Current Campaigns for ICC Referral
The Global Justice Center's Project on Criminal Accountability for Heinous Crimes in Burma aims to uphold international commitment to the rule of law and to enforce the rights to redress and criminal accountability, by ensuring that the perpetrators of crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes in Burma are not given impunity. Below are some of the current campaigns that call for a referral of the situation in Burma to the International Criminal Court.
- Draft of Resolution 8888 by GJC and the Burma Lawyers Council: Burma Referral to the International Criminal Court
- EU Resolution Urges UK to Use Presidency of the Security Council to Refer Burma to the International Criminal Court
- European Parliament Resolution of May 22 2008 on the Tragic Situation in Burma
- National Council of the Union of Burma's Letter of Endorsement for the Campaign on Criminal Accountability
- Appeal for the Referral of the Situation in Burma to the ICC
A State of Terror: Reports on Burma
"Impunity destroys the confidence of citizens in the authority and role of the state and its ability to protect their rights."
~ from Impunity Inconceivable
A number of women's rights groups and human rights organizations have begun to speak out against the military rule of the SPDC. The GJC has accumulated reports that document atrocities committed by the SPDC, in particular those that relate to state sponsored rape and other crimes against women.
- Update Report No.3: Women, Peace and Security
- Impunity Inconceivable: Working Paper by the Technical Advisory Network of Burma
- State Sanctioned Sexual Violence against Chin Women in Burma by the Women's League of Chinland
- State of Terror by the Karen Women's Organization
- Dignity in the Shadow of Oppression: The Abuse and Agency of Karen Women Under Militarisation by the Karen Human Rights Group
- Still Licensed to Rape by the Shan Women's Action Network
- System of Impunity: Nationwide Patterns of Sexual Violence by the Regime's Armed Forces and Authorities in Burma by the Women's League of Burma
- A Mockery of Justice: The SPDC's Investigation into the 'License to Rape' Report
Media
GJC Press Releases
Ten Years Later: Enforcing Security Council Resolution 1325 for the Women of Burma
October 26, 2010
The passage of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (SCR 1325) in 2000 was a legal milestone for women's equality. For the first time, the UN Security Council not only recognized the gender-specific impact of conflict and historic gender discrimination in criminal accountability, it also underscored the need for women to participate in post-conflict reconstruction. Ten years later, the military junta in Burma continues to flout this legal obligation through the routine and systematic use of gender based crimes and the utter exclusion of women from peacebuilding processes. To ensure respect for the legal obligations set out in SCR 1325, the international community must address the situation on the ground for women in Burma, and women of Burma in exile. More.
GJC President Janet Benshoof speech featured in FIDH-BLC publication entitled: "Advancing Human Rights and Ending Impunity in Burma: Which External Leverage?"
October 19, 2010
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and, Global Justice Center partner, the Burma Lawyers Council (BLC) released a report entitled: "Advancing Human Rights and Ending Impunity in Burma: Which External Leverage?". The report catalogues the presentations of leading exiled Burmese organizations, international and regional human rights NGOs, as well as renowned international legal experts from an FIDH-BLC joint seminar in May 2009. More.
The Global Justice Center welcomes UK support for an ICC referral for Burma
March 26, 2010
The Global Justice Center welcomes the United Kingdom's announcement that it would support a UN Security Council Referral to the International Criminal Court for Burma. More.
The Global Justice Center Welcomes Recent Report of UN Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma
March 16, 2010
The Global Justice Center welcomes the recent report of Tomás Ojea Quintana (Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma) highlighting the "gross and systematic nature of human rights violations in Myanmar over a period of many years" and total lack of accountability by the government. More.
Lucy Turnbull Calls for Justice for Women of Burma on International Women's Day
March 8, 2010
In honor of International Women's Day, Lucy Turnbull writes in the Sydney Morning Herald that the UN must act on Burma, noting that this year's upcoming elections are "a sham and will further entrench the military at the heart of power"... More.
