NEW: On March 5, the #Myanmar military junta conducted an airstrike on a Buddhist monastery in the Bago Region, opened fire from the ground, and arbitrarily detained residents. 28 civilians were killed, including women and children. “This massacre … reflects the Myanmar military junta’s ongoing strategy of terrorizing civilians in areas seen as supporting the resistance,” said @john_hq3, Director at @FortifyRights. “The killing of civilians … may amount to war crimes.” U.N. member states should increase support for accountability for mass atrocity crimes in Myanmar and refuse to legitimize military rule. Read the full news release: fortifyrights.org/mya-inv-20…

.@BenedictRogers @FortifyRights warns that recent moves to empower Hong Kong’s Chief Executive reflect a growing concentration of power and a further departure from the freedoms once promised to the city. ucanews.com/news/a-pyongyang…

#Myanmar women political prisoners face torture, sexual violence, and other abuses at the hands of the military behind prison walls, reports @AlexHowlett2 @guardian. "Sexual violence is being used as a tool of intimidation against women from arrest through interrogation and detention in Myanmar," says @sengchit, Senior Human Rights Specialist at @FortifyRights. "When it comes to women, [the authorities] will use anything to control and punish, to ensure that people are compliant." theguardian.com/global-devel…

On June 18, join us for the launch of a new report by Youth Congress Rohingya, which documents the humanitarian challenges faced by newly arrived #Rohingya refugees in #Bangladesh. ⏰3 PM Thailand | 2 PM Bangladesh 📍Uniserv, Chiang Mai FB Live RSVP: bit.ly/YCR-report-launch

The human rights crisis in #Myanmar was the focus of a debate in the UK @HouseofCommons, as parliamentarians highlighted the need for stronger action by the UK to hold the Myanmar military junta accountable. Watch the full recording: parliamentlive.tv/event/inde…

Malaysia’s new Refugee Registration Document scheme, launched on June 1, is designed to register refugees within the country, replacing the functions previously carried out by UNHCR. @FortifyRights has called on the Malaysian authorities to prevent detention, forced return, and data misuse under the new registration. asianews.it/news-en/Malaysia…

🇹🇭 ก่อนการประชุมทบทวนสถานการณ์สิทธิมนุษยชน (Universal Periodic Review: UPR) ในเดือนพฤศจิกายน ฟอร์ตี้ฟายไรต์ได้ส่งรายงานไปยังคณะมนตรีสิทธิมนุษยชนแห่งสหประชาชาติ เกี่ยวกับสถานการณ์สิทธิมนุษยชน ที่เกี่ยวข้องกับการปฏิบัติต่อผู้ลี้ภัย ในกระบวนการ UPR สมาชิกสหประชาชาติจะประเมินสถานการณ์สิทธิมนุษยชนของไทยตั้งแต่ปี 2564 “สี่ปีครึ่งในรอบ UPR แม้ว่าประเทศไทยจะให้คำมั่นสัญญาต่าง ๆ แต่ผู้ลี้ภัยยังคงเผชิญกับการละเมิดสิทธิอย่างร้ายแรง” ฐานิดา ปิยโชติ กล่าว “บรรดาประเทศสมาชิกคณะมนตรีสิทธิมนุษยชนแห่งสหประชาชาติควรใช้โอกาสจากการทบทวนในครั้งนี้เพื่อเรียกร้องให้ประเทศไทยรับผิดชอบต่อพันธกรณีในการคุ้มครองผู้ลี้ภัย” อ่านใบแจ้งข่าว: bit.ly/UPR-Thailand-2026 อ่านรายงาน: bit.ly/UPR-submission-Thai

🇹🇭 NEW: ประเทศไทยควรดำเนินการอย่างเร่งด่วนเพื่อยุติการจับกุม การควบคุมตัวโดยพลการ การทรมาน และการบังคับส่งกลับผู้ลี้ภัย ฟอร์ตี้ฟายไรต์กล่าว ก่อนการประชุมทบทวนสถานการณ์สิทธิมนุษยชน (Universal Periodic Review: UPR) โดยคณะมนตรีสิทธิมนุษยชนแห่งสหประชาชาติในเดือนพฤศจิกายนนี้ ในเดือนเมษายน ฟอร์ตี้ฟายไรต์ได้ส่งรายงานสถานการณ์สิทธิมนุษยชนของประเทศไทยไปยังคณะมนตรีสิทธิมนุษยชนแห่งสหประชาชาติ “บทบาทของประเทศไทยในฐานะสมาชิกคณะมนตรีสิทธิมนุษยชนฯ ยิ่งทำให้มีความรับผิดชอบมากขึ้นที่จะต้องดำเนินการอย่างจริงจังในการยกระดับสิทธิมนุษยชน ทั้งนี้เพื่อผู้ลี้ภัยจำนวนมากในประเทศด้วย” ฐานิดา ปิยโชติ เจ้าหน้าที่เชี่ยวชาญสิทธิมนุษยชน ฟอร์ตี้ฟายไรต์ อ่านใบแจ้งข่าว: bit.ly/UPR-Thailand-2026 อ่านรายงาน: bit.ly/UPR-submission-Thai

