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
- Myanmar junta bombs Rohingya Muslim village killing 41, rescuers say
- Myanmar’s junta cuts filmmaker’s life sentence to 15 years as part of wider amnesty
- Close The Sky
- International condemnation of the escalating humanitarian crisis and rights violations in Myanmar
- Women in Karenni State face increasing levels of violence
Video Documentary: Torture and Ill- Treatment in Burma Since the 2010 Elections
/in V-ReportAAPP and Hannah Scott (2011) Toture, Political Prisoners and the Un-Rule of Law
/in ND-Burma Members' ReportsDespite the fact that torture constitutes one of the most brutal attacks on human dignity, and not withstanding the absolute prohibition of torture under any circumstances, almost no society is immune from torture. In many societies, it is practiced systematically. Burma is one such country. In addition, conditions of detention, in Burma, are appalling and arguably qualify as cruel, inhuman and degrading, amounting to torture. This paper explores the nature of torture in Burma’s interrogation centres and prisons. Evidence suggests the practice of torture, in Burma, serves the purpose of extracting confessions and information; extracting money; as a punishment; and perhaps, most dangerously, of silencing dissent. The victims, in Burma, are often activists with different agendas, and include members of the political opposition, ethnic groups, labour activists and human rights defenders. The State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) continues to deny the existence of political prisoners, arguing that ‘there are only criminals in Burma’s prisons’ and refutes claims of torture and ill-treatment. However, the deplorable conditions in these places of detention are well documented. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) has systematically documented hundreds of cases of torture experienced by political prisoners, dating back to 1988 and as recent as 2010. Through interviews, former political prisoners recount the torture and ill- treatment, which they suffered, as well as that which they have witnessed.
Download: Torture, political prisoners and the un-rule of law (225kb)
AAPP (2010) The Role of Students in the 8888 People’s Uprising in Burma
/in ND-Burma Members' ReportsTwenty three years ago today, on 8 August 1988, hundreds of thousands of people flooded the streets of Burma demanding an end to the suffocating military rule which had isolated and bankrupted the country since 1962. Their united cries for a transition to democracy shook the core of the country, bringing Burma to a crippling halt. Hope radiated throughout the country. Teashop owners replaced their store signs with signs of protest, dock workers left behind jobs to join the swelling crowds, and even some soldiers were reported to have been so moved by the demonstrations to lay down their arms and join the protestors. There was so much promise.
Download: The Role of Students in the 8888 Peoples Uprising in Burma (680kb)
AAPP (2010) Silencing Dissent
/in ND-Burma Members' ReportsThe widespread and unlawful detention of political activists has a significant impact on Burma’s political environment in two main ways. Firstly, most of the prominent activists are removed from public or political life. Almost all of the 88 Generation student movement leadership is in prison preventing them from organising against the elections or educating the people on political issues. Lead members of National League for Democracy party, including democracy icon Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, are imprisoned, as are lead ethnic politicians who promote a peaceful tripartite dialogue and national reconciliation, such Gen Hso Ten and U Khun Tun Oo. Secondly, the harsh sentences handed down and the torture and punishments inflicted on political activists threatens the wider population, sending a clear message: refrain from opposition activities or risk the consequences. The consequences are well known. Unlawful arrest and detention and torture are practiced systematically in Burma and occurred throughout 2009 and 2010. These practices pose an ongoing threat to civilians; ensuring populations live in fear, thereby preventing any politically critical activities. This fear stifles dissent, prevents a vibrant civil society and halts any criticism of the regime; key components of a genuine democratic transition.
Download: Silencing Dissent (660kb)
AAPP (2010) The Ten Year Fight for Burma’s Political Prisoners
/in ND-Burma Members' ReportsDuring Burma’s successive military regimes, the term political prisoner has been shrouded in controversy. In fact, the current military regime, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) denies their very existence, arguing that there are only criminals in Burma’s prisons. In reality, there are more than 2,000 people behind bars, without access to the guarantees of due process, for exercising their basic civil and political rights. Following the pro-democracy demonstrations of 1988 and the ensuing crackdown, at least three thousand people were killed and thousands of people were arbitrarily arrested and detained for their involvement in the protests or their perceived opposition to the regime. By 1990, there was an estimated 3,000 political prisoners. Political prisoners are not unique to the SPDC period. People were imprisoned for their political beliefs well before the 1988 uprising. However, the SPDC’s attempts to cut people off from politics, close off the country from external influences, and gain total control over the population, resulted in a dramatic increase in political prisoners. More and more people in Burma became interested in politics, their minds awakened by the 1988 pro-democracy uprising where hundreds of thousands of ordinary people took to the streets. As a result, more and more people were arrested and imprisoned for simply exercising their basic human rights and charged under oppressive and draconian laws and directives that criminalize peaceful dissent.
Download: The ten year fight for Burma’s political prisoners (750kb)
Report on the Human Rights Situation in Burma (July – December 2013)
/in ND-Burma's Reports, Periodic ReportThe Network for Human Right Documentation-Burma (ND-Burma) is an organization that documents and reports human rights violations taking place throughout Burma. We are a watch-dog for human rights violations and are continually monitoring the human rights situation in Burma.
This report covers the second period of 2013 and focuses on 106 documented cases of human rights violations in Burma from July-December 2013. There are many serious human rights violations addressed and highlighted in this report; torture, extra-judicial killing, illegal arrests and detention, arbitrary taxation, property crimes, forced labor, trafficking, forced displacement and rape.