ND Burma
ND-Burma formed in 2004 in order to provide a way for Burma human rights organizations to collaborate on the human rights documentation process. The 13 ND-Burma member organizations seek to collectively use the truth of what communities in Burma have endured to advocate for justice for victims. ND-Burma trains local organizations in human rights documentation; coordinates members’ input into a common database using Martus, a secure open-source software; and engages in joint-advocacy campaigns.
Recent Posts
- On International Women’s Day, the Network for Human RightsDocumentation – Burma Calls for the Recognition of Women’s Contributions to the Pro-Democracy Movement
- INTERVIEW: Why an Argentine court filed a warrant for Aung San Suu Kyi’s arrest
- Myanmar junta bombs rebel wedding, at least 10 killed
- Press Statement: Argentine Court’s arrest warrants are welcome progress towards justice
- OPEN LETTER: UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL MUST TAKE CONCRETE ACTION TO SUPPORT THE MYANMAR PEOPLE’S EFFORTS TO BUILD A RIGHTS-PROTECTING FUTURE
Villagers Found Slain After Myanmar Junta Raids
/in NewsAt least 23 civilians were killed in junta raids since early January in Loikaw Township, Kayah State, according to a humanitarian group.
Loikaw, the state capital, is largely deserted because of junta airstrikes in early January after clashes broke out between Myanmar’s regime and resistance groups.
On Friday six civilians killed during junta raids were found in Yeyo village and one was found in Bado village.
The charred bodies of a mother and her son were found in Htungungantha village on Thursday, according to sources.
In Yeyo village, four of the six victims were teenagers dumped in a septic tank. Some of the victims’ hands were tied and they had been shot, according to villagers.
A member of the Karenni Democratic Front said: “They were trapped in the village when junta soldiers arrived. Some of them had their hands tied. We can confirm that they were unarmed civilians.”
The victim from Bado appeared to have been tortured in a bathroom, dragged to a pit and shot.
A resident said: “Junta troops on January 24-25 were talking about conducting clearance operations. We are afraid we will find many more bodies.”
Thousands have been displaced in Loikaw Township during January.
At least 23 bodies have been found in the township. “The bodies were badly disfigured. They were being eaten by dogs. They might have been killed four days ago,” said a charity worker.
The regime denied killing any civilians in Loikaw, saying its troops only shot back at “terrorists”. It said it used helicopters because resistance fighters were using civilians as human shields.
On January 16, regime aircraft attacked displacement camps in Hpruso and Demoso townships, killing three civilians including, a seven-year-old girl and three health workers.
“Junta troops are still deployed in Loikaw town. Many houses were damaged or burned by artillery strikes and air raids. They are targeting civilians,” said a KDF member.
More than 30 civilians were killed and burned in vehicles in Hpruso Township in December.
Irrawaddy News
Boy, 10, among four civilians killed by soldiers in Sagaing after resistance bomb attack
/in NewsThe boy was shot dead along with his uncle and brother
Soldiers shot and killed four civilians, including a 10-year-old boy, after their unit came under attack by explosives in Sagaing Region’s Ayadaw Township on Wednesday morning, locals have told Myanmar Now.
Resistance fighters from the Ayadaw Revolutionary Alliance detonated the bombs near Baw Kone village, damaging a military vehicle and injuring troops. Several soldiers then raided the village and shot at people.
They killed an uncle and his two nephews, one of whom was the 10-year-old, as they were working on their farm, and also shot a man in the head while he was riding his bicycle, the local said.
“They were digging a well and planting onions in the farm when the soldiers shot and killed them,” said the local of the three family members.
“Maybe they were killed because they didn’t answer to the military when they were asked about the perpetrators of the bomb attack, or maybe the military wanted to scare the other villagers,” he said.
The 10-year-old was identified as Phyo Wai Soe, a sixth grader. His brother, Wai Lin Aung, was 24, and their uncle, San Lin, was 30. The man killed on his bicycle was Pho Htwe, who was 60 and the father of the village’s head monk.
The soldiers also torched huts on farmland in Baw Kone and arrested three villagers, another local said. Two of those arrested, both women, were released later in the evening with bruises on their faces.
“They said they were beaten and were told that the village would be burned to ashes if the military was attacked with explosives again,” said the second local.
The third detainee was a 20-year-old man and had not been released as of Thursday evening.
The bodies of the uncle and his two nephews were buried at the Baw Kone village cemetery at around 5pm on Wednesday and Pho Htwe was cremated.
