Political prisoners and other violations in Burma - reports

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Title: Myanmar’s civil disobedience movement is built on decades of struggle
Description: "Two months after Myanmar’s coup, the country’s civil disobedience movement is awe-inspiring in its resilience against vicious military crackdowns. According to Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, as of 28 March, 459 people have been killed and 2559 arrested, charged or sentenced. Despite this heavy price, the civil disobedience movement’s effectiveness is unprecedented. But its unity is not solely due to the current crisis, widespread hatred for the Myanmar military (Tatmadaw) or the advent of digital technologies. The success of today’s civil disobedience movement comes from decades of behind-the-scenes activism to build a multi-ethnic civil society and an independent media under military dictatorship — well before the democratisation process began just over a decade ago. The expertise and infrastructure built by media veterans covering earlier crackdowns, including ethnic nationality media and the forging of international alliances, is the base upon which the current flow of accurate information and analysis depends. This work is rarely acknowledged in international media accounts of the current situation, which often focus on the newest technologies. Platforms like Facebook and Twitter are instrumental in allowing the people of Myanmar to coordinate and communicate with each other and the outside world. Digital technologies and social media provide foreign journalists immediate access to accurate information and more nuanced updates from Myanmar analysts than they themselves would be able to make. Social media sites are key ‘weapons’ in Myanmar’s current struggle, facilitating strategies such as the Social Punishment campaign that shames and ostracises family members and supporters of the Tatmadaw. Facebook responded to the crisis with a ban on all military-linked accounts. But even Facebook’s reaction is the result of years of work by local civil society organisations to push the company to address the dangerous spread of misinformation. This was especially acute during the attacks on the country’s Muslim Rohingyas. Massive protests in 1988 and the crackdown that followed caused thousands of dissident students to flee to the country’s border areas, where exile media were first established. While the movement was never solely ethnic majority Burman in its make-up, this was the first time many Burman students met ethnic ‘insurgents’. Many ethnic minority peoples in the border areas had also never before met Burmans who were not soldiers they needed to fear. Key alliances were forged and strengthened over the ensuing decades. Echoes of this same realisation have emerged in the 2021 post-coup period. Rohingya and other ethnic nationality groups quickly joined protests against the coup, despite a long struggle for recognition by the National League for Democracy (NLD) for their own suffering at the hands of the Tatmadaw. On social media, young protestors began to recognise and publicly apologise for their previous lack of empathy for the suffering of these minority groups. These sentiments have gone viral. The divide-and-rule strategy used in 1988 is today being challenged on a much broader scale. When Myanmar’s much-celebrated political opening began in 2011, its exiled media moved cautiously to return. But these media and independent media inside the country had already been pushing for decades for greater freedom of expression. That historical knowledge is playing a vital role in the current conflict, as older generations share their experiences of previous crackdowns, repressive rule and imprisonment. The tactics used by today’s protestors and dissident hackers are direct descendants of the post-1988 underground communication system. Media and civil society groups led by 1988 generation leaders of all ethnicities were among the first to publicly raise concerns about the NLD’s governing strategies. Many were bitterly disappointed and angered that crackdowns on media and other groups were worse under the NLD than under its predecessor, the military-backed Thein Sein government. A few expressed outrage at the NLD’s silence over the military’s inhumane treatment of the Rohingya, and over-simplified coverage of the issue by international journalists. While the coup does provide a clear common enemy in the Tatmadaw, the insights gained prior to this tumultuous period will undoubtedly have an impact beyond the current crisis. Groups such as Progressive Voice, Athan, the All Burma Federation of Student Unions, Action Committee for Democracy Development and Generation Wave will continue this anti-authoritarian, anti-militarisation critique regardless of the outcome of the current crisis..."
Source/publisher: "East Asia Forum" (Australia)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-14
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Title: Myanmar coup: The people shot dead since the protests began
Sub-title: More than 700 people have been killed by security forces since Myanmar's military grabbed power in a coup on 1 February, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma). The BBC has spoken to loved ones of three people who have died.
