Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association, violations of
Individual Documents
| Title: | | Burma Human Rights Yearbook 2008 - Chapter 14: Freedom of Assembly, Association and Movement |
| Date of publication: | | 23 November 2009 |
| Description/subject: | | "The right to freedom of movement, assembly and association were all severely curtailed in
Burma throughout the course of 2008, a year marked by natural disaster, political repression
and ongoing, intractable armed conflict. The Burmese military junta continued to flout its
obligations to uphold Articles 13 and 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(UDHR), despite its signatory status. Article 13 states that; “Everyone has the right to
freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. Everyone has the
right to leave any country, including their own, and to return to their country”, while Article 20
establishes the rights of assembly and association thus; “Everyone has the right to freedom
of peaceful assembly and association. No one may be compelled to belong to an
association.” 1
The citizens of Burma however, failed to benefit from the protections of the UDHR, or any
other international or domestic laws that enshrine freedom of movement, assembly and
association throughout the year. The trend of previous years that were characterised by
tight movement restrictions on the population was maintained, and in some respects these
rights were restricted even further. The movement of those in the ethnic rural areas that
have witnessed low-level armed conflict, in particular the Karen, Mon, Shan and Karenni
States was rigidly controlled by the armed forces and to a lesser extent the non-state armed
groups. The movement of internally displaced persons (IDPs), particularly those who were
displaced from villages and sent to relocation sites by the military, or who fled into jungle
hiding sites was severely curbed. Movement restrictions on the population in Arakan State,
in particular the Rohingya ethnic minority, were stringently imposed. In spite of the harsh
movement restrictions imposed by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), 2008
saw the continued illegal migration from these states and others into neighbouring countries
such as Thailand, India and Bangladesh. Domestic travel in general was also restricted,
especially in the rural ethnic regions where travellers faced arbitrary taxation at the hands of
the Burmese military and non-state armed groups (NSAGs)..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Human Rights Docmentation Unit (HRDU) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (1.17MB) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 06 December 2009 |
|
| Title: | | Burma Human Rights Yearbook 2002-03: Freedom of Movement, Assembly and Association |
| Date of publication: | | October 2003 |
| Description/subject: | | "Throughout 2002 the SPDC continued to interfere with and monitor the movement of people in Burma. Similarily, the rights of assembly and association continued to be effectively denied especially in border areas, despite the release of Aung San Suu Kyi in May. There was however, a temporary and partial easing of restrictions on the NLD which briefly gave rise to climate of hope for improved conditions in the future. However, by the end of the year Aung San Suu Kyi was clearly encountering increasing and serious harassment on her political trips outside the capital.
There has been overall a notable absence of the freedoms of assembly and association throughout the period of military rule in Burma, especially since the 1988 coup and formation of the SLORC. Under the SPDC these freedoms have been further restricted, and labor unions, student unions and private civic associations are all banned. Through its extensive intelligence network and administrative procedures, the SPDC systematically monitors the travel of all citizens, especially the movements of politically active people in the country. All residents in Burma are required to carry national identity cards, showing their citizenship status, normal place of residence, date of birth, name of father, and so on. Since 1990 these cards are also required to contain information on the holders’ ethnicity and religion. All residents and citizens of Burma are required to apply for these cards, with the exception of the Muslim Rohingya minority, who are not considered citizens by the government (see chapter on minority rights for further information). As possession of these national identity cards is mandatory in order to buy train or bus tickets, to register with a local council outside one’s normal place of residence, to vote in any future election, or to enroll in institutions of higher learning, those without such cards face severe restrictions on their freedom of movement..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Human Rights Documentation Unit, NCGUB |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 10 November 2003 |
|
| Title: | | Burma Human Rights Yearbook 2000: Freedom of Assembly and Association |
| Date of publication: | | October 2001 |
| Description/subject: | | "There has been a notable absence of the freedoms of assembly and association during the time of military rule in Burma,
especially since the 1988 coup and formation of the SLORC. Under the SPDC these freedoms have been further restricted.
The International Labor Organization (ILO) Committee of Experts has criticized the lack of freedom of association in Burma
for over 40 years. This was brought to the forefront in 2000, during the time of the ILO’s investigation into the forced labor
situation of Burma, when the ILO Conference Committee on the Application of Standards again denounced Burma’s violation
of Convention No. 87, which deals with the freedom of association. Labor unions, student unions and private civic associations
are banned. No elections are scheduled; none seem likely..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Human Rights Documentation Unit, NCGUB |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Alternate URLs: | | Yearbook main page: http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs/yearbooks/Main.htm |
| Date of entry/update: | | 03 June 2003 |
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