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The Global Signature Campaign for
“Free Burma's Political Prisoners Now!”-
Myanmar/Burma “Free Burma's
Political Prisoners Now!” To demand the military regime to immediately and unconditionally release the political prisoners and to call upon the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for decisive action for intervention, a global signature campaign “ Free Burma’s Political Prisoners Now!” (FBPPN), organized by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) and the Forum for Democracy in Burma, was launched on 13 March 2009 – Burma’s Human Rights Day. It aims to collect 888,888 signatures from all over the world before 24 May 2009. The target symbolizes 8 August 1988, in which half a million people went to the streets to demand democracy, but ended up in the ruthless clampdown of the military regime. The activists of the “8888 Uprising” are still under persecution today. (For more information about the “8888 Uprising” please refer to the ACPP’s Backgrounder on “Struggle for Democracy in Burma,” In order to solicit more support for this campaign, ACPP invites you to sign the petition < http://www.fbppn.net/?page_id=5> immediately and spread the message to your network before the deadline on 24 May.
On 27 May of this year, Daw Aung San Suu Ki should be released from her six years of house arrest. According to the 1975 State Protection Act , a person judged to be a threat to the peace of people through subversive actions causing the destruction of the country can only be detained for up to five years and a further extension of only one year. Although the detention order will expire this year, she is unlikely to be released as the law states. The UN working group on arbitrary detention also stated in its opinion no. 46/2008 that the detention of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was illegal in March 2009. Daw Aung San Suu Ki is not the only political prisoner in Burma. There are more than 2,100 detainees still under house arrests or detained in remote prisons. Currently, the military regime jails over 2,100 political prisoners, up from 1,200 in mid-2007. As of April 2009, there were 220 monks, 456 members of the National League for Democracy, 203 ethnic nationals, 50 journalists, 21 volunteers of the Cyclone Nargis relief work and 283 persons related to the Student Movement. Tate Naing, a former political prisoner and secretary of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), pinpointed that, “Political prisoners are not criminals. They have simply stood up for freedom and democracy.” The political prisoners bravely spoke on behalf of those who have been silenced, and suffered as a consequence. Living in a relatively free society, we should play our part to resonate their efforts for human rights in Burma. To know more about the background and stories of the political prisoners, please visit the following websites: Chronology of Burmese political prisoners of April
2009 Relief work volunteers in the aftermath of Cyclone
Nargis Hope that you can be part of the 888,888 signatories. Please sign and disseminate the petition of “Free Burma’s Political Prisoners Now”! (deadline: 24 May 2009) Sources |