“They were killed because they didn’t run as they thought it had nothing to do with them. It’s really sad,” a third Ayadaw local said. “Civilians should stay away from the sites of explosive attacks and from the military and try to get up-to-date news.”
Locals say that junta troops are stationed about a mile away from Baw Kone at the Naing Gyi Aing police station and have been burning houses and robbing and killing civilians in the surrounding area, as well as using civilians as human shields.
Junta officials did not answer calls seeking comment.
Ayadaw_2.Jpg
On Tuesday the Ayadaw Revolutionary Alliance killed four family members aged between 17 and 30 who they said had helped the military to identify areas where resistance fighters had planted explosives.
An officer from the Ayadaw Revolutionary Alliance identified those killed as Gatone Lay, 30, Mar Mar Khine, 25, Zin Mar So, 19, and Kyaw Min Khant, 17, and said they were all residents of Kan Phyu village.
“The minefield was raided three times and several people saw them arriving together with the junta’s forces while the resistance forces were setting up explosive devices. They were only killed after such incidents took place three times,” the officer said.
Ayadaw Township is a stronghold of anti-junta activity and still sees regular protests in rural areas against the coup.
On January 17, resistance fighters attacked a military vehicle with explosives near a village in Mandalay Region. Soldiers responded by killing two civilians, including an eight-year-old child.
Myanmar Now News
Human Rights Situation in Myanmar : Post-Coup (January 17-23)2022
/in HR SituationThe cracks in the military junta are showing. In addition to heavy casualties, the regime is struggling to maintain recruits. The Myanmar Army has less support now than ever as an unstoppable Spring Revolution topples the regime’s incessant claims for legitimacy.
Junta casualties continue to mount as the regime sends more reinforcements while expanding their recruitment tactics, which now include the wives of mid-ranking soldiers and compulsory military training for the children of soldiers who are over the age of 15. This is in violation of laws which strictly prohibit the use of children in combat. As the junta continues to engage in unlawful practices, soldiers are continuing to defect at an unprecedented rate. To counter this, the junta has even attempted to coax some retired soldiers out of retirement to battle the resistance movement. Over 8000 soldiers and policemen have joined the civil disobedience movement, and an estimated 2000 soldiers have defected with many more considering leaving the regime. The NUG has offered protection to those who do so. According to the National Unity Government of Myanmar (NUG), 160 soldiers were killed within the first month of January 2022.
The ongoing airstrikes by the Myanmar junta are also a sign of the Tatmadaw losing the fight between them and the people as experts speculate that the reliance on air attacks is a sign of weakness. Even so, it is the regime’s ruthless targeting of innocent civilians which has created a refugee crisis as people flee to various borders and neighboring townships seeking safety. During a meeting over the last week, Noeleen Heyzer, the U.N. secretary-general’s special envoy on Myanmar, called on Thailand to take a more proactive role in responding to the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar. There are now over 3 million people in need inside the country, who have been vehemently deprived of their basic rights to protection and survival. The majority of those who require support continue to be women, children and the elderly.
As the international community bides its time waiting to respond, the people on the ground are suffering. The junta is still evading wide-spread accountability and as a result, they have failed to halt any of their offensives. Rather, they are committed to expanding their forces to squander the resistance at all costs. The leaders of the world must act with intention and urgency. The many victims and families of the junta’s crimes deserve justice and to be heard.
In Chin State, the resistance and opposition to the military junta remains fierce. The Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) says they have documented over 180 killings and unlawful deaths, in addition to the arrests of 892 Chin people by the military junta. The junta deployed airstrikes in civilian areas in northern Chin State after local armed forces attacked a military convoy carrying over 150 soldiers near Hiangzing village.
Horrifying evidence of crimes committed against civilians continues to emerge. Of the ten civilians abducted by the junta in Matupi Township, Chin State, all were found with signs of severe torture before they were killed. Among the victims was a 13 year old boy who had his throat slashed. CHRO has said those responsible are from infantry battalion 140 based in Matupi.
The steady increase in fighting has forced opposition groups to prepare for an even worse onslaught of violence. A spokesperson for the Chin National Front said more operations are ‘likely to be carried out in the northern and southern parts of the State.’
KAREN STATE
Refugees and IDPs from Karen State are continuing to flee violence perpetrated by the military junta. Almost 50 000 IDPs who had been forced to leave their homes over the last month are seeking refuge from the onslaught of offensives that they continue to be berated with. In territory controlled by the Karen National Union, there has been an increase in IDPs who are seeking safety and shelter in nearby villages. Karen civil society organizations alongside local communities are urgently trying to respond to emergency needs including shelter, food and basic hygiene items.
