22, Dec 2017 | CJP Team

Myanmar’s government has notified United Nations Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee that she has been denied access to the country, and cooperation has been rescinded for the length of her term. Lee, who was appointed UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar in 2014, said, “This declaration of non-cooperation with my mandate can only be viewed as a strong indication that there must be something terribly awful happening in Rakhine, as well as in the rest of the country.” Lee had previously received access to and cooperation from Myanmar and has traveled there six times; however, the government has alleged that her July end-of-mission statement was “biased and unfair,” according to an Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) announcement. The announcement said Myanmar’s government is also not cooperating with the Human Rights Council Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, which was formed in March 2017. “The Government has repeatedly denied violations of human rights are occurring throughout Myanmar, particularly in Rakhine State. They have said that they have nothing to hide, but their lack of cooperation with my mandate and the fact-finding mission suggests otherwise,” Lee said.