Burma: Escalate International Pressure Ahead of November 7 Polls
(New York) – The national elections announced by Burma’s military government for November 7 are designed to further entrench military rule with a civilian facade, Human Rights Watch said today.
Burma: EU Should Endorse International War Crimes Inquiry
(Brussels) – European Union member states should publicly support the establishment of an international Commission of Inquiry into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Burma ahead of the United Nations General Assembly in September, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to EU foreign ministers today.
Burma: Army Attacks Displace Thousands of Civilians
(New York) – Burmese army attacks against ethnic Shan civilians in northeastern Burma have displaced more than 10,000 people in the past three weeks, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch called on Burma’s military government to immediately end attacks against civilians and other violations of international humanitarian law.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s new sentence ’shameful’
Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to a further 18 months’ house arrest by a court in Yangon’s Insein prison on Tuesday. The leader of the National League for Democracy, she has been detained for over 13 of the past 20 years, mostly under house arrest.
The court found Daw Aung San Suu Kyi guilty of violating the conditions of her house arrest, after an uninvited man spent two nights there in early May. Under Section 22 of Myanmar’s State Protection Act of 1975, she was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment, commuted to 18 months under house arrest. This was less than the maximum five years’ imprisonment allowed by law.
Amnesty International’s Secretary General Irene Khan described the verdict as “shameful”, adding that “her arrest and trial and now this guilty verdict are nothing more than legal and political theatre.”
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s first period in detention began in July 1989 as the Myanmar government intensified its crackdown on nationwide pro-democracy protests that had begun a year earlier. Her house detention order was set to expire on 27 May 2009 but she was arrested and placed on trial earlier that month. The trial concluded on 28 July.
“The Myanmar authorities will hope that a sentence that is shorter than the maximum will be seen by the international community as an act of leniency,” said Irene Khan. “But it is not, and must not be seen as such, especially by ASEAN or the UN. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi should never have been arrested in the first place. The only issue here is her immediate and unconditional release.”
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is one of more than 2,150 political prisoners in Myanmar. Amnesty International considers her to be a prisoner of conscience. She was awarded the 2009 Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience award on 27 July 2009.
Her sentencing comes in the midst of ongoing human rights violations by the military against ethnic minority civilians. In early June the Myanmar army staged attacks and took Karen civilians for forced labour in Kayin State. This resulted in over 3,500 refugees fleeing to Thailand.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi named Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience
Burmese opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been awarded the 2009 Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience award. The announcement was made by Irish rock band U2 in Dublin on Monday night.
U2’s lead singer Bono announced Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s award before the band performed the song ‘Walk On’, which they have dedicated to her on every night of their ‘360 Degrees’ tour.
“Her crime is that if she were to participate in elections, she’d win,” Bono told the crowd. “This week, the brutal force that has her incarcerated will decide in a mock trial if she will spend the next five years in a prison. We must not stand by as she is silenced again. Now is the time for the UN and the entire international community to speak with one voice: Free Aung San Suu Kyi.”
Bono was joined on stage for the song by dozens of Amnesty International activists wearing masks of the Burmese pro-democracy leader, in front of a capacity crowd of 80,000.
“It was a tremendously powerful event,” said Amnesty International Ireland Executive Director Colm O’Gorman. “The crowd was visibly uplifted by the band’s message of support for Aung San Suu Kyi and for human rights.”
Amnesty International Secretary General Irene Khan said that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi remained “a symbol of hope, courage and undying defence of human rights, not only to the people of Myanmar but to people around the world.”
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy, is one of over 2,100 people currently imprisoned in Myanmar for their political beliefs. She has been detained for over 13 of the past 20 years, mostly under house arrest.
Her house detention order was set to expire on 27 May 2009 but she was arrested and placed on trial on 18 May for violating the terms and conditions of her house arrest . The trial concluded on 28 July and a verdict is expected soon. If convicted, she could face up to five years in jail.
Vaclav Havel, who received the inaugural Ambassador of Conscience Award in 2003, said: ‘I know from my own experience that international attention can, to a certain extent, protect the unjustly persecuted from punishments that would otherwise be imposed.
“That is why, shortly after I was elected President [of the Czech Republic], I nominated Mrs Suu Kyi for the Nobel Peace Prize. Goodness knows what would have happened if her fate had not been highlighted, as it is again today.”
The Ambassador of Conscience Award, now in its sixth year, is Amnesty International’s most prestigious award. It recognises exceptional leadership in the fight to protect and promote human rights. Past winners of the award include U2, Peter Gabriel, Nelson Mandela and Mary Robinson.
Burma: Make Ban’s Visit Meaningful
(New York) – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during his trip to Burma should press the ruling generals to publicly commit to the release of all political prisoners and to engage in a dialogue with the opposition that leads to genuine political reforms, Human Rights Watch said today.