from the outside world,' Mr. Hofmann explained. 'All their daily necessities are met. There are restaurants, dormitories, barbershops and even a karaoke bar. So, people don't actually have to leave and can stay here for months.' Escaping was a near-impossible task and came at a hefty price. 'Some have been tortured and been subjected to unimaginable violence on a daily basis as punishment for wanting to leave or for failing to reach their daily quota in terms of money scammed from victims,' the UNODC official insisted. 'There are multiple types of victims, the people who are being scammed around the world, but also the people who are trafficked here held against their will and who are exposed to violence.'
