Christmas Eve massacre – Global Bar Magazine
At least 35 civilians including children and mothers were burned alive in their cars and massacred by junta troops on Christmas Eve while fleeing a clash in Kayah state, reports Sweden’s Global Bar Magazine.
Mark Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK, tweeted in response to the UN Relief Chief’s call for the authorities to investigate: “The UN Relief Chief is the only person in the world who doesn’t know who carried out the Christmas Eve Massacre. Asking the perpetrators to investigate their own crimes is what the international community did for decades. It created a sense of impunity & encouraged more crimes.”
Suu Kyi imprisonment: will the EU impose sanctions on Myanmar? – Deutsche Welle
Critics are urging the EU to impose fresh sanctions on the military junta after the sentencing of Aung San Suu Kyi, reports Germany’s Deutsche Welle.
Suu Kyi’s sentencing “is just the latest in a long list of reasons why the EU should impose more targeted sanctions on the military,” said Mark Farmaner, director of Burma Campaign UK. “It’s been almost six months since the EU imposed any new sanctions, which will be encouraging the military to believe the EU won’t take any further action.”
“The EU is waking up to the fact that the ASEAN-led process won’t go anywhere and that they have to be more proactive instead of hiding behind ASEAN,” Mark Farmaner added.
Facebook bans Myanmar military-linked companies from its platforms – the Diplomat
Facebook announced yesterday that it would ban all Myanmar-military controlled businesses from its platforms, the latest in a series of restrictions aimed at the Myanmar armed forces.
The Diplomat quotes Mark Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK, who said Facebook had “resisted significant pressure to take down military companies’ pages” since before the February coup. “Facebook have known for years these military companies finance human rights violations. Now, within hours of legal cases being filed regarding their role in the genocide of the Rohingya, Facebook decide to take down military company pages.”
Facebook finally pledges to remove Burmese military companies – Eurasia Review
Burma Campaign UK today welcomed an announcement by Facebook that they will finally take down the Facebook pages of military companies, reports the Eurasia Review.
“By hosting military company pages Facebook helped the military make money which funded the international crimes they committed,” said Mark Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK. “The belated decision to remove military company pages appears more an act of desperation after being sued for $150bn for being involved in Rohingya genocide than any genuine concern for human rights.”
Facebook will remain on the Burma Campaign UK ‘Dirty List’ as long as it fails to take effective action to tackle hate speech and military propaganda, refuses to cooperate with international legal initiatives to ensure justice and accountability for the military, and does not implement the recommendations of the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar.
Wai Hnin Pwint Thon speaks at Oslo Freedom Forum
Wai Hnin Pwint Thon is a Burmese human rights activist and Burma Campaign UK’s Senior Advocacy Officer. She spoke at the prestigious Oslo Freedom Forum in Miami, Florida, as part of an advocacy trip to the USA. She also met with the US government and members of the US Senate lobbying for more targeted economic sanctions against the Burmese military.
Wai Hnin has worked with families of political prisoners to bring international attention to their cases, and has conducted extensive research on Burma’s repressive laws. Her father, Ko Mya Aye, is one of the leaders of the 88 Generation Students Group in Burma and a prominent human rights activist. He is currently detained by the Burmese military.
Facebook sued for alleged role in stoking violence against Rohingya – Radio Free Asia
A lawsuit filed against Facebook seeks a minimum of U.S. $150 billion in damages for the social media company’s alleged role in stoking violence against ethnic Rohingyas in Myanmar, reports Radio Free Asia.
The lawsuit claims that Facebook created a “defective product” because its ranking algorithm helped to propagate violence against the Rohingya. It also alleges that Facebook was negligent in filtering out content deemed dangerous to the ethnic group.
Facebook broadens ban on military-linked Myanmar companies – Seattle Times
Facebook has expanded its ban on postings linked to Myanmar’s military to include all pages, groups, and accounts representing military-controlled businesses, reports the Seattle Times.
Burma Campaign UK welcomed the move but said Facebook had resisted taking down military companies’ pages.
“The belated decision to remove military company pages appears more an act of desperation after being sued for $150 billion for being involved in Rohingya genocide than any genuine concern for human rights,” Burma Campaign UK’s director, Mark Farmaner, said in a statement. Facebook remains on BCUK’s Dirty List.
Rohingya sue Facebook for hate speech they say led to genocide – Forbes
Rohingya refugees are suing Facebook in the US and UK for its alleged failure to take action against hate speech that ultimately contributed to genocide, reports the American business magazine Forbes. Law firm Mishcon de Reya is handling the UK case.
“These cases are important not just to compensate Rohingya genocide survivors, but also to force Facebook to face up to the role it played in facilitating genocide and change the way it operates,” says Mark Farmaner, director of Burma Campaign UK.
Democracy movement undeterred despite sentencing of Aung San Suu Kyi – France 24
Myanmar’s military junta has sentenced Aung San Suu Kyi to four years in jail – later reduced to two – but this shows no sign of slowing all kinds of resistance against military rule, reports France 24.
Much of this is down to younger generations who “were just used to speaking their mind on social media”, Mark Farmaner, director of Burma Campaign UK, told France 24. “They are used to more freedom of expression. They had a future ahead of them, and the military took that all away.”
“In 100 small ways, people are protesting every single day,” Mark Farmaner said. “No one is sitting around and waiting for Aung San Suu Kyi to be released. Things are not dependent on one leader anymore, and they cannot arrest enough people because it’s not the same kind of resistance as before.”
Facebook to be held to account for role in Rohingya genocide – Mishcon de Reya
Coordinated legal actions on behalf of victims and survivors of genocide started today in the UK and US, reports the law firm Mishcon de Reya. They allege that Facebook’s negligence encouraged and facilitated the genocide carried out by the Myanmar regime and its extremist supporters against the Rohingya people.
Mark Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK, commented: “These cases are important not just to compensate Rohingya genocide survivors, but also to force Facebook to face up to the role it played in facilitating genocide and change the way it operates. Even today Facebook still allows the military to use Facebook to raise funds and spread propaganda.”