The International Tribunal on Crimes Against Women of Burma Calls for an End to Impunity
March 4, 2010
On March 2nd, the Nobel Women's Initative conducted the International Tribunal on Crimes Against Women in Burma in New York, NY, hearing testimony from women of Burma who had suffered from egregious crimes such as rape and torture at the hands of the military junta... More.
The Global Justice Center calls on France to take measures to end ongoing impunity in Burma
February 10, 2010
In response to the French Foreign Ministry's statement on January 27, 2010, regarding the continued imprisonment of Aung San Suu Kyi, the Global Justice Center wrote and distributed the following letter highlighting France's obligation to pursue a referral to the International Criminal Court for Burma... More.
Article by Janet Benshoof, "Justice for Aung San Suu Kyi: End Male Power Structures", featured in On the Issues magazine
January 28, 2010
Global Justice Center President Janet Benshoof's article on Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate still under the imprisonment of the Burmese military junta, and the importance of international law and justice... More.
On International Human Rights Day the Global Justice Center commends U.S. Ambassador Verveer for calling for prosecution of military crimes in Burma.
December 10, 2009
On December 5, 2009 U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues, Melanne Verveer, made clear that Burma's military junta must be held accountable for human rights abuses and that "those guilty of crimes against women be prosecuted."... More.
The Global Justice Center and Burma Lawyers' Council write an open letter to the Chief Justices for Asia and the Pacific regions.
November 10, 2009
The Global Justice Center and Burma Lawyers' Council write an open letter urging Conference of Chief Justices to take immediate action to remove Judge U Aung Toe...More.
The Global Justice Center and Burma Lawyers' Council write an open letter to The International Crisis Group
October 28, 2009
The Global Justice Center and Burma Lawyers' Council write an open letter to the International Crisis Group urging them to reverse their support for Burma's 2010 elections...More
The International Center for Transitional Justice calls for an end to impunity in Burma
October 9, 2009
The Global Justice Center welcomes a new report from the ICTJ entitled "Impunity Prolonged", calling for the international community to withhold support for Burma's 2010 elections...More.
The Global Justice Center denounces the Secretary-General's Response to the Conviction of Aung San Suu Kyi as contrary to his mandate under the U.N. Charter
August 13, 2009
The Global Justice Center takes exception to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's remarks on the conviction of Aung San Suu Kyi which fail to address the junta's systematic rule by crime. As a Representative of the U.N., and given these circumstances, international law requires Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to call for an end to impunity, not convey his "disappointment" and call for "reconciliation"...More.
The Global Justice Center Announces the Report of the Secretary-General pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1820 and the Report's Noteworthy Inclusion of Burma
August 3, 2009
The GJC would like to highlight the Secretary General's inclusion of the situation in Burma/Myanmar in his seminal Report on Resolution 1820, as well as the other areas of concern where impunity for these crimes continues. This first report sets the standard for how SCR 1820 will be reviewed in the future, and thus, it must be appropriately representative of the international presence of this heinous crime...More.
Global Justice Center and Burma Lawyers' Council write joint letter to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
July 1, 2009
The Global Justice Center and Burma Lawyers' Council sent a joint letter to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in advance of his impending trip to Burma. The letter lays out a new international legal argument that he should abstain from engaging with the 2010 elections given they are based on a constitution that is in serious breach of international law....Read the letter to Ban Ki-moon
Women's groups join the Women's League of Burma in calling on the UN to prosecute the Burmese regime
July 1, 2009
The Global Justice Center joined thirty-five other women's organizations from around the world in endorsing a letter to the UN Security Council. The letter, written by the Women's League of Burma, calls on the UN Security Council to prosecute Burmese leader Senior General Than Shwe in the International Criminal Court....Read the letter
Members of the U.S. Senate Women's Caucus on Burma write to Ban Ki-moon
April 9, 2009
Members of the U.S. Senate Women's Caucus on Burma write to Ban Ki-moon urging him to call on the Burmese Regime to 1)Release Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners 2)Abandon plans for the upcoming elections 3)Cease human rights abuses and 4)Eliminate rape as an instrument of war. The Global Justice Center composed the legal language for this letter and delivered it to the US Campaign for Burma, who, in turn, brought the letter to the senators...More
SALT Signs Onto Letter to UN Secretary General Bai Ki-moon Condemning Myanmar/Burma Elections
March 19, 2009
SALT, the Society of American Law Teachers (www.saltlaw.org), is a community of progressive law teachers working for justice, diversity and academic excellence. SALT joined us in our Action to Denounce Myanmar/Burma's 2010 Elections and Constitution by signing our petition...More
Sigh the Letter!
