SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN MYANMAR TO VISIT COUNTRY

17 March 2003




Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, will visit that country at the invitation of the Government from 19 to 26 March 2003.

Given the short duration of this visit, Mr. Pinheiro's fifth to Myanmar, the Special Rapporteur will seek to update himself on the issues that he has looked at during his previous missions, including the situation of political prisoners, the exercise of basic political freedoms and developments in the area of the administration of justice. The Special Rapporteur will also discuss with Myanmar authorities his proposal for an independent assessment of allegations of human rights violations in ethic minority areas, including in Shan State, under the auspices of his mandate.

Mr. Pinheiro will present his preliminary observations from the visit to the fifty-ninth session of the Commission on Human Rights, currently underway in Geneva.



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