Burma has been ranked the worst human rights violator in the world, out of
18 countries assessed by the UK Conservative Party’s Human Rights Commission this year.

In the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission’s first Annual Report, to be launched today by the Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague in the House of Commons in London, Burma outranks North Korea, Sudan, Uzbekistan, Eritrea and Tibet in a league table of dictatorships.

The report includes profiles of 18 countries, and a ranking of them in three categories: freedom, the rule of law and human rights violations.
North Korea is rated the most oppressive, closed society where freedom and the rule of law are non-existent, but Burma is rated the worst for human rights violations, and the worst overall.

Burma has been a consistent focus for the Conservative Party this year. In October, Karen activist Zoya Phan was invited to address the Party’s conference in Bournemouth, immediately before William Hague’s platform speech, and received a standing ovation. In April, Shan activist Charm Tong met Conservative Party Leader David Cameron, shared a platform with William Hague and addressed a hearing on Burma in Parliament organised by the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission. Conservative MPs have tabled numerous Parliamentary Questions and several Early Day Motions on Burma in the House of Commons this year, and in October Stephen Crabb MP, a Conservative, introduced a debate on Burma in Parliament. The Party issued an open invitation to democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to address the Party Conference, and party activists have participated in several demonstrations at the Burmese Embassy in London.

The Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, which was launched in October 2005, calls in its report for “consistency” in foreign policy,
saying: “Human rights concerns should be at the heart of foreign policy, and should be applied consistently to all nations. That means raising concerns and putting pressure on regimes and governments, whether they are regarded as allies or not.”

The report criticises the Government for “relegating” human rights to a sub-set of “sustainable development” in its strategic priorities list. It recommends a future Conservative Government to make the promotion of human rights “a priority category in its own right”, and to review the role of embassies. “Ambassadors and other diplomats should be required to be proactive in supporting dissidents and documenting human rights violations. Currently it depends to a large extent on the individual Ambassador or diplomat. It should be a requirement of the job, and outstanding service should be rewarded and recognised. Embassies should become freedom houses. Ambassadors should provide dissidents with a platform, and – where appropriate – should be willing to join pro-democracy demonstrations.”

It calls for further reform of the United Nations. “The UN is the only club in the world in which a country can frequently violate the rules with little or no penalty,” the report concludes. “Action should be taken to ensure that countries which systematically violate human rights should not belong to the Human Rights Council. Countries which systematically violate human rights should face suspension from the UN itself.”

The Commission’s report also recommends that a future Conservative Government appoint a Minister of State and an Ambassador-at-Large at the Foreign Office solely devoted to International Human Rights. The current Minister of State has responsibility for both trade and human rights, which the report claims means he “faces potential conflicts of interest and cannot give undivided attention to human rights”. The Commission plans to conduct a “substantive consultation” with human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to develop these ideas, and to conduct a review of the arms trade.

The Chairman of the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, Gary Streeter MP, said: “This first annual report is an indication of how seriously we view the abuse of human rights around the world. It reviews countries where human rights violations are serious and widespread, and offers some policy proposals for action. We will continue to monitor human rights abuses around the world, gather information and develop ideas for a future Conservative Government.”

In his Foreword to the report, Mr Hague said: “Freedom and human dignity are at the very heart of Conservative values … It is absolutely essential, therefore, that we apply those values to all areas of policy, domestic and foreign … We have the privilege of living in freedom. But with that privilege comes the responsibility to use our liberty to speak up for those who are denied it … It is not only morally right that we should speak for the oppressed, it is also in our national interests to do so.
Dictators do not make the best allies. Freedom and prosperity go together.”

Human Rights activist Ben Rogers, who serves as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, said: “The fact that Burma outranks even North Korea and Sudan in terms of scale of human rights violations is a damning indictment of the brutal military regime, and a wake-up call to the international community. I have visited Burma many times and interviewed internally displaced people, former political prisoners, former child soldiers, people who have been used for forced labour, women who have been raped, orphans, widows and internally displaced people. I have heard countless stories of horrific torture and abuse. The junta is committing every possible category of human rights violation in Burma today – and the world needs to act now to bring an end to the misery.”

For further information and a copy of the report please contact:

Ben Rogers, Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, on

Work: (+44) (0)208 329 0041
Mobile (+44) (0)7919 030575
Email: ben.rogers@conservativehumanrights.com