INSPIRING STANDPOINTS BY JOHANNA CHARDONNIERAS

September 2025

Civic Sparks

WHO ARE YOU JOHANNA?

Nationality : French
Organisation : Info Birmanie
Role : Coordinator
Territory of intervention : For human rights in Myanmar, mainly in France and Europe

WHAT IS THE MISSION OF YOUR ORGANISATION?

Info Birmanie sees itself as one of the channels of Burmese civil society voices in France. Its primary mission is advocacy, aiming to influence the positions of French and European political decision-makers and economic actors.

To take action, the organisation conducts investigations into the junta’s financial and material resources, runs information and awareness campaigns targeting the general public and decision-makers, and connects French and Burmese actors (journalists, activists, Civil Society Organisations, etc.).

WHAT IS YOUR ROLE?

My role is to highlight the many injustices experienced by the Burmese people in order to encourage our fellow citizens, institutions and decision-makers to become active allies in the fight for democracy, self-determination, justice and respect for human rights.

WHICH METHOD DO YOU USE TO MAKE THE DIFFERENCE?

In 2025, raw information is not enough, it must be enhanced by emotions and visuals. Every year, we organise a programme/event with Burmese artists and activists (exhibitions, documentaries, testimonials) to make their voices heard by the French-speaking public.

Our governments and international organisations put forward broad principles on international humanitarian law and corporate responsibility.

Current events constantly remind us that the application of these principles and laws is neglected by our governments; a responsibility that has effectively been delegated to civil society. Info Birmanie, along with other organisations, seeks to enforce and develop these laws.

Globalisation has not bypassed authoritarian regimes, and the Burmese junta is no exception: it needs external resources to continue its reign of terror.

WHICH EVENT SPARKED THE BEGINNING OF YOUR JOURNEY AS A DEFENDER OF DEMOCRACY?

I have always wanted a job that would give me a purpose. Before the coup, I was teaching in Burma. Seeing millions of young people demonstrating peacefully, calling for international aid – calls that have largely gone unanswered – I wanted to do what I could.

Info Birmanie was the obvious choice. I didn’t see myself as a “defender of democracy”, but I wanted to be an ally to those who were, convinced that France and the European Union can and must do more for human rights.

WHY SHOULD PEOPLE START FIGHTING FOR POLITICAL FREEDOM ?

Political freedom is in essence what allows us to preserve and fight peacefully for all other kinds of freedoms. When it recedes, violence and authoritarianism replace it.

Too often, when we are fortunate enough to live in a democracy, we watch people living under authoritarian regimes as if they were “others” in a situation that will never be ours: that is wrong.

Current events concerning women’s and minority rights, in the United States or in Poland, remind us that these rights can never be taken for granted. Without political freedom, we are no longer citizens, but subjects.

WHO DO YOU SEE AS TOMORROW’S DEMOCRATIC ACTIVIST?

You, the stranger you met in the street yesterday, and the one you will probably never meet on the other side of the world.

There is no typical age or profile; tomorrow’s democratic activism must be inclusive, collaborative and international. We all have the opportunity to get involved and the responsibility to make room for others to have their say. The issues we face are intertwined, and our struggles must therefore be united.