Myanmar/Burma under review in the UN
Brazil calls for country to ratify international treaties and guarantee right to assembly
In early November, Myanmar/Burma underwent the second cycle of its Universal Periodic Review – a United Nations mechanism that enables the human rights situation of all Member States to be assessed, every four and a half years, by their peers.
Partially in response to a request made by Conectas and the Burmese organization Altsean, Brazil issued two recommendations to the Asian country: the first requested the ratification of the core international human rights treaties; the second, respect for the right to assembly.
According to a letter sent by the organizations to the Brazilian delegation in Geneva, the number of political arrests and detentions has increased 172% over the past year. There are currently 109 political prisoners in Burma and 463 activists facing trial.
For years under the yoke of a military junta, Myanmar/Burma has embarked recently on a gradual political and economic liberalization and, since 2010, it has had a Brazilian embassy in the country. Nevertheless, the situation of human rights violations, particularly against ethnic minorities, remains unchanged.
This is the case of the Rohingya people, a Muslim group that is subjected to violence and persecution by the Buddhist majority. According to Conectas and Altsean, at least 400,000 Rohingya were denied the right to vote in the most recent elections and several of their candidates were disqualified from running.
Click here to read the recommendations made by the Brazilian Foreign Ministry in the Universal Periodic Review process of Myanmar/Burma.
