UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar to visit Bangladesh – 20 to 23 February

20 February 2017
UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar to visit Bangladesh – 20 to 23 February
Yanghee Lee, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, talks to media at the monastery in Sittwe, Rakhine State, western Myanmar, 16 January 2017. Photo: Nyunt Win/EPA

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, will undertake a visit to Bangladesh from 20 to 23 February to visit various locations in Cox’s Bazar, where the population who had fled from Myanmar since 9 October 2016 are residing temporarily in makeshift shelters.
“The announcement that the military security operations in the north of Rakhine has ceased is welcomed. However, we cannot forget the numerous allegations of grave human rights violations recorded by the team deployed by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to Cox’s Bazar last month,” Ms. Lee said recalling the 3 February OHCHR’s flash report based on the testimonies of over 200 individuals.
The human rights expert, who plans to visit Cox’s Bazar and related areas, will focus on the situation of the specific population from Myanmar who had crossed into Bangladesh in the past 4-5 months and the events which have led to their crossing over into the country.
“Having access to these affected communities would help give me a better understanding of their human rights situation in Myanmar,” she said.
Following her three-day visit to Bangladesh, the human rights expert will issue an end of mission statement and share her findings when she presents a new report to the UN Human Rights Council on 13 March 2017.