Along the border, there are between 3000 and 5000 refugees. Many of those displaced include women, children and the elderly who require medicine in addition to food and clean drinking water. The junta is continuing their onslaught of violence through air and ground strikes not only against Karen armed groups but also against innocent civilians in refugee camps – as was the case on January 13 when the regime launched an airstrike on a Democratic Karen Buddhist Army base where many IDPs had fled.
KAYAH (KARENNI) STATE
No one appears to be safe from the military junta’s violence. In Kayah (Karenni) State, civilians were urged by the Karenni State Consultative Council (KSCC) to build bomb shelters for their own protection. The announcement came after two IDP camps were bombed with aerial strikes which killed six people on 17 January. Three medical volunteers were also killed in airstrikes in Nann Mal Khon village the day before on 16 January, in yet another incident where civilians have been directly targeted. The KSCC said, “the regime is clearly murdering both innocent civilians and resistance fighters without any discrimination. [They] are committing genocide and it will potentially increase in ferocity.”
According to the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force, between 7 and 17 January 2022, the junta deployed at least eight airstrikes in the State.
Myanmar Junta’s New Cyber Law to Jail Anyone Using VPN
/in NewsMyanmar’s military regime is seeking to adopt a new cybersecurity law to jail anyone accessing banned sites like Facebook via virtual private networks (VPNs).
The regime banned social media following last year’s coup, including Twitter, Instagram and Facebook – the main gateways to the internet in Myanmar – but people access the sites using VPNs, which allow internet users to bypass blocks.
The move to outlaw VPNs is seen as a further attempt to curb digital freedoms, including stifling online fund-raising for resistance groups, internet criticism and the flow of reliable information. Last month the regime doubled mobile internet data taxes.
According to a letter leaked online, the regime’s Ministry of Transport and Communications distributed a revised bill, which it first proposed within a week of the February coup, to 13 other ministries, chambers of commerce, banks, financial services, telecommunications operators and internet service providers and asked for comments by Jan. 28.
The draft law would grant the regime unlimited power to access user data, ban content it dislikes, restrict internet providers and intercept data, and imprison those criticizing the regime online and employees of non-compliant companies.
In the letter, the ministry stated that the decision to enact the law had been made.
An earlier proposal for the cybersecurity law was shelved amid opposition from both domestic and international business groups and IT communities as it would enable the junta to intrude into companies’ internal management.
Rights groups have widely condemned the proposed law as a violation of digital rights, privacy, human rights and freedom of expression.
A former Yangon regional lawmaker from the ousted National League for Democracy, Nay Phone Latt, said the bill is further evidence of the junta’s intent to permanently undermine internet freedom and proof of the success of the anti-regime digital strike.
Sentencing VPN users “would be similar to jailing the whole country”, he said.
“It is totally unacceptable. Only a parliament of elected representatives should have the power to draft legislation. The terrorist regime has no authority to draft laws,” he said. Nay Phone Latt said unless people follow the law, it will just be a written document.
Irrawaddy News
Myanmar Court Sentences 2 Prominent Activists to Death
/in NewsBANGKOK — Two prominent political activists in military-ruled Myanmar have been sentenced to death for alleged involvement in terrorist activities, an army television station reported Friday.
Myawaddy TV said on its evening news broadcast that Kyaw Min Yu, better known as Ko Jimmy, and Phyo Zeyar Thaw, also known as Maung Kyaw, were convicted under the country’s Counterterrorism Law. They were found guilty of offenses involving explosives, bombings and financing terrorism.
Both have been detained since their arrests, unable to comment on the allegations, and no lawyer ever emerged to comment on their behalves. Min Yu’s wife, Nilar Thein, in October denied the allegations lodged against her husband.
Details of their trials were unavailable because the proceedings were carried out in a closed military court. It was unclear if their two cases were linked.
Modern-day Myanmar has a record of rarely carrying out death sentences.
The two are among the most prominent activists to be given death sentences since the military in February last year seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Its takeover sparked wide-scale popular protests, which have since turned into a low-level insurgency after nonviolent demonstrations were met with deadly force by the security forces. Almost 1,500 civilians are estimated to have been killed, and more than 11,000 arrest carried out for political offenses.
Some resistance factions have engaged in assassinations, drive-by shootings and bombings in urban areas. The mainstream opposition organizations generally disavow such activities, while supporting armed resistance in rural areas, which are more often subject to brutal military attacks.
Kyaw Min Yu is one of the leaders of the 88 Generation Students Group, veterans of the popular uprising that failed to unseat a previous military government.