It was a privilege to join friends from @burmacampaignuk including @zoyaphan @anna_c_roberts @KValtersson and friends from the Burma/Myanmar community to listen to this debate and then to meet @Jeremy_Hunt @rushanaraali afterwards.

🧵Today the UK @HouseofCommons held an important debate on #HumanRights in #Myanmar/#Burma, introduced by the former Foreign Secretary @Jeremy_Hunt, who spoke powerfully about the need for the UK to show leadership at the @UN as the penholder on Myanmar, to introduce new sanctions on the military and its enterprises, and to pursue accountability and justice for atrocity crimes. "Britain does not have to stand on the sidelines. Britain must not stand on the sidelines. And I hope when we hear from the Minister, he will tell us that Britain will not stand on the sidelines." #SaveMyanmar #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar Watch his speech here:

🇹🇭 Ahead of Thailand’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in November, @FortifyRights submitted a stakeholder report to the U.N. Human Rights Council detailing concerns about #Thailand’s human rights record, including its treatment of refugees. As part of the #UPR process, U.N. member states will assess Thailand’s human rights record since 2021. “Four and a half years into the UPR cycle, despite Thailand’s commitments, refugees continue to face severe violations,” said Thanida Piyachot, Human Rights Specialist at Fortify Rights. “U.N. Human Rights Council member states should use this review to hold Thailand accountable to its commitments to protect refugees.” Read the report: bit.ly/ThailandUPR2026 Read the full news release: fortifyrights.org/tha-inv-20…

A new investigation by @FortifyRights documents the #Myanmar military junta’s airstrike and ground attack on a Buddhist monastery in Bago Region, which killed 28 civilians, including women and children. @FortifyRights Director @john_hq3 said the attack on a monastery sheltering civilians is “the junta’s ongoing strategy of terrorizing civilians in areas seen as supporting the resistance.” eng.mizzima.com/2026/06/10/3…

Fortify Rights urges international action over civilian killings in Bago Region DMG Newsroom 9 June 2026, Kyaukgyi, Bago Region Fortify Rights has called on ASEAN countries and United Nations member states to pursue justice and take action over the mass killing of civilians allegedly committed by the Myanmar military regime in Bago Region. On March 5, the regime carried out an airstrike on a monastery in Yaytwinkone Village, Kyaukgyi Township, Bago Region. Regime forces also reportedly shot dead local residents and arrested others. A total of 28 civilians, including women and children, were killed in the incident. "This mass killing clearly demonstrates the continuous strategy implemented by the regime to instill fear among civilians in areas perceived to support revolutionary forces. The killings of civilians could constitute war crimes," said John Quinley, director at Fortify Rights. According to Fortify Rights, troops from Light Infantry Battalions 20, 264 and 439 under Light Infantry Division 77 raided the Yaytwinkone village-tract, arresting and killing civilians. A publication by the National Unity Government (NUG) stated that resistance forces, together with the Karen National Union (KNU) and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), carried out a rescue operation for detained villagers on March 7. "The killings of civilians, including children, could constitute war crimes, and these actions further highlight how urgently international accountability measures are needed," Quinley added. Since the 2021 military coup, armed conflict between the military regime and pro-democracy resistance forces has intensified across Myanmar. Fortify Rights has urged United Nations member states to increase efforts to ensure accountability for alleged atrocities committed in Myanmar and to withhold recognition of the military regime. Caption: Yaytwinkone local residents who were arrested and killed by regime forces on March 5. Photo: KNU #Myanmar #BagoRegion #Kyaukgyi #FortifyRights #HumanRights #CivilianKillings #WarCrimes #KNU #KNLA #MilitaryRegime #MyanmarConflict #DMGNews

🇹🇭 NEW: #Thailand should take immediate steps to end the arbitrary arrest, detention, torture, and forced return of refugees, @FortifyRights said ahead of Thailand’s Universal Periodic Review at the U.N. Human Rights Council this November. In April, Fortify Rights submitted a stakeholder submission to the U.N. Human Rights Council on Thailand’s human rights record. “Thailand’s role as a member of the Human Rights Council carries a heightened obligation to take concrete actions to uphold human rights, including for its sizable refugee population,” said Thanida Piyachot, Human Rights Specialist at Fortify Rights. Read the full news release: fortifyrights.org/tha-inv-20… Read the report: bit.ly/ThailandUPR2026

