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
- Open letter from Myanmar, regional and international civil society organizations to ASEAN to End Myanmar Military’s Violence, Advance Accountability and Operationalize Cross-border Humanitarian Aid
- Press Release – Rights-Based Reform: ASEAN Five Years on from the 5-Point Consensus
- Rights-Based Reform: ASEAN Five Years on from 5-Point Consensus
- [Open Letter] SEANF must remove membership of junta-controlled Myanmar National Human Rights Commission
- President Win Myint freed in broad Myanmar prisoner amnesty


Human rights abuses still ‘rampant’ in Burma: Report
/in NewsAn alliance of rights groups revealed on Thursday that they have documented 103 cases of human rights abuse in Burma since the start of 2014.
A 21-page report by the Network for Human Rights Documentation-Burma (ND-Burma), released on Thursday, claimed that violations are still “rampant” in conflict areas as well as in territories currently under ceasefire agreements.
Among the documented violations, which the group said are “just a fraction of the true number of human rights abuses”, are cases of rape, land confiscation, human trafficking and torture.
ND-Burma is a 12-member alliance of rights organisations from all over the country, some still working in exile in neighbouring Thailand. The group, which has operated as a rights watchdog for Burmese citizens since 2004, collected information from fieldworkers in eight of the country’s 14 administrative divisions from January to June 2014.
The most frequent abuses documented, the report says, were unlawful land acquisitions in ethnic areas. Thirty-six cases of land-grabbing were reported, a number that the group said is “almost certainly a low estimate”.
Fourteen killings and 14 instances of torture were also reported.
Sexual assault committed by the Burmese military remains a serious concern in many of Burma’s ethnic areas despite progress towards achieving a nationwide peace deal, the report said. In Mon State, eastern Burma, local researchers reported that an ethnic Mon woman was abducted and beaten by a Burmese army corporal in early January — just weeks after another woman was assaulted by a soldier in the same township.
The report said that the woman bit her attacker’s arm when he attempted to rape her. The corporal then “retaliated by severely beating the woman”, leaving her with injuries to the face, neck, chest, back and hands. Her current condition was described as “critical” and she is still in need of surgery, nearly eight months after the incident.
While some improvements have been observed in the remote and vulnerable territories across Burma, which are historically prone and geographically amenable for undocumented rights violations, the group claims that violations still happen regularly and enormous obstacles remain for rights workers. Laws targeting activists, arbitrary arrests and limitations on press freedom are recurring threats for rights defenders, the group said.
The first of ND-Burma’s 2014 bi-annual rights reports shows little improvement from 2013, when 253 cases were reported throughout the course of the entire year.
Report on the Human Rights Situation in Burma (January – June, 2014)
/in ND-Burma's Reports, Periodic Report, Press Releases and StatementsMedia Advisory:
New report by Network for Human Rights Documentation-Burma (ND-Burma) documenting on-going human rights abuses in Burma
Date: 14 August 2014 Read more
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)