URGENT APPEAL - THE OBSERVATORY
MMR 001 / 1216 / OBS 108
Murder
Burma
December 15, 2016
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Burma.
Brief description of the situation:
The Observatory has been informed by reliable sources about the murder of Ms. Chit Pandaing, better known as “Eh Paw Tel”, a 22-year-old Karen woman rights defender working with the Mine Advisory Group (MAG) and a strong advocate against land confiscation and the negative impacts of mining in Dawei and other Townships in Tenasserim Region, Burma.
According to the information received, on November 19, 2016, Ms. Chit Pandaing was stabbed to death by an unidentified individual in Dawei Town as she was preparing to take part in a fundraising singing competition at Shwewethiri sports ground.
On November 20, 2016, police in Dawei Town opened an investigation into Ms. Chit Pandaing’s murder. At the time of publication of this appeal, Ms. Chit Pandaing’s murderer remained at large.
The Observatory strongly condemns the murder of Ms. Chit Pandaing and urges the authorities to adopt effective measures to ensure the protection of human rights defenders, including land and environmental rights defenders, in Burma, and to conduct an immediate, thorough, impartial, and transparent investigation into the above-mentioned events.
Actions requested:
Please write to the authorities of Burma asking them to:
i. Carry out an immediate, thorough, impartial, and transparent investigation into the murder of Ms. Chit Pandaing in order to identify all those responsible, bring them before an independent tribunal, and sanction them as provided by the law;
ii. Guarantee in all circumstances physical and psychological integrity of all human rights defenders in Burma;
iii. Comply with all the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 9, 1998, in particular with its Articles 1 and 12.2;
iv. Guarantee the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
Addresses:
• U Htin Kyaw, President; Fax: +95 1 652 624
• Lt Gen Kyaw Swe, Minister for Home Affairs; Fax: +95 67 412 439; Email: mohamyanmar@gmail.com
• Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fax: +95 67 412396
• U Win Mra, Chairman of the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission; Email: chmyanmarnhrc@gmail.com
• U Tun Tun Oo, Union Attorney General; Email: ago.h.o@mptmail.net.mm
• Maj Gen Zaw Win, Director General, Myanmar Police Force, Ministry of Home Affairs, Fax: +95 67 412006; Email: mpfserver@gmail.com
• HE Mr. Htin Lynn, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Fax: +41 22 732 89 19, +41 22 732 73 77, Email: mission@myanmargeneva.org
• Embassy of Myanmar in Brussels, Belgium, Fax: +32 2 705 50 48, Email: mebrussels@skynet.be
Please also write to the diplomatic representations of Burma in your respective countries.
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Paris-Geneva, December 15, 2016
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 by FIDH and OMCT. The objective of this programme is to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rights defenders. FIDH and OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil society.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line:
· E-mail: Appeals[at]fidh-omct.org
· Tel and fax FIDH + 33 1 43 55 25 18 / +33 1 43 55 18 80
· Tel and fax OMCT + 41 22 809 49 39 / + 41 22 809 49 29