The Nobel Women’s Initiative welcomes the United States’ support for an United Nations commission of inquiry into human rights abuses in Burma.

The U.S recently announced that it will join Britain, Australia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia in actively supporting the inquiry, to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Burmese military regime.

The Nobel Women’s Initiative calls upon Secretary General Ban to actively engage in this effort. We also call upon the European Union, Canada and other governments to support the establishment of the commission of inquiry.

This decision by the U.S comes after two years of attempts by the Obama administration to actively engage the military regime, led by Major General Than Shwe. To date, such attempts have not resulted in an opening of the system to democratic reform or the release of our sister Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi or the more than 2,000 other political prisoners being held in Burmese jails.

This decision also comes on the heels of a report strongly criticizing the government’s human rights record by the U.N.’s Special Rapporteur for Burma, Tomas Ojea Quintana of Argentina. His much anticipated March report, which will be presented to the UN General Assembly next month, cites evidence of mass killing, torture, forced labor, rape, the use of child soldiers and attacks upon and forced displacement of Burma’s ethnic groups over the past decades. Quintana’s report called upon the UN to consider the establishment of a commission of inquiry. The Nobel Women’s Initiative applauds the important work of Special Rapporteur Quintana.

The body of evidence of the crimes carried out by the military regime is overwhelming. Peoples of Burma, both inside and outside the country, have long called for an international response to these crimes. It is beyond time to end the impunity in that country and mete out justice to those who have suffered at the hands of the military regime.

LEARN MORE

U.S supports creation of U.N commission of inquiry into war crimes in Burma, The Washington Post, 18 August 2010.

U.S backs inquiry into Myanmar war crimes charges, Reuters, 18 August 2010.

Download the report of the International Tribunal on Crimes Against Women of Burma here.

TAKE ACTION

Write your European Union Ambassador urging them to support a Commission of Inquiry on Burma.