{"id":399945,"date":"2021-11-22T10:34:05","date_gmt":"2021-11-22T10:34:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.forum-asia.org\/?p=36143"},"modified":"2021-11-22T10:34:05","modified_gmt":"2021-11-22T10:34:05","slug":"joint-open-letter-call-on-interpol-to-ban-the-illegal-junta-from-representing-myanmar-at-its-general-assembly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2021\/11\/22\/joint-open-letter-call-on-interpol-to-ban-the-illegal-junta-from-representing-myanmar-at-its-general-assembly\/","title":{"rendered":"[Joint Open Letter] Call on INTERPOL to ban the illegal junta from representing Myanmar at its General Assembly"},"content":{"rendered":"

22 November 2021<\/p>\n

To: Kim Jong Yang, INTERPOL President; J\u00fcrgen Stock, INTERPOL General Secretary; the INTERPOL Executive Committee and INTERPOL Member Countries<\/p>\n

Subject: Call on INTERPOL to ban the illegal junta from representing Myanmar at its General Assembly<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dear INTERPOL President Kim Jong Yang
\nINTERPOL Vice Presidents Benyamina Abbad and \u0160\u00e1rka Havr\u00e1nkov\u00e1
\nINTERPOL General Secretary J\u00fcrgen Stock
\nINTERPOL Executive Committee Delegates
\nKhaled Jameel Al Materyeen
\nAhmed Nasser Al-Raisi
\nJean-Jacques Colombi
\nRogerio Galloro
\nRobert Guirao Bail\u00e9n
\nDestino Pedro
\nOlushola Kamar Subair
\nJannine Van den Berg
\nand Member Countries<\/p>\n

We, the undersigned 259 organizations, call on INTERPOL to immediately ban the Myanmar military junta from representing Myanmar as a member of INTERPOL. We demand you ensure that the military junta is excluded from the upcoming 89th<\/sup> INTERPOL General Assembly and all benefits and future cooperation that membership entails.<\/p>\n

According to media reports<\/a>, the Myanmar military junta\u2019s police force is currently representing Myanmar in INTERPOL and its members, led by the Head of Police and Deputy Home Affairs Minister Lieutenant-General Than Hlaing, will act as delegates for the Myanmar government at the INTERPOL General Assembly. This is a matter of grave concern to us and raises serious credibility issues for INTERPOL itself for the following reasons:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The military junta does not represent the government of Myanmar. The international community has refused to recognise the military junta as the legitimate government of Myanmar and has prevented members of the military junta from participating in international forums including the UN General Assembly, the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) and the ASEAN Summit.<\/li>\n
  2. The attempted coup on 1 February 2021, under the leadership of Senior General Min Aung Hlaing by violent means violated<\/a> the Myanmar Constitution, international law and the principle of rule of law.<\/li>\n
  3. The head of the UN Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar recently stated<\/a> that since the attempted coup the Myanmar military junta\u2019s widespread and systematic attack on the civilian population amounts to crimes against humanity.<\/li>\n
  4. The Special Advisory Council for Myanmar<\/a>, composed of international experts including former members of the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar and a former Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, has recently argued that, in addition to crimes against humanity, the Myanmar military is engaging in terrorism and should be classified as a terrorist organization.<\/li>\n
  5. General Than Hlaing, as the junta\u2019s Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and Chief of Police, is directly responsible for decision making concerning repressive policies and violent actions committed by police against peaceful demonstrators and is therefore responsible for serious human rights violations in Myanmar\/Burma.<\/li>\n
  6. For this and other reasons, Lt. General Than Hlaing has been placed by the European Union under a travel ban and asset freeze<\/a> as of 3 March 2021.<\/li>\n
  7. Targeted sanctions against Lt. General Than Hlaing also remain in place by the US, UK, and Canada (overview with links here<\/a>).<\/li>\n
  8. Lt General Than Hlaing has been appointed to lead operations in Chin State<\/a>. Escalating military attacks against civilians there and in Sagaing and Magwe Regions have caused rights groups to draw similarities<\/a> to \u201cclearance operations\u201d used to violently oppress the ethnic Rohingya population \u2013 now at issue in the International Criminal Court<\/a> and International Court of Justice<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    INTERPOL\u2019s vision<\/a> is to connect police for a \u201csafer world\u201d and to support security for the world\u2019s citizens. The people of Myanmar are in dire need of safety and security. The single biggest threat to their security is the Myanmar military junta, who is attempting to represent Myanmar in INTERPOL and use the General Assembly as a platform for political gain and international legitimacy. This will embolden the Myanmar military to continue to commit international crimes with blanket impunity.<\/p>\n

    We note that countering the threat of terrorism is the first of INTERPOL\u2019s seven Global Policing Goals<\/a>, and INTERPOL has a responsibility to counter and disrupt terrorism wherever it occurs, including in Myanmar.<\/p>\n

    We draw your attention to condemnation by the UN Security Council regarding the junta following the February 2021 coup, including a November 2021 statement<\/a> by the Council\u2019s President Juan Ramo\u0301n de la Fuente Rami\u0301rez citing \u201cdeep concern at further recent violence across Myanmar\u201d.<\/p>\n

    We note that upholding human rights is central to INTERPOL\u2019s mandate. We implore you to meet the commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights stated in Article 2 of the Constitution of the ICPO-INTERPOL<\/a>. Recognizing the Myanmar military junta, responsible for systemic and grave human rights violations would be a clear violation of this article.<\/p>\n

    We appeal to you to adhere to INTERPOL\u2019s commitment to political neutrality stated in Article 3 of the INTERPOL Constitution. Awarding an unlawful military junta that lacks domestic and international recognition with legitimacy would violate this article, and amount to a partisan intervention that would embolden the military to continue to commit international crimes with total impunity.<\/p>\n

    Instead of legitimizing the military junta through INTERPOL membership, we appeal to you to uphold international law by supporting the ongoing investigation at the International Criminal Court concerning crimes of genocide against the Rohingya, and future investigations, to bring all perpetrators of Myanmar atrocities to account. The Myanmar military must be recognized as a terrorist organization, not recognized as representatives of the Myanmar people who are the very victims of the junta\u2019s daily barrage of violence that INTERPOL aims to protect.<\/p>\n

    We, therefore, call on INTERPOL to:<\/p>\n