On 1 March 2024, Lawyers for Lawyers, The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, the Law Council of England and the Law Council of England delivered an oral statement during the Interactive Dialogue with the High Commissioner on Myanmar. The Interactive dialogue took place during the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council.
The statement reads as follows:
The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, the Law Council of Australia, the Law Society of England and Wales, and Lawyers for Lawyers continue to condemn the ongoing atrocity crimes committed by the junta in Myanmar.
More than three years after the coup, the junta continues to target pro-democracy activists, human rights defenders (including lawyers and journalists), and civil society, shrinking civic and political space.
Arbitrary arrests and detention and unfair trials continue. There are reports of widespread torture and ill-treatment of detainees, including forced confessions. Political prisoners face lengthy prison sentences or the death penalty in breach of international fair trial guarantees. Over 120 post-coup prisoners remain on death row.
The military has completely compromised the independence of the judiciary. Lawyers not only face closed-door proceedings and a lack of due process but have themselves been threatened, harassed, arbitrarily arrested, and detained in relation to their work, particularly when defending political cases.
We continue to urge this Council and the High Commissioner to respond robustly to the ever-worsening situation in Myanmar, and the international community to call for a moratorium on the death penalty and to use all possible avenues to hold the junta accountable for all international crimes that are being committed.
