The Resistance of the Monks: Buddhism and Activism in Burma

By Human Rights Watch • September 22, 2009

This report describes the junta’s repression of Burma’s monks after the anti-junta demonstrations in September 2007. The report tells the stories of individual monks who were arrested, beaten and detained. Two years later, hundreds of monks remain in prison and thousands are fearful of military repression. Many have left their monasteries and returned to their villages or sought refuge abroad, while those who remained in their monasteries live under constant surveillance.

“The regime’s use of mass arrests, murder, torture, and imprisonment has failed to extinguish our desire for the freedom that was stolen from us. We have taken their best punch. Now it is the generals who must fear the consequences of their actions. We adhere to nonviolence, but our spine is made of steel. There is no turning back. It matters little if my life or the lives of colleagues should be sacrificed on this journey. Others will fill our sandals, and more will join and follow.” U Gambira

Click here to Download the report.