Description: "As Myanmar's coup violence continues to spiral, so has the number of its victims as a crackdown on protesters intensifies. Some of those who died had taken part in anti-coup protests, while others - including children - were simply sitting in their homes when they were killed. Here, three families share their stories. The teen who sang pro-democracy songs on TikTok Fourteen-year-old Pan Ei Phyu was an ardent supporter of the pro-democracy movement, and had made several TikTok videos of herself singing pro-democracy songs. Fearing for her safety, her mother Thida San didn't let her join the street protests. But that wasn't enough to save her. Pan Ei Phyu was shot inside her house as she wanted to open the door to protesters fleeing a military crackdown on 27 March. It was also the deadliest day since the coup began - at least 114 people, including 11 children, were killed. "She suddenly fell down and I thought she had slipped. But then I saw the blood on her back and realised she had been shot," Thida San told the BBC, breaking into tears. In Burmese, "pan" means flower, "ei" means soft, and "phyu" means white. "My daughter was a beautiful girl when she was born, just like a soft little flower. That's why I gave her the name." She recounted how helpful her daughter was around the house, and how she dreamed about opening an orphanage when she got older. "I feel like my life is not worth living without my child. I want to die instead of her." Pan Ei Phyu's death has also deeply affected her younger brother, 10-year-old Mg Sai Sai. He did not sleep at all on the night his sister died, and kept watching her TikTok videos instead, Thida San said. The family have since moved house because Thida San is worried something bad will happen to them again..."
Source/publisher: "BBC News" (London)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-13
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Title: Myanmar's military is charging families $85 to retrieve bodies of relatives killed in crackdown
Description: "Myanmar's military is charging families $85 to retrieve the bodies of relatives killed by security forces in a bloody crackdown on Friday, according to activists. At least 82 people were killed Friday in Bago, 90 kilometers (56 miles) northeast of Yangon, after the city was "raided" by the military's security forces, said advocacy group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). More than 700 people have died since the military overthrew Myanmar's elected government in a February 1 coup, according to AAPP. Since then, junta security forces made up of police, soldiers and elite counter-insurgency troops have embarked on a systematic crackdown against unarmed and peaceful protesters, detaining around 3,000 people and forcing activists into hiding. Myanmar's military fired on anti-coup protesters in Bago city Friday, using assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), and hand grenades, AAPP said. An eyewitness who lives in Bago city, who cannot be named for security purposes, told CNN Sunday that many residents have fled to nearby villages since Friday's raid. The internet has been cut off in the area since Friday, the eyewitness said, and security forces are searching the neighborhoods. "I was living on the main road. The security forces come and station often," the eyewitness told CNN, adding that bodies have piled up at the mortuary following the shootings. "Due to the threat, we had to move into the house in the lane nearby," The military is now charging families 120,000 Myanmar kyat ($85) to retrieve the bodies of relatives who died Friday, according to a Facebook post from the Bago University Students' Union. Radio Free Asia's Burmese service matched the reporting from the Bago University Students' Union. CNN has not independently verified the report and has reached out to the military for comment. A police vehicle is parked at a road in South Okkalapa township to block anti-coup protesters' gathering in Yangon, Myanmar, Friday, April 9, 2021..."
Source/publisher: "CNN" (USA)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-13
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Title: UN sees Syria echoes in Myanmar conflict
Sub-title: Activists call for a week of protests against military coup over Myanmar’s traditional New Year holiday.
