IBAHRI Co-Chair Ambassador (ret.) Hans Corell said: ‘The killing of U Ko Ni is not only a tragic loss for Myanmar, but also a very dark day for its legal profession and the rule of law. The IBAHRI wholeheartedly denounces what appears to be a calculated act of murder. Myanmar’s authorities must ensure that the rule of law prevails by carrying out an investigation into his killing and holding a fair and public trial in an independent court, which guarantees that whoever is responsible for this crime is brought to justice. Attacks against the legal profession seriously jeopardise the rule of law and the right of access to justice for all in the country. Our thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of the honourable U Ko Ni.’

U Ko Ni was shot at close range in the head by a gunman as he was preparing to leave Yangon International Airport, having just returned from a government-organised visit to Indonesia. A taxi driver who tried to apprehend the gunman as he attempted to flee the scene was also shot, and later died in hospital. A number of other taxi drivers were successful in stopping and detaining the gunman until the police arrived.

IBA Executive Director Mark Ellis commented: ‘The premature death of U Ko Ni has deprived Myanmar of a citizen who cared deeply about, and was committed to, advancing the rule of law and progressing human rights in his country. He was a founding senior member of the Independent Lawyers’ Association of Myanmar (ILAM), which the IBA supported in its establishment, and was instrumental in working towards bringing together different factions for a successful outcome. The ILAM will stand partly as his legacy as to what can be done when cooperation is paramount in an endeavour.’

U Ko Ni was known in Myanmar particularly for supporting constitutional reform and promoting religious harmony. He was outspoken in his criticism of the NLD for not fielding any Muslim candidates in the 2015 elections.

Notes to the Editor

1. The International Bar Association (IBA), established in 1947, is the world’s leading organisation of international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies. Through its global membership of individual lawyers, law firms, bar associations and law societies it influences the development of international law reform and shapes the future of the legal profession throughout the world. The IBA’s administrative office is in London, United Kingdom. Regional offices are located in: São Paulo, Brazil; Seoul, South Korea; and Washington DC, United States, while the International Bar Association’s International Criminal Court and International Criminal Law Programme (ICC & ICL) is managed from an office in The Hague, the Netherlands.

   The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), an autonomous and financially independent entity, works to promote, protect and enforce human rights under a just rule of law, and to preserve the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession worldwide.

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