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

UN calls for further progress on human rights

-

Tuesday, 17 January 2012 12:47 Mizzima News

(Mizzima) – The U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in Burma on Monday welcomed the amnesty and release a significant number of prisoners of conscience.

U.N. special envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana reads a press statement while on a visit to Burma. Photo: Mizzima“I welcome the release of…individuals who have been imprisoned for exercising their fundamental human rights or whose fair trial or due process rights have been denied,” said Tomas Ojea Quintana.

While the exact number of prisoners released has yet to be determined, he said among those freed were individuals he had visited in jail.

“In this critical period for Myanmar, and in the lead-up to the by-elections in April, it is fundamental that all citizens, including those just released from prison, are allowed to play an active and constructive role in political and public life.”

“Based on lessons learnt from past elections, I call on the government to ensure respect for the rights to political participation and freedoms of opinion and expression, assembly and association – rights which are essential for the functioning of a democratic society.”

The special rapporteur also expressed concern that a number of prisoners of conscience remain in detention and called for their release without conditions and delay.

Separately, he expressed hope that there would be further progress in resolving political conflicts with armed ethnic groups throughout Burma and called on all parties involved to ensure the protection of civilians and respect for international human rights and humanitarian law.

“I renew my call on the government to develop a comprehensive plan to officially engage ethnic minority groups in an inclusive dialogue to resolve long-standing grievances and deep-rooted concerns,” Quintana said. “And all parties to this dialogue must ensure that investigations and accountability for past gross and systematic human rights violations are on the agenda. Ending discrimination and ensuring fundamental rights for Myanmar’s ethnic minorities is essential for national reconciliation and will contribute to Myanmar’s long-term political and social stability.”

He also called for unimpeded access for the UN and relevant actors to help address the crucial needs of ethnic groups and human rights issues in the country.

Quintana was appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council in May 2008. As special rapporteur, he is independent from any government or organization and serves in his individual capacity.

For more information on Burma human rights issues, see http://www.ohchr.org/EN/countries/AsiaRegion/Pages/MMIndex.aspx

Comments

Post a Comment

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