Government forces stood by and watched as sectarian violence erupted last month in western Burma and then opened fire on Muslim Rohingyas as they tried to save their burning homes, Human Rights Watch said today.

Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi spoke to members of the US congress by video today, calling for a commission of inquiry into rights abuses and urging support for steps to open up “the real road to democracy” in Burma.

A special United Nations envoy arrived in Burma today on a five-day mission to evaluate progress on human rights in the military-ruled nation.

Burma’s military government has freed the 82-year-old deputy leader of the pro-democracy party led by Aung San Suu Kyi after nearly seven years in detention.