The Myanmar Freedom of Religion or Belief Network (Myanmar FoRB Network) was founded shortly after the February 2021 coup d’état in Myanmar. As a growing network, it currently consists of more than 30 members, including organisations such as research groups, CSOs, CBOs, NGOs, and INGOs, as well as individuals, including faith leaders, human rights defenders, activists, journalists, researchers, and others working to protect and promote freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) both prior to and since the coup.

Myanmar FoRB Network promotes and protects FoRB through public and stakeholder awareness-raising, regional and international advocacy, and consistent documentation of FoRB violations in Myanmar since the coup. These violations include, but are not limited to, the arbitrary arrest of and violence against faith leaders, discrimination against religious minority communities, raids on and destruction of places of worship, and other abuses committed by state actors, non-state actors, and armed groups, particularly the Myanmar Armed Forces.

Amid a rapidly shrinking and fragile civic space, where pro-democracy and human rights movements face severe security risks, the Myanmar FoRB Network operates as a loose network both inside Myanmar and in exile in order to minimise risks and sustain its efforts to protect and promote FoRB. Through the solidarity, coordination, and resilience of its members, the network continues to play a meaningful role in ensuring that FoRB violations in Myanmar are seen, acknowledged, and addressed despite ongoing political violence and security challenges.

For more details, click here.