March 4, 2009
Urge Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to denounce the illegitimate Burmese elections and constitution that violate women's human rights... more
Burmese junta should be referred to ICC: Report
February 2009
The United Nations Security Council should refer Burma's military rulers to the International Criminal Court for committing crimes against humanity, by stopping relief aids in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis in May 2008 and persecuting survivors of the disaster, a new report said on Friday...more
Urgent Action! Respond to Nicholas Kristof's Editorial on Burma with a Call for Justice!
February 6, 2009
We need you to join us in making Nicholas Kristo on Burma this week the first step in sending the ruling criminal junta to the International Criminal Court... more
New Photo book on Burma: "Invisible Lives: Documenting the Exiles of Eastern Burma's Sixty Year War"
January 2009
"Invisible Lives" documents the lives of Burmese and ethnic minority peoples who have fled six decades of civil war inside Eastern Burma. Photographers Tom Stoddart, Morgan Hagar, and Becky Hurwitz explore the hidden schools, illegal clinics, make-shift homes, and safe houses created by migrants to support their lives and communities on the edge of one of the world's longest running civil conflicts... more
In the Wake of Historic Resolution 1820 on Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict Women of Burma and International Lawyers Call on the Security Council to Refer the Situation in Burma to the International Criminal Court June 20, 2008 click here to read press release
EU Resolution Urges UK to Use Presidency of the Security Council to Refer Burma to the ICC May 27, 2008 click here to read press release
Catastrophe in Burma a Wake Up Call to the International Community: Time to End Impunity for Henious Crimes by the Military Regime May 22, 2008 click here to read press release
International Lawyers Denounce Attempt by Myanmar Regime to Give Themselves Impunity from Criminal Prosecutions and Renew Call for Criminal Investigation April 14, 2008 click here to read press release
Major News
Women's Groups Want Junta Arraigned Before ICC
English Deyea News, June 2008
...International women's associations, including Burmese groups, have urged the world body to arraign Burma's junta before the International Criminal Court (ICC)...more.
An Appeal for Burma's Women
Boston Globe, June 2008
...Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will be chairing a United Nations Security Council session on violence against women in conflict situations today...more.
A Case for Crimes Against Humanity
The Irrawaddy, June 2008
The Burmese military regime's failure to respond effectively to Cyclone Nargis...amounts to crimes against humanity...more.
Than Shwe Ordered Troops to Execute Villagers
Times Online, June 2008
The leader of the Burmese junta, Than Shwe, personally ordered the murder of scores of unarmed villagers...more.
Myanmar Monks Urge EU to Bring Junta to War Crimes Court
EU Business, June 2008
Activist monks called Thursday on the European Union to bring Myanmar's junta leader Than Shwe before an international criminal court...more.
The Junta's Criminal Constitution
Far Eastern Economic Review, May 2008
Burma's military dictators now say Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, under house arrest or in prison for 12 of the past 18 years, can cast her vote in the May 10 constitutional referendum...more.
EU Assembly Seeks Criminal Trial for Burmese Junta
EU Observer, May 2008
The European Parliament has suggested the Burmese junta should face international charges for crimes against humanity...more.
The Junta's Sham Elections
Far Eastern Economic Review, April 2008
...I was on the India-Burma border visiting Burmese refugees...The stories I heard illustrate the horror occurring on a daily basis inside Burma...more.
New Constitution Gives Impunity to Military
BurmaNet, April 2008
Articles that have aroused anger deal with attempts by the junta to legitimise its role as the supreme political authority...more.
Thousands of Karen Civilians Displaced in Fresh Attacks
Asian Tribune, March 2008
The Burma Army has launched fresh attacks on civilians in northern Karen State this month, causing the displacement of over 2,100 villagers...more.