The Human Rights Foundation of Monland Commemorates Three Decades of Justice and Rights Work by Calling for Accountability for the Military Junta

Decades of military rule in Burma have left the country in a constant state of rebuilding. Generations of activists have sacrificed their lives in an impassioned, people-powered movement that continues to this day. Amid Burma’s darkest days, many are continuing to fight for the day when the country will be a free, federal, flourishing democracy. As the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) commemorates thirty years of human rights work on International Human Rights Day, we extend our deepest gratitude to those who have supported our efforts and to those who continue to affirm our calls for justice and an end to impunity.

Over the past three decades in HURFOM’s targeted areas of Mon State, Karen State, and the Tanintharyi Region, HURFOM has remained committed to supporting local communities through conflict, displacement, broken promises, and moments of genuine courage. In recent years, the human rights situation has continued to decline in Southeastern Burma and nationwide. Numerous challenges on the ground have caused significant strain and difficulties for local people. Livelihoods are under threat as the fundamental freedoms guaranteed to all under UN doctrines are neither respected nor enforced. Since the failed coup in 2021, the situation has deteriorated further as the military junta has undermined the rights and freedoms of civilians, while its reforms to the domestic justice systems have ridiculed the rule of law, often at the expense of people’s lives.

Ethnic groups in particular have faced harrowing violence for many years, as HURFOM fieldworkers have collected testimonies and cases to amplify the voices of victims and survivors on the ground. Various forms of indiscriminate and targeted attacks, including airstrikes, artillery and mortar shelling, drone strikes, landmines, and others, have created a country where millions have nowhere safe to call home. Those forced to leave their homes repeatedly and violently must abandon everything they hold dear in search of basic survival. Thousands are seeking refuge in remote, forested areas, lacking access to medicine, shelter, food, clean water, and other essentials—resources that are urgently needed, especially for young mothers and children.

Among our most recent findings, last month, HURFOM reported that 2,000 people had been forced to flee their homes and seek safety in nearby forests and makeshift shelters in Karen State. Local humanitarian workers told HURFOM that they are struggling to reach displaced communities because of the ongoing shelling and air surveillance by junta aircraft.

“Most villagers have no time to prepare. Everyone runs from the village with nothing, no clothes, no food, nothing. The junta uses their aircraft to bomb civilians, as if declaring our homes to be war zones,” said a member of an emergency IDP response team.

Throughout the years, HURFOM has documented numerous cases of local people expressing fear and uncertainty about what the current situation holds, especially ahead of the junta’s sham election, the first phase of which is scheduled for the end of the year. Since issuing its so-called election protection law, the junta has been using it to suppress dissent and control public expression. By the first week of 2025, an estimated 107 people across the country, both men and women, had been arrested and charged under this law.

Further, as HURFOM remains dedicated to our long-standing vision and mission of promoting and protecting human rights, amid the current challenges, we affirm calls for an arms embargo and sanctions on aviation fuel to prevent targeted air and ground strikes intended to harm civilians. The Burmese Army should be swiftly brought before the International Criminal Court. The junta has provided no grounds for legitimacy, so international actors must denounce their actions and work with the National Unity Government to restore democracy in Burma. Moreover, ASEAN should adopt a strong stance against the military and hold them accountable.

If the dictatorship persists, human rights violations will also continue. HURFOM will always stand alongside communities to defend and promote their rights and restore human dignity.

Media Contact

Nai Aue Mon, HURFOM Program Director
Email: auemon@rehmonnya.org
Signal: +66 86 167 9741

Download the statement 

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