Paris-Geneva-Bangkok, January 30, 2017 - The Burmese Government must
immediately conduct a swift, thorough, and impartial investigation into the
murder of Ko Ni, a prominent Muslim lawyer and member of the ruling National
League for Democracy (NLD) party, and bring those responsible for his death to
justice, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (an FIDH-OMCT
partnership) and the Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma (ALTSEAN-Burma) said
today.
“With the murder of Ko Ni, Burma
loses an important voice of moderation and a courageous advocate for religious
tolerance and the rule of law. The NLD-led Government must quickly get to the
bottom of this appalling murder to show that it is serious about combating
rampant impunity and religious intolerance,” said FIDH
President Dimitris Christopoulos.
On January
29, 2017, Ko Ni, 65, was fatally shot in the head at point-blank range
outside Rangoon International Airport. The suspected gunman was later arrested and detained for questioning by police. Ko Ni had
just returned from Indonesia, where he had joined a Burmese
Government-organized trip to discuss democracy and conflict resolution. The
program included a panel discussion about religious violence in Burma’s Rakhine
State.
In June
2016, Ko Ni played a crucial role in the establishment of the Muslim Lawyers’
Association, an organisation aimed at providing legal assistance to members of
Muslim communities in Burma.
“The tragic death of Ko Ni must not
become the latest case of an unsolved death of a human rights defender in
Burma. Authorities must deliver justice in this case and those of all other
slain human rights defenders and take all necessary measures to provide protection
for human rights defenders at risk,” said OMCT Secretary General Gerald Staberock.
The murder
of Ko Ni is the latest in a series of killings targeting Burmese human rights
defenders that have gone unpunished over the last three years.
On June 4,
2014, San Tun, a 47-year-old land and environmental rights defender and
local NLD leader in Hopong Township, Shan State, was shot and killed after two
unidentified men abducted him from his home. San Tun had assisted local farmers
to petition authorities for the return of their land that had been seized by
the Burma military (Tatmadaw).
On October
4, 2014, Aung Kyaw Naing, better known as “Par Gyi”, a 49-year-old
freelance journalist, was killed while in military custody after being detained
by Tatmadaw soldiers in Mon State’s
Kyaikmaraw Township. Aung Kyaw Naing had regularly reported on ethnic issues
along the Burma-Thai border and contributed to various Rangoon-based
newspapers.
On July 2,
2015, Johnny, a 51-year-old Karen land rights defender and NLD Chairman
in Kawthinshu Village, Hpa-an Township, Karen State, was shot dead by unknown
assailants in front of his house in Eindea Village, Hpa-an Township. Johnny had
helped local villagers in several land grabbing cases.
On November
19, 2016, Chit Pandaing, better known as “Eh Paw Tel”, a 22-year-old
Karen woman human rights defender working with the Mine Advisory Group (MAG),
was stabbed to death by an unidentified individual in Dawei Town, Tenasserim
Region. Chit Pandaing strongly advocated against land confiscation and the
negative environmental impacts of mining in Dawei and other Townships in
Tenasserim Region.
On December
13, 2016, the body of Soe Moe Tun, a 35-year-old journalist with the Eleven Media Group, was found in Monywa,
Sagaing Region. Wounds on his head and an apparent fractured skull led police
to believe Soe Moe Tun had been beaten to death with a blunt object. Soe Moe
Tun was known for his investigative work on illegal logging and timber
smuggling in several areas of Sagaing Region, including Monywa and Sagaing
Townships.
Although
authorities launched investigations into the above-mentioned cases, no one has
ever been held accountable for any of the killings.
“Ko Ni’s assassination, if unaddressed, will have serious impacts on
human security in Burma. The international community must act now to ensure the
Burmese Government reverses the alarming trend exemplified by this crime,” said ALTSEAN-Burma Coordinator and FIDH
Secretary-General Debbie Stothard.
The
Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was
created in 1997 by FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). The
objective of this programme is to prevent or remedy situations of repression
against human rights defenders. FIDH and OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by
international civil society.
ALTSEAN-Burma is FIDH’s member organisation for Burma.
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