Political Prisoner of the Month Brang Shawng Released

Burma Campaign UK today welcomed the release of 73 political prisoners, including Brang Shawng, who was highlighted as a political prisoner of the month by Burma Campaign UK as part of the No Political Prisoner Left Behind campaign. Among the other political prisoners released are reported to include 29 Shan prisoners and 26 Kachin prisoners […]

Thein Sein’s Words Must be Followed by Action

President Thein Sein completed his first visit to the UK and France on 18 July with more promises of reform and was prematurely rewarded with trade and investment discussions, military cooperation and a gloss of legitimacy. Although Prime Minister David Cameron, President François Hollande, as well President Thein Sein, paid lip-service to reform and human rights, this does not disguise the reality of a dire human rights situation, the stalled peace process, and the empty promises of reform that characterize Burma today.

One of the promises that Thein Sein made was that all political prisoners would be released by the end of the year. It has been over two years since Thein Sein assumed the office of President, and the amount of times that world leaders have pushed him on this issue has been countless. Yet there remain hundreds of people languishing in jail for their political activism, while the number of new political prisoners is increasing. On the very day that Thein Sein made this statement, a 74 year-old Rohingya human rights activist in Arakan State was arbitrarily arrested and detained. Just a few days later on 18 July, Daw Bawk Ja, a Kachin human rights activist and member of the National Democratic Force, was unlawfully detained on politically motivated charges […]

Burma: Identifying and Freeing Remaining Political Prisoners

The president of Burma, or Myanmar, U Thein Sein in his recent visit to the United Kingdom has made a commitment that all political prisoners in his country will be released by the end of the year. According to him, a committee is continuing to review all relevant cases and determine those persons […]

Myanmar: Arrests Continue Amid Promise to Release all Prisoners of Conscience

Amnesty International has called into question President Thein Sein’s recent commitment to clear Myanmar’s jails of prisoners of conscience by the end of the year. On the same day he made this promise to delegates at a conference in London, police in Myanmar’s Rakhine state arbitrarily detained a 74-year-old Rohingya human rights defender […]

Burma: Human Rights Defender Mr Wai Phyo Arrested for Organising a Campaign Calling for Freedom to Political Prisoners

On 12 July 2013, human rights defender Mr Wai Phyo was denied bail and will consequently remain in detention until his next court appearance on 25 July 2013.

Wai Phyo is Secretary of Generation Wave, a pro-democracy Burmese youth movement. He was arrested on 10 July for his participation in the “Free Political Prisoners” poster campaign, a nation-wide campaign organised by Generation Wave in July 2011 to call for the release of all political prisoners in Burma […]

Burma: UK’s Cameron Should Press President on Rights

Demand Accountability for Crimes Against Humanity, Release of Political Prisoners

Britain’s Prime Minster David Cameron should urge visiting Burmese President Thein Sein to bring those responsible for atrocities against Burma’s Muslims to justice, release all political prisoners, and ensure that new legislation meets international human rights standards, Human Rights Watch said today. Thein Sein is visiting the United Kingdom from July 14 to 16, 2013 […]

Press Release on the Arrest of Wai Phyo

Wai Phyo@Gali, Secretary of Generation Wave was arrested by Aung Lin Chief of Pyay Township police station (1) at 11:30 July 10th 2013. The police said they arrested him for a “Free Political Prisoners” poster campaign which he organized in July 2011. For that activity two other members of Generation Wave were arrested in July 2011 and sentenced for 3months imprisonment or 30,000 Kyats penalty in February 2012. Wai Phyo was escaped from arrest and police issued warrant on him since then […]

Upper Burma Court Sentences Three Human Rights Defenders to Long-Term Imprisonment; Guards Intimidate Lawyer

On 8 July, Shwebo Township court handed out additional sentences to U Aung Soe, U Maung San and Ko Soe Thu, increasing their prison terms to respectively 11 years and six months and two years and six months. The three human rights defenders were previously detained, held incommunicado and sentenced in unfair trials for their opposition to the Letpadaung Copper Mine […]

Political Prisoner Watch (Burma) – June 2013

During the month of June, many activists were charged and sent to jail under Section 505 of Burma’s Penal Code and under Section 18 of the Peaceful Assembly and Procession Law. An emerging trend is the nation-wide cases of “protest plows.” Landless farmers have been contesting land confiscations by plowing and reharvesting their formally held […]

Activist Jailed For Ploughing On Confiscated Land – Free Aung Soe!

Burma Campaign UK today strongly urged Hugo Swire MP, British Foreign Office Minister with responsibility for Burma, to pressure the military-backed government in Burma to repeal all repressive laws and release all remaining political prisoners immediately.

Regardless of the changes in Burma, almost all the repressive laws which enabled the jailing of political prisoners still remain in place. The unconditional release of all political prisoners is an essential step towards genuine democracy and freedom in Burma […]