Dear John

Burmese military in court


This week we are witnessing something that should have happened decades ago. Representatives of the Burmese military are in an international court.


Hearings are being held at the International Court of Justice where a case is being heard that Burma has broken the Genocide Convention. For the next two weeks the court will hear evidence about the genocidal Burmese military offensives in 2016 and 2017, which forced around one million Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh, half of them children.


In the second week representatives of the Burmese military will attempt to defend their actions.


We campaigned successfully for the British government to intervene in the case. A big thank you to everyone who took our campaign action to ask the UK to join this case.


As Tun Khin from the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK put it: “After decades of violating international law, this case is the first time the Burmese military are in court having to defend themselves. It's a big step forward on the long road to justice and accountability.”

The Gambia legal team (who brought the case against Myanmar) at the ICJ during the public hearings, January 2026.

Debate in UK Parliament


Last week a debate was held in the British parliament about religious persecution in Burma.

Burma Campaign UK briefed MPs beforehand and many raised issues we had highlighted, including it being more than a year since any new sanctions on the Burmese military, and cuts in UK aid.

MPs also praised Burma Campaign UK for our work.

Seema Malhotra MP, Foreign Office minister for Indo-Pacific: “I thank those in the Burma Campaign and others who are here today, who continue to bring a lot of information to Parliament.”

Luke Akehurst MP: “I also commend the Burma Campaign on the consistency of its support for human rights. Whatever the changes—the political twists and turns in society in Myanmar, or whichever individuals ended up on different sides of the debate—they have not mattered, because the campaign has consistently advocated for fundamental human rights.”

Catherine West MP: “I also put on record my thanks to the Burma Campaign UK, and to other civil society groups, which are so active in this regard.”

Zoya Phan interview with LADbible
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Watch now ([link removed])

Zoya Phan, Programme Director of Burma Campaign UK, has given a powerful interview with LADbible about her experience fleeing attacks by the Burmese military when she was a teenager. It’s only 24 minutes long and well worth watching. Please share it with friends as well! Watch the interview now at [link removed]

Thank you for your support

Mark Farmaner
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