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LAST MONTH in BURMA NOVEMBER News from and About Burma 2008

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LAST MONTH in BURMA NOVEMBER News from and About Burma 2008 LAST MONTH IN BURMA NOVEMBER News from and about Burma 2008 215 political activists sentenced in November The military junta sentenced at least 215 political activists and monks during November, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). The first trial of activists arrested in connection with last year’s uprising in August and September began on 8 October 2007. Since then at least 384 activists have been sentenced. The sentences recently handed down range from 4 months on charges of ‘contempt of court’ for National League for Democracy (NLD) lawyers U Khin Maung Shein and U Aung Thein, to life imprisonment plus 8 years for Human Rights Defenders and Promoters network founding member U Myint Aye on explosives charges. Zarganar, Burma’s most famous comedian and who was arrested in Zarganar connection with his efforts to co-ordinate voluntary relief efforts after May’s Cyclone Nargis, received sentences totaling 59 years. Two other cyclone aid volunteers were also sentenced at the same trial - journalist, social worker and former political prisoner Zaw Thet Htwe was sentenced to a total of 19 years and Thant Zin Aung was sentenced to a total of 18 years. All Burma Monks’ Alliance leader U Gambira, who played a leading role in last year’s Saffron Revolution, was given sentences totaling 68 years. Twenty-three members of the 88 Generation Students Group, who led the Pyone Cho, Ko Ko Gyi, Min Ko protests against fuel price hikes in August last year, were given sentences Naing and Htay Kywe of at least 65 years each. They include Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi, Mya Aye, Htay Kywe, Pyone Cho (aka) Htay Win Aung, Aung Thu, Hla Myo Naung, Aung Naing (aka) Myo Aung Naing and Nyan Lin, who were sentenced by a special court held inside Ma-ubin Prison on 11 November. On 15 November, the Burmese authorities began to systematically transfer political prisoners to prisons all around the country, far from their families. At least 136 political prisoners have been transferred, including the 88 Generation Student Group’s leaders. Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi and Min Zeya have been transferred to Kengtung, Mai Sat and Lashio prisons respectively, all in Shan State. Meanwhile Htay Kywe has been moved to Buthidaung prison in Arakan State in the west of the country, and Htay Win Aung aka Pyone Cho has been moved to Kawthaung Prison in Tenasserim division in the far south. “It is no coincidence that the most important leaders of the 88 Generation Students Group have been transferred to the prisons furthest away from their families in Rangoon,” said Bo Kyi, Joint-Secretary of the AAPP. “This is just another form of psychological torture by the regime. It will take a lot of time, money and effort for their families to visit and provide essential food and medicine.” Many of the prisons in the remoter border areas have high rates of malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS. Some of the prisons have no prison hospital ward or doctor, for example Katha and Hkamti Prisons in Sagaing Division. Women human rights defenders sentenced courts which lack independence and impartiality. On the 11th of November 2008 the regime Three of the defence lawyers have been sentenced sentenced prominent women human rights to several months of imprisonment for contempt of defenders including Nilar Thein, Su Su Nway and court, after they transmitted their clients’ complaints Mie Mie to 65 years’ imprisonment and transferred of unfair trials.” They urged the regime to “cease them to remote prisons. harassing and arresting individuals for peacefully exercising their internationally recognized human Nilar Thein, one of rights. They further demand that all detainees the leading activists in be retried in open hearings respecting fair trial the protest marches standards and the immediate release of their in August 2007, went defence counsels.” into hiding leaving her 4-month-old baby The experts are: The Special Rapporteurs Mr. behind to escape the Tomas Ojea Quintana (situation of human rights in regime’s crackdown but Myanmar), Mr. Leandro Despouy (independence of she was arrested on 10 judges and lawyers), Mr. Frank La Rue (freedom of September 2008. Su opinion and expression), Ms. Margaret Sekaggya Su Nway, a prominent (situation of human rights defenders) and Ms. Asma Nilar Thein, with her husband, labour activist who Jahangir (freedom of religion or belief). Ko Jimmy and their baby had been on the run for 3 months after the Security Council Silent regime’s crackdown on the Saffron Revolution, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a was arrested on 13 November 2007. She has been statement saying he was “deeply concerned by denied medical treatment for her heart disease, and recent reports of sentences and severe prison