He has been active politically ever since then and has spent more than a dozen years behind bars. His Oct. 23 arrest in Yangon was originally reported by his wife, an activist who also has been jailed in the past. Both went into hiding after the February takeover and she is believed to still be in hiding.
Two weeks after his arrest, a statement from the military-installed government accused Kyaw Min Yu, of “conducting terrorism acts including mine attacks to undermine the state stability” and alleged he headed a group called “Moon Light Operation” to carry out urban guerrilla attacks.
He had already been on the wanted list for social media postings that allegedly incited unrest.
Phyo Zeyar Thaw is a former lawmaker with Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party. He was a hip-hop musician before becoming a member of Generation Wave, a political movement formed in 2007.
He was arrested on Nov. 18 in possession of weapons and ammunition, according to a statement at the time from the ruling military.
That statement also said he was arrested on the basis of information from people arrested a day earlier for carrying out the shootings of security personnel.
Other statements from the military accused him of being a key figure in a network of dozens of people who allegedly carried out what the military described as “terrorist” attacks in Yangon.
VOA News
NUG to report Myanmar military atrocities in Chin State to international courts
/in NewsThe underground civilian administration is investigating and documenting junta massacres of civilians with the aim of bringing cases before the ICC and ICJ
Two ministers from Myanmar’s National Unity Government (NUG) said in a press conference on Thursday that their administration was gathering information on crimes committed by the junta in Chin State to submit to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Dr Sasa, the Minister of International Cooperation, said that the NUG is working collaboratively on the process with the Independent Investigative Mechanism Myanmar (IIMM) to share their documentation with the courts.
“We are doing all of these procedures along with the IIMM. We are also going to submit the evidence gathered by us and the IIMM to not only the ICC and the ICJ but also to other places such as Brazil, Australia and Germany where we can get international jurisdiction,” he explained.
Minister of Human Rights Aung Myo Min said that the violations would also be reported to the UN Security Council with the aim of convincing the body to approve sanctions on arms exports to the Myanmar junta.
“The NUG is filing reports and trying to bring about stronger action [against the junta], such as preventing airstrikes and stopping the imports of weapons and airplane fuel,” he said.
Ethnic_chin_people_murdered_by_junta_troops.jpeg
Among the crimes being investigated by the NUG is the massacre of 10 civilians in southern Chin State’s Matupi Township earlier this month after they were used as human shields by the military.
Relatives of two of the victims spoke at Thursday’s press conference, explaining how their loved ones were tortured and killed by Myanmar army troops, and cited eyewitness reports from those who recovered their bodies on January 8 and 9.
The discovery has led to renewed calls for the military to be held accountable for possible war crimes against civilians
They said that the deceased were found blindfolded, with their hands tied behind their backs and with knife wounds to their necks and bodies.
“How could they be that cruel? They weren’t even resistance fighters. They were just innocent civilians. How will I ever be able to cope with this?” Thidar Htwe, whose husband Paw Va Htoo was among those murdered, said.
The youngest of the victims was La Nang, a 13-year-old boy. He was abducted and later killed while accompanying his brother on an errand to buy fuel, according to his father, Joseph.
“We waited three days for his return, because we hoped he would be spared as he was just a child. It is heartbreaking. I don’t think I will be able to withstand this pain,” Joseph said.
The military sent massive troop reinforcements to Matupi Township in early January, and serious clashes have been taking place between the military and the Chinland Defence Force across the state.
Similarly, the entire population of the Chin State town of Thantlang was displaced due to a military offensive and occupation of the area last year. Some 700 houses and seven religious buildings were destroyed over a three-month period ending in December.
Minister Aung Myo Min said that these acts were clearly war crimes, and that investigators had gathered sufficient evidence implicating both the military leaders who ordered the attacks and the troops who carried them out.
Citing figures compiled by the Chin Human Rights Organisation, the NUG stated that some 892 people had been arrested and 182 people killed in Chin State from the period following the February 1 coup until the end of 2021.
Some 50,000 Chin State residents were also displaced from their homes last year, and around 30 senior citizens died as a result of the forced relocation.
Similar rights violations have taken place in neighbouring Sagaing Region, where the military burned 11 civilians to death in Salingyi Township’s Done Taw village in December of last year.
The NUG is also planning to bring an international legal case against the Myanmar army for the Christmas Eve massacre of more than 30 people outside Moso village, in Karenni State’s Hpruso Township. The troops set fire to the victims’ bodies and the crime scene.
Myanmar Now News