Myanmar: UN to assess human rights situation countrywide

Myanmar: UN Special Rapporteur in official visit to
assess human rights situation countrywide

Geneva, 7
August 2013 – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the
human rights situation in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana,
will undertake an official visit to the country from 11 to
21 August 2013. It will include visits to Rakhine State,
Kachin State, Shan State, Chin State and Meikhtila in
Mandalay Region.

"The Government's agreement to
provide me with such wide-ranging access to different parts
of the country will give me an excellent opportunity to
assess how the human rights situation is evolving as the
reform agenda moves forward," noted the rights expert, who
visits Myanmar at the invitation of the Government.

"In
Rakhine State, I will be looking at the steps being taken to
implement the President's vision of developing a
harmonious, multi-cultural society in Myanmar, which
respects and protects the human rights of all. This will
include measures to ensure that the perpetrators of human
rights violations, including state officials, are held to
account," Mr. Ojea Quintana said. "I will also be
looking for progress in addressing the long-standing
discrimination against the Rohingya community
there."

"In Meiktila, I want to look at how the
Government and religious authorities are working to bring
about reconciliation and developing trust between different
religious communities, and will highlight that
accountability for the violent acts that occurred there last
March is fundamental to this process," he
said.

"Visiting Chin State, Kachin State and Shan State
will give me an opportunity to assess the human rights
situation of other religious and ethnic minorities in
Myanmar, and provide me with an insight into how peace
negotiations are progressing," he explained. "I will be
encouraging the inclusion of clauses on the promotion and
protection of human rights in future political agreements
with ethnic armed groups."

During his eleven-day visit
to Myanmar, the UN Special Rapporteur intends to visit the
remaining prisoners of conscience and the detained INGO
humanitarian staff.

Mr. Ojea Quintana also hopes to engage
the Government over its handling of persons involved in land
disputes and protests against large development projects,
and discuss his concerns over the impact on human rights of
expanded business and industrial activity, including in
relation natural resource extraction. He will also discuss
ways to ensure that important pieces of legislation
currently being drafted, including the Printing and
Publishing Enterprise Bill and the Associations Bill, are in
line with international human rights standards.

The
independent expert designated by the UN Human Rights Council
to monitor and report on the human rights situation in
Myanmar will meet with Government officials, members of
Parliament and the judiciary, the National Human Rights
Commission, and civil society in Naypyitaw and Yangon.

On
21 August, at the end of his mission, Mr. Quintana will
present preliminary observations at a press
conference at Yangon International Airport at 1815. His
full report on the visit will be presented to the General
Assembly on 24 October 2013.

Check the latest progress
report on Myanmar by the Special Rapporteur:
http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/RegularSession/Session22/A.HRC.22.58_AUV.pdf

Mr.
Tomás Ojea Quintana (Argentina) was appointed by the United
Nations Human Rights Council in May 2008. As Special
Rapporteur, he is independent from any government or
organization and serves in his individual capacity. Learn
more, log on to: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/countries/mm/mandate/index.htm

UN
Human Rights, country page – Myanmar: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/countries/AsiaRegion/Pages/MMIndex.aspx

ENDS

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