Burma protest for junta to face International Criminal Court
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Burmese protesters at the Burma Embassy in London called for the International Criminal Court to investigate the military junta’s heinous crimes againsts its own people.
Harvard report calls for Burma inquiry
www.boston.com/news/world/worldly_boston/2009/05/harvard_…
Burma is once more in the headlines, with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi again on trial, and the United Nations considering yet another condemnation of the military junta that rules Burma.
A Harvard Law School human rights group says it’s time to do more than just issue another statement about Burma. Rather, the report argues, the United Nations Security Council should hold a formal commission of inquiry into human rights abuses that could lead to an international tribunal like those for the former Yugoslavia and Darfur.
The Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic issued a detailed report today finding that "human rights abuses in Burma are widespread, systematic and part of state policy." It said the evidence suggests the Burmese regime "may be committing crimes against humanity and war crimes prosecutable under international law."
Download the report here:
www.law.harvard.edu/programs/hrp/documents/Crimes-in-Burm…
The clinic’s 114-page report examines sources including 15 years worth of UN documents reporting on abuses including the forced displacement of 3,000 villages in eastern Burma and "widespread and systematic sexual violence, torture and summary execution of innocent civilians."
The report was commissioned by five of the world’s most prominent legal experts on human rights: Judge Richard Goldstone of South Africa, Judge Patricia Wald of the United States, Judge Pedro Nikken of Venezuela, Judge Ganzorig Bombosuren of Mongolia and Sir Geoffrey Nice of Britain. These jurists all have experience investigating human rights abuses and prosecuting the alleged perpetrators in international rights tribunals.
The jurists write in the preface to the report: "Over and over again, UN resolutions and special rapporteurs have spoken out about the abuses that have been reported to them in Burma. The UN Security Council has not moved forward as it should and has in similar situations such as those in the former Yugoslavia and Darfur."
That commission of inquiry’s findings would determine whether the Burma situation is referred to the International Criminal Court or a special tribunal, the jurists say.
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During Nobel Peace Prize Winner Aung San Suu Kyi’s show trial in Burma, there was a daily protest during weekdays outside the Burma Embassy in London. The protesters called for the release of All Political Prisoners in Burma. There are over 2,100 known political prisoners in Burma.
Protesters also called for respect for human rights and ethnic minorities in Burma. The corrupt military junta is notorious for its genocide against ethnic minorities, forced labour, use of child soldiers, ill treatment of Buddhist monks, Muslims and Christians.
Over 3,300 Karen villages have been destroyed by the junta. Already displaced Karen villagers faced renewed mortar attacks in June 2009, causing thousands to flee to Thailand, despite the international attention already on Burma, due to Aung San Suu Kyi’s trial.
Thousands of Refugees Flee Ler Per Her Camp as Burma Army Attack Begins
www.freeburmarangers.org/Reports/2009/20090605.html
This year ASEAN hailed the creation of a regional human rights body as a historic first step toward confronting abuses in the region. ASEAN should get to work in Burma: stopping the genocide of the Karen people, widespread oppression of ethnic minorities, abuse of the Rohingya Muslims, child soldiers, forced labour and forced conscription into the army. A clear milestone by which ASEAN’s regional human rights policy will be judged is whether ASEAN can even help free more than 2,100 known fellow political prisoners in Burma as well as Nobel Peace prize winning Aung San Suu Kyi.
Burma Campaign UK page on Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma News:
www.burmacampaign.org.uk/index.php/burma/campaigns/aung-s…
www.burmacampaign.org.uk/index.php/burma/news
Thousands left messages for Aung San Suu Kyi’s 64th birthday:
www.64forsuu.org/
The main website for Burma’s Political Prisoners:
www.fbppn.net/ – the campaign site
www.aappb.org/ – most of the news of political prisoners comes from APPB, that Amnesty International etc uses
Burma News: (RSS feed works well on mobile phones or browsers with RSS readers)
burmanewsnetwork.blogspot.com/
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