Report on the Human Rights Situation in Burma (January-December 2017)

(ND – Burma) – ND-Burma’s 2017 report on the human rights situation has found that ongoing conflict between the military and ethnic armed organizations has resulted in continued abuses against non-combatants, predominantly by state security forces. The majority of victims are ethnic nationality civilians, who face shelling, arbitrary arrest, torture, extrajudicial killing, and death by land mines. Though there have been a few cases where soldiers have been sentenced to jail following human rights abuses, none of the cases our report have seen justice and demonstrate how the military frequently pressures victims to stay silent. This can come in the form of informal compensation to victims or their families, efforts to confuse or deceive those trying to seek justice through complicated military administrative procedures, or direct threats. Our report includes 10 case studies that illustrate the most common human rights violations experienced by civilians, as well as military coercion to drop justice-seeking efforts.

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