Mizzima awarded global JTI certificate for reliable news on Myanmar

-
Image
Mizzima Mizzima, one of Myanmar ’s most prominent news outlets and a press freedom advocate, obtained the Journalism Trust Initiative ( JTI ) certification from global audit firm Bureau Veritas , JTI says in a press statement 5 January.  Operating in clandestine mode within Myanmar and supported by an exiled team, Mizzima strives to fulfil its role as reliable source of news and information for the Myanmar public. “Your Journalism Trust Initiative certification affirms what audiences already know: that principled, transparent journalism matters. Congratulations on this achievement and on your continued contribution to informing citizens about Myanmar,” says Benjamin Sabbah , director of Journalism Trust Initiative “Myanmar’s ongoing conflict has created an intensely contested media landscape, where mis- and disinformation are increasingly deployed to reinforce state propaganda and the prevailing “official” narrative. Although Mizzima is already regarded as one of the most trusted ...
Post a Comment

Commission of inquiry inches closer to realization

-
Thursday, 10 June 2010 12:46 Mizzima News

(Mizzima) – The formation of a United Nations commission of inquiry into alleged crimes against humanity committed in Burma during the course of the country’s decades long civil war and political standoff has gained a further advocate.
During a June 8, 2010, debate of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Slovakia became the fourth government to support such an inquiry, joining the ranks of Australia, the Czech Republic and United Kingdom.

Rosha Fedor, the Slovak representative, in justifying Bratislava’s decision, told the congress, “[T]he first national elections in Myanmar [Burma] could have served as a window to national reconciliation, respect for human rights, and democracy, but on the contrary, the new electoral law fell far below international standards, seriously undermined the rights of expression, assembly and association, and discriminated on the basis of political opinions.”

Either the Human Rights Council or Security Council may initiate a commission of inquiry, though it is generally assumed China and Russia would automatically oppose any such undertaking at the Security Council level.

On the basis of historical precedence, it can be assumed that a commission of inquiry into matters in Burma would include an investigation into violations of international and human rights law, the determination of whether or not acts of genocide have occurred, the identification of perpetrators of crimes against humanity, and a means of ensuring that those responsible for violations are held accountable.

A commission of inquiry would not, however, have prosecutorial authority, which would instead likely lie with the International Criminal Court following UN recommendation.

Human Rights Watch, advocating for the creation of such a commission, believes a UN commission of inquiry “would potentially have a positive effect in bringing various parties to the negotiations, and potentially spur multilateral peace talks in Burma.”

Supporters of the motion further contend Burma’s generals fear accountability, and that a commission of inquiry would awaken those in authority of the immediate need for action in light of facing criminal prosecution.

However, there is also concern that a commission of inquiry would only serve to push an already highly xenophobic ruling clique into a further state of isolationism, making dialogue and an eventual solution to the crisis that much more difficult to initiate.

In 2004, a commission of inquiry was established to investigate the possibility of crimes against humanity in the Sudanese region of Darfur. While the commission did not support allegations of genocide, it did find evidence of systemic violations of human rights and international law.

Meanwhile, Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe of the United States, during the same session of the Human Rights Council, gave notice that Washington was also considering adding its name to those countries in favor of a commission of inquiry into crimes against humanity committed in Burma.

Popular posts from this blog

World's longest internet shutdown ends in parts of Myanmar

-
Image
Rakhine people travel by motorcycle in Sittwe, Rakhine State, Western Myanmar, 02 February 2021. Photo: Nyunt Win/EPA By AFP The world's longest internet shutdown -- affecting more than a million people for 19 months in one of Myanmar's ethnic conflict zones -- has come to an end, according to a mobile operator based in the region. The internet in parts of Myanmar's troubled northern states of Rakhine and Chin was suspended in June 2019 following "emergency" orders issued by the telecoms department under Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government. Following Monday's military coup, mobile operator Telenor Group confirmed it had reinstated full services in eight townships in Rakhine and Chin states on Wednesday. "Telenor Group and Telenor Myanmar have been advocating for the restoration of services and emphasised that freedom of expression through access to telecoms services should be maintained for humanitarian purposes," the company said in a stateme...
Read more

First ministerial meeting held

-
Image
Mizzima Myanmar held the first meeting among newly appointed ministers after a recent major cabinet reshuffle by the military in capital city of Nay Pyi Taw on Tuesday morning, according to a release from the Military True News Information Team Xinhua reported. The Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, acting President U Myint Swe and nine newly appointed union ministers were present at the meeting held at the Presidential Palace, the release said. Min Aung Hlaing unveiled plans to include reopening religious buildings and pagodas, resuming domestic travel and hotel businesses as well as industries in line with COVID-19 rules and regulations, and revitalizing the country's economy.
Read more

Indonesia detains British woman on terror suspect list

-
Image
File photo of Indonesian police personnel standing guard. (Photo: AFP) AFP Indonesia has detained a British woman named on a list of global terror suspects and plans to deport her for visa violations, authorities told AFP Tuesday. Tazneen Miriam Sailar -- a Manchester-born convert to Islam married to an Indonesian jihadist who was killed in Syria -- is not charged with terror offences. But she and her late husband are on an Indonesian police list of suspected extremists that includes several foreigners notorious in the West. Sailar, 47, and her 10-year-old Indonesia-born son, were being held in Jakarta after being picked up last year without documents allowing her to remain in the Southeast Asian nation, her lawyer Farid Ghozali said. "She was put (in detention) while awaiting her return, which will be facilitated by the British embassy," Indonesian immigration directorate spokesman Ahmad Nursaleh told AFP. The embassy declined to comment, and it was unclear when...
Read more