Description: "The United Nations human rights office said on Tuesday it fears the military clampdown on protests in Myanmar risks escalating a civil conflict into that seen in Syria and appealed for a halt to the “slaughter”. UN High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet said in a statement 3,080 had been detained and there are reports that 23 people have been sentenced to death following secret trials. “I fear the situation in Myanmar is heading towards a full-blown conflict. States must not allow the deadly mistakes of the past in Syria and elsewhere to be repeated,” Bachelet said. The statement came as pro-democracy activists in Myanmar called for a week of anti-coup protests during the traditional New Year holidays, as the death toll from the military’s crackdown on protesters surged past 700 and security forces raided a hospital in the Sagaing region. The five-day New Year holidays, known as Thingyan, began on Tuesday and activists urged people to stage symbolic protests through the week, including by painting the three-finger salute used by demonstrators on traditional pots filled with flowers, which are typically displayed during the festive period. “The military council doesn’t own Thingyan,” Ei Thinzar Maung, a leader of the General Strike Collaboration Committee protest group, wrote on Facebook. “The power of people is in the hands of people.” Ei Thinzar Maung said other planned holiday protests against the military government included the splattering of red paint on pavements and the blasting of car horns. Thingyan is the country’s most important holiday and is usually celebrated with prayers, ritual cleaning of Buddha images in temples, and high-spirited water fights on the streets. But many social media users in Myanmar said they would not celebrate this year. One Twitter user identified as Shwe Ei said, “We do not celebrate Myanmar Thingyan this year since over 700 of our innocent brave souls are killed by inhumane junta forces unlawfully. We believe we will win this revolution.” In the central town of Taungoo, protesters placed Thingyan pots bearing flowers and anti-coup messages on the roads early on Tuesday, the Irrawaddy website reported..."
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-13
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Title: More Bloodshed in Myanmar as Crackdown on Coup Protests Continues
Sub-title: The death toll has passed 700, with more than 80 killed on Friday in one city alone, a rights group said.
Description: "The Myanmar military’s bloody crackdown on the nationwide resistance to its rule showed no sign of easing on Sunday, with a human rights group reporting that the death toll across the country had passed 700. The security forces killed 82 people in a single city on Friday, according to the group, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which has been documenting the bloodshed since the military’s Feb. 1 coup. Soldiers used machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades to attack an organized group of protesters who had set up barricades to defend part of that city, Bago. The military appears to be targeting centers of resistance around the country, using overwhelming power against largely untrained, poorly armed protesters. In Tamu, a town near the border with India, members of a local defense group similar to the one in Bago claimed to have killed some members of the security forces on Saturday after coming under attack. The security forces’ assault in Bago, about 40 miles northeast of Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, was one of their most lethal yet. A reputable news outlet, Myanmar Now, also put the death toll in Bago at 82. On Friday, a spokesman for the junta, Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, suggested that the military had been exercising restraint since the coup, telling reporters that it could be killing many more people if it wished. “If we were to actually shoot the protesters with an automatic rifle, the 500 people you are talking about would have died within hours,” he said after being asked about the nationwide toll..."
Source/publisher: "The New York Times" (USA)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-12
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 10 April, (701) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (83) fallen heroes today. (1) from Tamu Town, Sagaing Region died on 10 April. (82) from Bago were killed yesterday and documented today. This is the number verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. As of April 10, a total of (3012) people are currently under detention; of them (63) are sentenced. 656 have been issued arrest warrants; of them 17 were sentenced to death and currently evading arrest. We are verifying the recently released detainees and continuing to document. Yesterday Bago City was brutally raided by terrorist troops from dawn to dusk, trying to create a combat zone, but it was a killing field. As many as 82 people have been confirmed dead in the shootings, but more are expected. Some were injured and requesting medical treatment, but the military terrorists did not allow any help. Some were therefore killed from excessive bleeding. Dead and injured bodies piled up together. People in urban areas are now fleeing to nearby villages. Today so-called police and military terrorists searched and shot into homes in places. The violent massacre of at least 82 people in a single day in Bago was a crime against humanity. The Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw’s (CRPH) presented the