Czechs have celebrated Aung San Suu Kyi’s birthday and call for the release of the Burmese political prisoners

On Friday 17th June 2011 several dozen supporters of the Burmese dissident and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi gathered on a bank of the river Vltava in Prague to commemorate her 66th birthday […]

Filipino solidarity activists lambast Burmese junta’s “bogus” prisoner amnesty

About a hundred of Filipino solidarity activists under the Free Burma Coalition-Philippines (FBC-Phils) today held a solidarity action in front of the Myanmar (Burma) Embassy in Makati City, Philippines in line with the international celebration of Aung San Suu Kyi’s 66th birthday on June 19 […]

AAPP is Deeply Concerned over the Safety of 7 Political Prisoners Placed in Solitary Confinement for Undertaking a Hunger Strike

AAPP has learnt that 7 of the 22 political prisoners who have been on a hunger strike in Insein Prison have been placed in solitary confinement. They have a list of six demands regarding basic prisoner rights and have been undergoing a hunger strike until their demands are met […]

False Amnesty for Political Prisoners in Burma

On 16 May 2011, the military regime under order number 28/2011 provided ‘amnesty’ to prisoners in Burma, by either converting death sentences to life imprisonment or reducing prison terms by one year. Under this order, only 47 political prisoners have been released, as there remained less than one year on their sentences. This ‘mass amnesty’ will make little or no difference to over 2,000 political prisoners who have been sentenced for as many as 106 years, under vague domestic laws that criminalize peaceful political dissent. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) has named this the worst prisoner amnesty in Burma’s history.

The number of political prisoners has doubled since the Saffron Revolution in September 2007. Members of the current political prisoner population include monks, media, activists, leaders from the 88 Generation student group and other students, former Members of Parliament, National League for Democracy (NLD) members and ethnic leaders. Human rights groups have documented the poor conditions of detention including psychological and physical torture, deprivation of food, lack of health care, sexual offences, poor or no hygiene and remote incarcerations to impose family separation. Since 1990, 146 political prisoners have died in detention in Burma due to malnutrition, maltreatment and inadequate medical care. This week, 22 political prisoners began a strike to demand an improvement to these conditions […]

Political Prisoners Strike Back, Hunger Strike in Insein Prison Demands the Attention of the International Community

The U. S. Campaign for Burma (USCB), a Washington, DC-based grassroots organization campaigning to end crimes against humanity and the culture of impunity in the Southeast Asian country of Burma, today strongly demands the international community pay attention to the hunger strike […]

Burma: International Community Should not be Appeased by Empty ‘Amnesty’ Gestures and a Façade of Change

The announcement on 16 May 2011 by Burmese president Thein Sein that all prisoners will receive a one-year sentence reduction is so woefully inadequate that it should be regarded as nothing but another attempt to present a façade of change while the regime continues to restrict […]

Statement of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar

This is the final day of my mission to Thailand which began on 16 May 2011. I visited Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son and Bangkok this time in my efforts to gather information about the situation inside Myanmar where I have not been able to visit. This information is important for preparation of my next report to the UN General Assembly later this year […]

Political Prisoners Strike in Insein Prison

Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) learnt today that 22 Political Prisoners are striking for prisoner’s fundamental rights […]

Prison Sentence Reductions are Not Enough

The Myanmar government’s reduction of prison terms must be swiftly followed by the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience, Amnesty International said today […]

AAPP Denounces Recent Prisoner Amnesty

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) denounces the prisoner amnesty, announced 16 May by the new Thein Sein administration, as a ploy to appease the international community. Under this so-called ‘amnesty’, outlined in order […]