Many practices within Myanmar’s criminal justice system deprive the accused of their fair trial rights. Even where domestic law guarantees the protection of these rights, entrenched practices deprive people of just outcomes, undermine trust in the system and perpetuate and reinforce negative public perceptions about all justice actors.
Justice Base and MyJustice are working to counteract such practices by developing and empowering communities of legal practitioners who, through peer discussion and debate, identify key challenges faced by defence lawyers when attempting to protect their clients’ rights and brainstorm strategies lawyers can use to better respond to rights violations and ensure rights are protected.
This Legal Practice Brief reflects the ideas and contributions of the communities of lawyers in Yangon Region, Mon State, Mandalay Region, Shan State, and Bago Region. We hope that legal practitioners across Myanmar feel empowered by these briefs to strengthen their own practice, including by making it more rights protective.