Civil society urges GANHRI members to remove the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC)
GANHRI recommends the removal of the accreditation status of the junta-controlled Commission
[9 December 2024] The CSO Working Group on Independent National Human Rights Institution (Burma/Myanmar) (Working Group) and the Asian NGOs Network on National Human Rights Institutions (ANNI) welcome a long-awaited recommendation by the Sub-Committee on Accreditation (SCA) of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) to revoke the accreditation of the junta-controlled Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC). We strongly urge GANHRI members to immediately remove the MNHRC’s accreditation and expel the MNHRC from its platform.
On 20 November, the SCA released its report recommending the removal of MNHRC’s accreditation, citing that it “is operating in a manner that seriously compromises its independence.” This recommendation was made following a Special Review of MNHRC’s accreditation in March 2024, which concluded that the MNHRC lacked independence, failed to address human rights violations, lacked cooperation with civil society and the international human rights system, and had a non-transparent selection process for commissioners.
After the one-year period given to the MNHRC to provide evidence of its compliance with the Paris Principles—the international standards for NHRIs to be considered independent and effective—the SCA reiterated that “the MNHRC has not demonstrated its compliance with the minimum requirements of the Paris Principles.”
Following this recommendation, the MNHRC has appealed the decision during the 20-day appeal period, which ends on 10 December. Nevertheless, the junta-controlled MNHRC has proven itself to be ineffective, partial, and non-compliant with the Paris Principles. We call on all members of GANHRI to uphold the recommendation of the SCA and refrain from supporting the MNHRC’s appeal. Failing to remove the MNHRC delays justice for Myanmar’s people, enables continued junta abuses, and undermines GANHRI’s credibility as a global human rights authority.
The SCA’s overdue recommendation follows nearly four years of sustained efforts and repeated appeals by the Working Group, ANNI, and our local, regional, and international partners. In our joint submissions to GANHRI dated 23 February 2023 and 31 May 2023, the Working Group, ANNI, and Myanmar civil society have advocated for the removal or suspension of the junta-controlled MNHRC from GANHRI, along with its affiliated regional networks: the Asia Pacific Forum (APF) and the Southeast Asia National Human Rights Institution Forum (SEANF).
Khin Ohmar, Chairperson of Progressive Voice, member of the Working Group, said: “We welcome the GANHRI-SCA’s principled recommendation to remove the MNHRC from its platform. The findings made by the GANHRI-SCA accurately reflect the fact that the military junta-controlled MNHRC can never be independent, impartial, or effective, which has been proven over the past decade and especially over the past four years as it acted as a smokescreen for the military’s international crimes, including genocide against Rohingya, and crimes against humanity and war crimes against other ethnic communities across the country.
“Moving forward, we fully expect APF and SEANF to align themselves with this decision and immediately remove the MNHRC from their platforms, as well as end all engagements with the MNHRC.”
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