SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN MYANMAR TO SUSPEND MISSION AFTER FINDING LISTENING DEVICE DURING PRISONER INTERVIEWS

24 March 2003




The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar, Prof. Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, has suspended his fact-finding mission to the country after discovering a listening device during interviews with inmates at Insein Prison on Saturday, 22 March. He is leaving Yangon today.

Mr. Pinheiro, who was scheduled to end this fifth visit to Myanmar on 26 March, has informed the country’s authorities that he had found the bug, in the form of a wireless microphone, under the table in the room where he was conducting his interviews. Under these circumstances, he said, he felt obliged to interrupt his mission

Since his first mission to Myanmar, the Special Rapporteur has sought and received from the authorities assurances that there would be no interference with the conduct of his work and standard operating procedures. These include the respect of confidentiality with regard to interviews with persons in detention and the collection of other information.

Mr. Pinheiro reports that the authorities had expressed regret on learning of the incident and given the assurance that it would be investigated in full.

The Special Rapporteur reiterated that all persons cooperating with him should be free from any form of intimidation, harassment or punishment before, during and after his missions. The Myanmar authorities had reaffirmed to him their commitment to this principle, he added.




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