Mister Vice-President, Madam Rapporteur,
FIDH welcomes this oral update.
We decry the Myanmar government’s latest attempt to whitewash the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya in Rakhine State by appointing yet another commission of investigation that is likely to lack credibility, independence, and impartiality. In the meantime, the government failed to submit a report on the situation of Rohingya women and girls from northern Rakhine State to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women by the 28 May deadline.
It is now vital that the council lends its full support to the work of the international Fact-Finding Mission and other documentation efforts with a view to fostering accountability for crimes committed against ethnic minorities in Myanmar, including in Kachin and Shan States.
We reiterate our calls on the government to allow the Special Rapporteur and the Fact-Finding Mission access to Myanmar and to promptly establish an OHCHR country office with a full monitoring and protection mandate.
We remain disturbed by the ongoing harassment and arbitrary arrest and detention of human rights defenders, journalists, activists, and peaceful protestors. Today, more than 90 political prisoners remain behind bars. They must be immediately released.
In April 2018, Karen community leader Saw O Moo became the sixth human rights defender killed under the National League for Democracy’s administration. We urge the government to conduct effective investigations into these killings, hold those responsible accountable, and strengthen protection of all human rights defenders.
Thank you.