United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar Yanghee Lee yesterday strongly condemned the brutal murder of Ko Ni, a prominent Muslim lawyer and constitutional law expert, who was also the legal adviser to the National League for Democracy (NLD). She called on the government to openly condemn this act and to carry out a proper effective impartial investigation into the killing, said a press release forwarded by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva.
 Ko Ni was shot and killed outside Yangon Airport on Sunday after returning from Indonesia where he had been part of a government-led delegation attending an interfaith study tour. “This appears to be another shocking example of a reprisal against those speaking out on behalf of the rights of others,” Lee said, recalling her recent end of visit statement, where she

highlighted her concern at the increasing risks faced by human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists and others working on sensitive issues.
“I am shocked to the core by the senseless killing of a highly respected and knowledgeable individual, whom I have met during all of my visits to the country, including most recently just over a week ago,” she said.
She expressed her sincerest condolences to his family, and the family of taxi driver Nay Win killed in the same incident after he bravely attempted to apprehend the gunman.  
The special rapporteur underlined that, “Ko Ni’s passing is a tremendous loss to human rights defenders and for Myanmar. The State Counsellor and the NLD-led Government must get to the bottom of this senseless act, and give answers to his family and to us all.”
“This act was also an act of violence against children. It was committed while Ko Ni was holding his grandchild, exposing the child to witness one of the most horrific acts of violence,” she emphasized.