Lawyers for Lawyers and Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada (LRWC) submitted an advocacy charter to several country delegations to draw attention to the situation of lawyers in Myanmar with regard to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Myanmar. In July 2020, Lawyers for Lawyers and LRWC submitted a report for the UPR of Myanmar.
The report gathers evidence on the situation of lawyers in Myanmar. In the report, we highlight that Myanmar has not consistently upheld the necessary guarantees for the proper functioning of the legal profession to fulfil the requirements set out in the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers. Consequently, lawyers encounter difficulties in carrying out their professional duties. This also undermines the proper functioning of the judicial system, including the right to fair trial and effective access to justice.
Reliable information indicates that lawyers in Myanmar have been subjected to improper interference and harassment by members of the law enforcement agencies and investigative bodies and others. They have also been subjected to threats including death threats, surveillance, and physical attacks, on one occasion leading to the death of a lawyer.
