Yangon’s LGBT community today rejected the findings of an inquiry that concluded a bullied gay man who took his own life was “mentally weak.”
Kyaw Zin Win, a 26-year-old librarian at Myanmar Imperial University, detailed the homophobic discrimination he suffered at work in a final Facebook post in June.
But the probe into his death by the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC) exonerated the university and its staff.
Commissioner Yu Lwin Aung said no evidence could be found he was bullied. Instead, he placed responsibility on Kyaw Zin Win's "mentally weak" state.
Equality Myanmar executive director Aung Myo Min cited the librarian’s social media post, which displayed mocking comments and photos from colleagues, as “clear evidence” Kyaw Zin Win was being bullied.
“His suicide may be down to many reasons, but discrimination against his sexual orientation must be one of the strongest,” Aung Myo Min told Myanmar Mix.
“Why doesn’t the commission take this seriously? Yu Lwin Aung thinks it’s a minor case, but for LGBT people, bullying in the workplace is a life-threatening trauma.”
The commissioner had “blamed the victim,” said Aung Myo Min, who called for the release of the full report.
“I understand they want to protect people who gave information, but there should at least be a summary of their process, findings and recommendations,” he said.
His group will request to meet the MNHRC, he said, and will send Myanmar president Win Myint details “missing from the inquiry.”
He added the commission should urge the government to repeal article 377 of the colonial-era Penal Code, which outlaws homosexual sex, and recommend the university implements rules to deter future cases of bullying.
Kings N Queens co-ordinator Tin Ko Ko expected the commission to whitewash the suicide but was still “very disappointed.”
“The MNHRC is very negligent of LGBT issues,” he said, adding that the commission should “step up its game and take real action, as other organisations worldwide would.”
Colors Rainbow deputy director Hla Myat Tun was “shocked” by the report, saying the commission should focus on the social and legal elements of Myanmar society that allow bullying to happen.
“According to the summary of the information on the report, there is no analysis from a human rights’ perspective,” Hla Myat Tun told Myanmar Mix.
Civil society and corporations must collaborate to “create workplace equality for everyone,” he said, explaining that his group would advocate for an anti-discrimination law.
“There is a long way to go, but we are already starting now,” he added.
Additional reporting by Lorcan Lovett