NEW: As anti-refugee rhetoric continues to spread in #Malaysia, the authorities should take immediate action to address online hate speech, harassment, and threats targeting #Rohingya refugees and other marginalized communities. "Online hate can quickly become an offline problem," said @PuttaneeKangkun, Director at @FortifyRights. “The authorities must act swiftly through law enforcement and public messaging that makes clear such abuses will not be tolerated.” fortifyrights.org/mly-inv-20…

It was a privilege to travel and work with Brennan O’Connor. Please see his powerful and moving photographs from Bago.

သတင်းထုတ်ပြန်ချက် - ပဲခူးတိုင်းတွင် စစ်အုပ်စု၏ အစုလိုက်အပြုံလိုက် သတ်ဖြတ်မှု မတ်လ ၅ရက်နေ့၊ ပဲခူးတိုင်းရှိ ဘုန်းကြီးကျောင်းအား စစ်အုပ်စုမှ လေကြောင်းတိုက်ခိုက်ခဲ့ပြီးနောက် အရပ်သားများအား မြေပြင်ပေါ်တွင် ပစ်ခတ်ခဲ့ပြီး ဒေသခံများအား မတရားဖမ်းဆီးခဲ့ပါသည်။ ထိုတိုက်ခိုက်မှုများကြောင့် အမျိုးသမီးများနှင့် ကလေးငယ်များအပါအဝင် အရပ်သား ၂၈ ဦး သေဆုံးခဲ့သည်။ “ဒီအစုလိုက်အပြုံလိုက်သတ်ဖြတ်မှုဟာ တော်လှန်ရေးအင်အားစုတွေကို ထောက်ခံတယ်လို့ ယူဆရတဲ့ ဒေသတွေမှာရှိတဲ့ အရပ်သားပြည်သူတွေကို အကြောက်တရားလွှမ်းမိုးအောင်လုပ်ဆောင်နေတဲ့ စစ်အုပ်စုရဲ့ စဥ်ဆက်မပြတ်ကျင့်သုံးနေတဲ့ မဟာဗျူဟာကို ထင်ထင်ရှားရှား ပြသလိုက်တာပဲဖြစ်တယ်။ အရပ်သားတွေကို သတ်ဖြတ်ခဲ့တာတွေဟာ စစ်ရာဇဝတ်မှုမြောက်နိုင်တယ်” ဟု @FortifyRights ၏ ဒါရိုက်တာ @john_hq3 မှပြောသည်။ ကုလသမဂ္ဂအဖွဲ့ဝင်နိုင်ငံများအနေဖြင့် မြန်မာနိုင်ငံတွင် ဖြစ်ပွားနေသည့် ရက်စက်ကြမ်းကြုတ်သော ရာဇဝတ်မှုများအတွက် တာဝန်ခံမှုရှိစေဖို့ ပိုမိုတိုးမြှင့်လုပ်ဆောင်သင့်ပြီး စစ်အုပ်ချုပ်ရေးအား လုံးဝ အသိအမှတ်မပြုရန် လိုအပ်ပါသည်။ bit.ly/BagoMassacreMYA

On May 28, @FortifyRights Executive Director @AmyAlexSmith met UFC Flyweight Champion @JoshuaVanBT during the 25th Anniversary of the Chin Refugee Committee Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. Joshua's story is a reminder of what is possible when refugees are given a chance to thrive. A former #Myanmar refugee who resettled from Malaysia to the U.S., Joshua has risen to become the world's reigning UFC Flyweight Champion. Today, thousands continue to flee conflict, persecution, and abuses by the Myanmar military junta. Many seek refuge in Malaysia, where opportunities for protection, education, employment, and durable solutions remain limited. As we celebrate CRC's 25 years of service to the Chin community, Joshua's success stands as a call to action that when refugees are given safety and opportunity, they are unstoppable.

Congratulations to the Chin Refugee Committee in Malaysia on 25 years of service, leadership, and unwavering commitment to the Chin community. 👏 It was an honor for @FortifyRights's Executive Director @AmyAlexSmith to join and receive a certificate of recognition during the anniversary celebrations in Kuala Lumpur. We are humbled to be part of the collective efforts of countless advocates, community leaders, and refugees who have worked together over many years to advance rights, dignity, and opportunity for Chin refugees in Malaysia. Here's to the next 25 years of courage, community, and hope. 🎊