14-year-old Mai Cho Min Htwe was convicted without a trial on 30th October 2017 for allegedly being involved with an ethnic armed group. On 30th October, he was sentenced to two years in prison. There was no proper trial and he had no access to lawyers until three days after he was convicted.
Children witnessing their mother being raped by Burmese Army soldiers.
Children seeing their school friends shot.
Thousands of homes burned.
More than 650,000 Rohingya fled to neighbouring Bangladesh.
A ‘textbook example of ethnic cleansing’ says the UN.
International donors have cut aid to 9,000 displaced villagers from Shan and Karen States.
They fled their farms and villages following attacks by the Burmese Army, and now most live in jungle and mountain camps in Burma, forced to rely on international aid. Some have lived there for ten years or more.
This is Min Aung Hlaing, head of the Burmese military. He is responsible for the biggest human rights and humanitarian crisis in Burma for decades.
The Unlawful Associations Act is used by the Burmese authorities to intimidate and arrest political activists. It is also most commonly used against members of ethnic minorities in Burma. Many political prisoners who were arrested during the period of direct military rule were charged under this act. Section 17/1 is the most commonly used section of this act.
The Telecommunications Law was introduced in 2013 and since then it has been used repeatedly to restrict freedom of speech and expression. Defamation charges under Section 66 (d) of the law have been brought against reporters, politicians and social media users. Many people have been arrested for criticising the military, the government or merely posting on Facebook.
It is now six years since the Burmese Army resumed attacks in Kachin State. In that time:
Burma Campaign UK has been fighting for human rights in Burma for 25 years. From our beginnings as a small solidarity group in the wake of the military crackdown after the 1990 election in Burma, we have built the campaign to become the leading Burma campaign group in the world, working with activists from Burma to achieve real change.
Join over 100 high profile women, including Dame Judi Dench, Annie Lennox, Jo Brand, Gillian Anderson, Imelda Staunton, Julie Walters and Zoë Wanamaker, and stand with the women of Burma to end rape and sexual violence.
Sign up to the pledge to support:
Mading Zau Bawk is a 23-year-old Kachin farmer who was arrested in May 2012 and tortured brutally by the military-backed government in Burma.