current situation in Burma to the UN Security Council’s Arria Formula Meeting last night. The military junta perpetrated this violence, shooting was designed to keep the public from protesting and induce a climate of fear leading up to the UN meeting. Despite the mass killings and torture in public and in private, despite threats and intimidation, people across Burma continue through such hardships. The people protest the military dictatorship in various ways on a daily basis. Demonstrations continued into today, including a “Red Movement Campaign” entitled “Absolutely No Rule”. Plainclothes junta forces suppressed the Mya Taung protest march today in Mandalay, arresting 15 people. A Karen youth was reportedly shot dead in Ka Than village, Dawei City in Tanintharyi Region this morning, but is not yet confirmed. Terrorist troops were deployed in Sagaing Region from 12 noon today. They opened fire on some wards in Tamu Township to repress protesters and destroy roadblocks. It was initially reported that a motorbike driver was killed in an unprovoked shooting. 19 people in North Okkalapa Township were sentenced to death and six others sentenced to prison by the military terrorist-run Burmese radio and television broadcasting (MRTV) last night. In one of the Martial law areas of North Okkalapa Township, a military tribunal began to hear cases and sentenced to death 19 civilians on April 8 in connection with the deaths of two members of the junta on March 27. Two civilians have been arrested so far and 17 are on the run. Six people were also sentenced to 7 years in prison on charges of public property vandalism. The terrorist regime refuses to abide by the law, they use it illegitimately and commit illegal acts, they impose the death penalty and long prison sentences to silence the people. In the Arria-formula UN Security Council meeting yesterday, the international community was warned Burma was on the brink of “state collapse” by security analyst Richard Horsey. The CRPH foreign minister, Daw Zin Mar Aung, continued to urge all states to give rightful legitimacy to the CRPH. If a solution is not found, governance, the economy, and health service could resemble a failed state. Armed conflict is reigniting, mass displacement will follow. Continued international condemnation of junta violence is essential, as is the imposition of arms embargoes. These measures would vitally signal a lack of legitimacy and condemnation of this terrorist junta, and into pressuring them to reverse the attempted coup. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges, sentences and fatalities in relation to the attempted coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. If you receive any information about detentions of, or charges against CSO leaders, activists, journalists, CDM workers, other civilians and fallen heros in relation to the military and police crackdown on dissent. Please submit to the following addresses: If you need legal assistance, contact Aung Gyi on 09 451 529 000 from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) and lawyer Khin Thida Lai Lai Htun on 09 774 081 585. “Our uprising must succeed” Email : [email protected] Facebook : https://web.facebook.com/burmapoliticalprisoners/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/aapp_burma In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-11
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Title: Doctors under fire as Myanmar military targets efforts to aid injured protesters
Sub-title: Medics tell of attacks on staff and ambulances to stop treatment of patients and punish those who took part in national strike
Description: "Htet Htet Win and her husband were late returning home on Sunday night. It was past the junta-imposed 8pm curfew when their motorbike passed through the streets of eastern Mandalay. The security forces reportedly shouted for them to stop, and then opened fire when they did not do so. Her husband was hit but managed to get away. She was knocked to the ground. A grainy photograph, taken by an onlooker, shows her lying face down on the concrete, her arms reaching above her head, her purple top and bottoms marked with dark patches. Doctors believed she was still alive, but were warned by residents that soldiers were waiting nearby. They feared it was a trap. “I felt like they were ambushing us,” said one of the rescuers. “I think she would have survived if we were able to pick her up as soon as it happened,” he said. They waited for more than an hour before the soldiers eventually retreated. It was too late. For medics in Myanmar, it is a grimly familiar story. Doctors told the Observer they were routinely targeted with violence by the military, and prevented from treating the victims of its bloody attacks. They recounted incidents in which security forces – trying to suppress defiant opposition to the February coup – had raided their facilities, searched and fired at their ambulances, detained, beaten and even killed their colleagues. Raha Wala, of the advocacy group Physicians for Human Rights, said the military was “systematically persecuting medics”, both for treating anti-coup protesters and, in the case of many government doctors, for participating in a national strike. Every few days, news spreads of more detentions of medical staff, taken at clinics, protests or from their homes during night raids. Some are released after questioning, others are less fortunate. “If you are detained today, your body will be returned tomorrow with torture marks or something like that,” said a Yangon-based doctor in hiding. Last Saturday, the orthopaedic surgeon and university professor Dr Kyaw Min Soe was taken from his home in Yangon. A photograph apparently taken at the scene shows him being led into a van, a bag placed over his head and his hands tied behind his back. Since then, two paediatricians have been taken in Mandalay; a clinic has been raided in Yangon, with soldiers detaining four volunteers according to local reports; a facility has been raided in Monywa, where two staff were taken to a police station for questioning’ according to a local source, and another facility in Kale was reportedly raided, though no staff were present at the time. