Arbitrary Detention in Myanmar: Armaan’s Oral Intervention
The Republic of the Union of Myanmar has been under Martial Law since the military took power on the 1st of February 2021. Under this administration, arbitrary detentions have been widespread. In this oral statement submitted by Armaan Haji to the 51st Human Rights Council Session, he calls for the Republic of the Union of Myanmar to use an independent judiciary to end arbitrary detention and promote and protect the rights of its people.
Transcript
The Next Century Foundation is concerned by the recent developments in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and the arbitrary detentions carried out by the current government. Since the military took power on the 1st of February 2021, over 15,000 people have been arbitrarily detained and subjected to military tribunal. The Martial Law Order 3/2021 decreed by the military government in March 2021 states that criminal cases can be heard and decided by a military tribunal in a summary way and allows for the death penalty to be sentenced for 23 broadly defined crimes, ranging from treason to terrorism. The Next Century Foundation recognises and supports the High Commissioner’s call for the immediate release of all political prisoners and others arbitrarily detained and to reinstate Myanmar’s de-facto moratorium on the use of the death penalty. Of particular concern were the executions of four men, two of whom were prominent anti-coup activists, following the military tribunal that sentenced them to the death penalty. During their military tribunal, they were not allowed any access to legal counsel which is a violation of international human rights law. These executions were the first to occur in over 30 years and many more are currently on death row. We, therefore, ask the Republic of the Union of Myanmar to utilise an independent judiciary to promote and protect the rights of its people in place of the current use of military tribunals.
