Oct 2, 2007
In reaction to the violent suppression of Buddhist monks and other Burma/Myanmar citizens, the Becket Fund urged the United Nations Human Rights Council to take action to protect the human rights of the Burmese/Myanmar people. In a joint letter to the Council, 25 non-governmental organizations from around the world recommended that the Human Rights Council adopt a resolution calling for “an immediate end to all violent attacks on peaceful and democratic protesters.” The letter also called for an expert panel of special mandate holders, including the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion, to travel to Burma/Myanmar to observe the human rights situation in an effort to prevent further violations.
On October 2, 2007, the United Nations Human Rights Council
adopted a resolution which condemned the “violent repression of peaceful
demonstrations in
Angela Wu, International Director of The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, reacted to the resolution, “We see in Burma/Myanmar how the suppression of religious liberty can result in the loss of hundreds of innocent lives. It is encouraging to see the international community rallying to protect a people who have suffered from repression and violence for such a long time."
This letter marks the second time this year that The Becket Fund has spoken out against the religious suppression by the Burmese Junta Government. In March 2007, The Becket Fund submitted a written statement to Fourth session of the UN Human Rights Council detailing violations of religious freedom in Burma/Myanmar.