Killing of land and environmental rights defender Mr. San Tun
MMR002 / 0614 / OBS 053
Assassination
Burma
June 12, 2014
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a jointprogramme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the WorldOrganisation Against Torture (OMCT), requests your urgent intervention in thefollowing situation in Burma.
Brief description of the situation:
The Observatory has been informed by the Alternative ASEAN Network onBurma (Altsean-Burma) about the killing of Mr. SanTun, a land andenvironmental rights defender and local leader of the National League for Democracy(NLD), in Hopong Township, Shan State.
According to the information received, on June 4, 2014, at around midnight, Mr.San Tun was taken from his home by twounidentified men and gunshots were heard by neighbours a few minutes later.
On June 5, 2014, Mr. San Tun's body was found outside ofhis village, with bullet holes in the back of his head and wounds on his hands.Three casings and a flash light were found near his body.
The Observatory condemns in the strongest term the murder of Mr. San Tun, and fears that it is related to hishuman rights activities. Indeed, Mr. San Tun helped local farmers to demand thereturn of land that had been seized by the Burmese Army’s Light InfantryBattalion (LIB) 249. Allegedly the LIB 249 said that it would return land tovillagers, but the headman of theMing Pyin village objected to the return of the land.
The case is currently under police investigation.
The Observatory calls upon the authorities of Burma to carry out a thorough, effective, and impartial investigationinto Mr. San Tun’s murder in order to identify all those responsible,bring them before a civil competent and impartial tribunal and apply the penalsanctions provided by the law.
Actions requested:
Please write to the Burmese authorities urging them to:
i. Guarantee, in all circumstances, the physical and psychologicalintegrity of all human rights defenders in Burma;
ii. Order animmediate, thorough, effective and impartial investigation into the murder of Mr.San Tun in order toidentify all those responsible, bring them before a civil competent andimpartial tribunal and apply the penal sanctions provided by the law;
iii. Provideadequate reparation to the relatives of Mr. San Tun;
iv. Put an end to any kind of harassment against all human rightsdefenders in Burmaand ensure in all circumstances that they are able to carry out theirlegitimate activities without any hindrance or fear of reprisals;
v. Comply with all the provisions of the Declaration on Human RightsDefenders, adopted on December 9, 1998 by the United Nations General Assembly,in particular:
- its Article 1, which states that “everyone has theright, individually or in association with others, to promote the protectionand realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national andinternational levels”,
- and its Article 12.2 which provides that “theState shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by thecompetent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others,against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adversediscrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of hisor her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the presentDeclaration.”
vi. More generally, ensure the respect for humanrights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Universal Declaration ofHuman Rights, and ratify international and regional human rights instruments.
Addresses:
· U Thein Sein, President ofMyanmar, President Office, Office No.18, Naypyitaw, MYANMAR; Fax: + 95 1 652624
· U Hla Min, Minister for HomeAffairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, Office No. 10, Naypyitaw, MYANMAR; Fax: +9567 412 439
· U Win Mra, Chairman of theMyanmar National Human Rights Commission, 27 Pyay Road, Hline Township, Yangon,Republic of the Union of Myanmar; Fax: +95-1-659668
· Dr. Tun Shin, AttorneyGeneral, Office of the Attorney General, Office No. 25, Naypyitaw, MYANMAR;Fax: +95 67 404 146/ 106
· U Tun Tun Oo, Chief Justice,Office of the Supreme Court, Office No. 24, Naypyitaw, MYANMAR; Fax: + 95 67404 059
· U Kyaw Kyaw Htun, DirectorGeneral, Myanmar Police Force, Ministry of Home Affairs, Office No. 10,Naypyitaw, Myanmar; Fax: +951 549 663 / 549 208
· H.E. Mr. Maung Wai,Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative to theUnited Nations in Geneva, Avenue Blanc 47, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland. Fax: +4122 732 89 19, +41 22 732 73 77, Email: mission@myanmargeneva.org
· Embassy of Myanmar inBrussels, Boulevard Général Wahis 9, 1030 Brussels, Belgium, Fax: +32 2 705 5048, Email: mebrussels@skynet.be
Please also write to the diplomatic representationsof Burma in your respective countries.
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Geneva-Paris, June 12, 2014
Kindly inform usof any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory,an OMCT and FIDH venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human RightsDefenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need.
To contact theObservatory, call the emergency line:
· Email: Appeals@fidh-omct.org
· Tel and fax OMCT: + 41 22 809 49 39 / 4122 809 49 29