Myanmar at the HRC 57: intensifying hostilities, natural disasters and increasing suffering of civilians
Published on 11 Oct 2024, 11:40 AM
The reports presented by the Independent IIMM and the HC once again highlight increasing suffering and the bleak future of the people of Myanmar amid intensifying hostilities, natural disasters and the lack of decisive action from the international community.
Residents of Taungoo, Myanmar, wait for help after floods caused by Typhoon Yagi, Sept. 14, 2024 (Sai Aung Main/AFP)
The 57th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) took place in Geneva, Switzerland, from 9 September to 11 October 2024. During the session, two Interactive Dialogues (ID) were held on Myanmar, one with the Independent Investigative Mechanism on Myanmar (ID IIMM) on its sixth annual report (A/HRC/57/18) and another one with the High Commissioner (ID HC) on his Report on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar (A/HRC/57/56).
ID IIMM
On 9 September 2024, the Head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), Nicholas Koumjian, presented the main findings of the Mechanism’s Sixth Annual Report, covering the activities carried out by the Mechanism between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024.
The report mentioned that the conflict in Myanmar intensified, with increased brutality and scale of war crimes and crimes against humanity. It recaped the substantial evidence on the violent suppression of protests, torture, and other abuses, as well as clearance operations in 2016 and 2017 that forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee. However, it also mentioned that accessing crime scenes or witnesses inside Myanmar remains a huge challenge, and cooperating individuals have to deal with significant risks.
ID HC
On 24 September, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Nada Al-Nashif presented the main findings of the High Commissioner’s latest report on the human rights situation in the country.
The report pointed out a significant increase in hostilities compared to previous months. It highlighted the severe psychological toll on Myanmar’s population due to prolonged exposure to violence and displacement, and the lack of mental health services, with civil society and community-based organizations trying to fill the gap.
What countries said about Myanmar at the HRC 57
Findings of the Centre’s analysis of the HRC 57 and an updated list of silent countries can be found on the Centre’s website.
CCPR Centre’s statements at the HRC 57
The Centre submitted a written statement to the HRC 57 highlighting the constantly deteriorating human rights, in particular civil and political rights, and humanitarian crisis under military rule since the coup as well as the complete collapse of the domestic justice system and the need for accountability for gross violation of human rights committed against Rohingyas as well as those committed since the coup.
The Centre also delivered two oral statements during the HRC 57, one during the ID HC and another during the ID IIMM. Ahead of the HRC 57, the Centre also published a briefing paper summarizing the violation of civil and political rights in Myanmar reported between May and July 2023 in English, Spanish and French.
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