Simon Billenness 
Please sign and share this petition. On February 1st, 2021, the Myanmar military executed a coup, illegally and violently overthrowing the elected civilian government and shattering the dreams of many across the country. In response, citizens from all ethnicities and walks of life have joined together in the new Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). At the … Read more
This appeared in Myanmar Now. A coalition of rights groups renewed a call for Japanese beer giant Kirin to sever business ties with the military-owned conglomerate Myanma Economic Holdings (MEHL) Thursday morning. Kirin is the majority owner in joint ventures with MEHL of the Myanmar Brewery and the Mandalay Brewery, together producing about 80% of … Read more
This appeared on the Radio Free Asia website. Protests against the putsch expanded in the country, while the global response grew more critical. Updated at 10:00 EST on 02-05-2021 Myanmar’s ruling junta ordered the suspension of Twitter and Instagram on Friday after a day of spiraling nationwide protests against the military coup that has spooked … Read more
This appeared in the Dhaka Tribune. Abul Kalam was apprehended while taking photographs of buses departing the Kutupalong camps for Bhashan Char Well-known Bangladeshi and international human rights figures, lawyers, academics, filmmakers, photographers, journalists and human rights organizations have called for the release of Rohingya photographer Abul Kalam. Thirty-three of them signed a press release … Read more
This appeared on the Radio Free Asia website. UPDATED at 9:00 A.M. EDT on 2021-03-16 At least 25 people were shot dead Monday as anti-coup protesters in multiple cities braved increasing violence by security forces following a bloody weekend that killed scores of protesters in Myanmar’s largest city, witnesses said. The junta that overthrew Aung … Read more
This originally appeared on the Radio Free Asia website. The army “controls significant segments of the country’s economy” through MEHL and MEC, the U.S. says. The United States and Britain on Thursday levelled economic sanctions on two Myanmar military holding companies that serve as a critical economic lifeline for the junta that seized power last … Read more
This week came good news. The European Union will join the US and the UK and impose sanctions on the Myanmar military’s two business conglomerates, MEC and MEHL, over the army’s coup d’etat and ongoing murderous crackdown. This victory is due to your hard work. When the Civil Disobedience Movement called on us for our support, you … Read more
For Immediate Release: 11 March 2021 Apparel Brands Must Act to End Intimidation of Workers Engaged in the Civil Disobedience Movement in Myanmar Today, 40 human and labor rights organizations published an open letter calling on the apparel brands sourcing from Myanmar to act to end the intimidation of workers engaged in peaceful pro-democracy protests … Read more
We write to you as brands that have ramped up sourcing from Myanmar over the past ten years. That decade has seen huge steps forward for both international business and workers’ rights in Myanmar. In particular, we appreciate the efforts of brands to promote workers’ rights standards that include the promotion of workplace health and … Read more
The videos coming out of Myanmar today are horrific. There’s evidence that the military killed dozens of peaceful protesters, including at least one person in a close-range execution. Reports are that the security forces killed dozens of people in the worst daily atrocity since the military coup. The brave young people of the Civil Disobedience Movement … Read more