has reportedly been kept in isolated confinement. terms” and calling for the release of all political Mie Mie, a key activist involved in the 2007 August prisoners. However, despite international calls for peaceful protests, was arrested in October 2007. action, the Security Council failed to meet to discuss She has been suffering from a heart condition and the crisis. has been denied medical attention during detention. In October last year, the UN Security Council issued Journalists sentenced a Presidential Statement calling for the Burma’s Two journalists, Thet Zin and Sein Win Maung, military junta to release all political prisoners. who were arrested on 16 February 2008, were also However, the regime has defied the Security Council sentenced to 7 years in prison by a closed-door by doubling the number of political prisoners. Ban court held inside Insein Prison Compound on 28 Ki-moon is due to visit Burma in December, but November. Thet Zin is a former political prisoner there are fears he may back out of the visit because and Editor-in-Chief of the Myanmar Nation Weekly of the difficulties in negotiating with the regime. Journal. Sein Win Maung was the Administrative Manager of the journal and they were arrested “These sentences make it all the more important together while the junta’s security forces raided the that Ban Ki-moon goes ahead with his visit”, said journal office and their homes. Nang Seng, Campaigns Officer at Burma Campaign UK. “Ban Ki-moon says he won’t go unless there Members of the Generation Wave is progress, but unless he goes there will be no imprisoned progress. We have had 37 visits to Burma by UN Two members of the Generation Wave, formed envoys, but things have only got worse. We need during the Saffron Revolution in September 2007, his personal engagement on Burma. UN envoy were sentenced by a court held inside Insein Prison visits don’t work.” Compound on Nov 24, 2008. Saw Maung and Tin Myo Htut (aka) Kyaw Oo received 8 years each. Burma ‘still hampering cyclone aid’ Six months after Cyclone Nargis caused massive UN experts condemn harsh sentences and devastation in Burma, Christian Aid reported that the unfair trials regime is still obstructing aid. “Despite concessions Five United Nations experts have strongly made in the Irrawaddy Delta after the cyclone, the condemned the severe convictions and unfair trials junta’s restrictions on humanitarian access continue of political prisoners in Burma. to obstruct aid workers in Burma,” said Ray Hasan, Christian Aid’s head of programme policy for the In a statement, the experts said that “the closed- region. door hearings are being held inside prisons by 2 Christian Aid partners say that the majority of the HIV/AIDS because of unhygienic medical treatment. people affected are still unable to start the process A report by Reporters Without Borders says that of rebuilding their lives. Resources remain limited detained poet Aung Than, a member of the National and restrictions on freedom of movement are still League for Democracy, was probably infected in place. Christian Aid says pressure must be with the HIV virus when he was forcibly injected in maintained on the regime to ensure unrestricted Insein prison hospital two years ago. Aung Than access to the affected areas and that the needs of was sentenced in June 2006 to 19 years in prison the most vulnerable communities affected by Nargis for writing and distributing a collection of poems, are prioritised. “Daung Man” (“The force of the fighting peacock”), in tribute to Burma’s pro-democracy movement. UN confirms junta’s systematic use of sexual violence According to the Irrawaddy magazine, one former The UN’s CEDAW Committee (Convention on the political prisoner who served 14 years in Insein and Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Tharawaddy Prisons, said detainees were forbidden Women) has confirmed the systematic use of to possess hypodermic syringes and injections were rape and sexual violence, particularly against carried out with shared needles, usually by ill-trained ethnic minority women, by the Burmese regime. medics drawn from the prisoners themselves. The committee also expressed concern about the regime’s new constitution, which would effectively Landmine casualties rising enshrine discrimination against women due to the On 21 November, the International Campaign to presumed exclusion from the 25% of parliamentary Ban Landmines released its annual Landmine seats reserved for the military. The constitution also Monitor Report. According to the report, in 2007 excludes women from certain kinds of jobs. Burma was one of only two countries, the other being Russia, where new government use of In their concluding observations, the Committee antipersonnel mines was recorded. At least 438 expressed “its deep concern at the high prevalence landmine-related casualties were reported, all but of sexual and other forms of violence, including nine were civilians, and resulted in 47 deaths.
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