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which has tracked hundreds of deaths, at least five medics have been killed in the violence. Among them was nursing student Thinzar Hein, 20, who was shot dead while caring for injured protesters in Monywa on 28 March. She had protested against the coup and shared her medical expertise with others. “It’s like we are facing barbarians,” said a doctor in Mandalay, who described being fired at while trying to attend to a patient, despite being dressed as a medic. “We were wearing scrubs, a medic sign and wearing a stethoscope,” he said. On a separate occasion, on 27 March, his ambulance was shot at as he attempted to pick up an injured patient. His colleagues, he said, were detained and beaten when they attempted to collect a dead body on 1 April. “They [the military] want to take away all the evidence,” he said. In some areas, medics no longer wear uniforms, fearing this puts them at even greater risk. Government doctors who are refusing to work in state hospitals – but are finding ways to treat patients elsewhere – are especially vulnerable. They were among the first groups to announce a strike after the coup, prompting huge numbers of workers, in services ranging from customs to transport, to down tools, bringing the country to a virtual standstill. While many governments have condemned the violence against peaceful protesters, and the UN security council has expressed concern at restrictions on medical staff, the brutality has continued. On Friday, military spokesman Zaw Min Tun accused government doctors of murder, claiming their strike had contributed to Covid deaths. “They are killing people in cold blood,” he said. At least 618 people have been killed by the military since it seized power, while thousands have been detained, mostly in unknown locations. “Seeing dying patients is not a strange thing for a doctor, but these days it is heartbreaking because the patients are just teenagers,” said a second doctor in Mandalay. If medical teams were able to treat the injured safely, the death toll would not be so high, she added, describing how she has previously had to flee her clinic, along with patients, when the military approached. At least 43 children have been killed by security forces, the youngest just six years old. “We even cry when we do the CPR. But we encourage each other, we need to move on because we can’t be like that,” the doctor said..."
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-11
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 9 April, (618) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (4) fallen heroes today. (1) died on 9 April. (3) were killed on previous days and documented today. Today there were many reported casualties in Bago, AAPP is still awaiting confirmation to identify all these. This is the number verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. As of April 9, a total of (2931) people are currently under detention; of them (54) are sentenced. 520 have been issued arrest warrants. We are verifying the recently released detainees and continuing to document. Earlier this morning before dawn, the military terrorist troop destroyed main roadblocks on both sides of Maggatic Road built by anti-military activists to prevent a violent crackdown in Bago. The terrorist junta used assault rifles, heavy weaponry like RPG, and hand grenades from both sides of the road to suppress the protesters’ bases and residences. Four identified civilians were killed and several injured. At least 20 people were killed this evening but are being confirmed. Protests in Katha, Sagaing Region were suppressed, but no one was injured or arrested. In Tamwe Township, Yangon Region, at least eight youths have been beaten and arrested by 12 military terrorists and so-called police vehicles during a protest march in Kyauk Myaung. In Sanchaung Township, Yangon Region, two people were arrested and two were hit by the rubber bullets. Night demonstrations have also been cracked down on, last night in Yangon Region, so-called police and military assaulted a march in Lanmadaw Township. They arrested nine civilians, beating and tying them with ropes. The protesters burned the flag of China and were searched and arrested by military terrorists. Last night, they went looking into some wards in Insein Township, shooting, and arresting four civilians. Torture during detention and the shooting of people found in searches is a grave human rights violation. In Burma these are openly committed by the so-called regime in order to maintain power. In Kyaukpadaung, Mandalay Region, a man active in anti-military protests was searched for, when he tried to escape he was shot in the leg and shot dead in the back. After the coup, the military terrorists enacted a law which can impose a fine of up to 10,000 Kyats or up to seven days in prison if no guest list is filed, threats of these are now increasingly used. Junta-appointed ward administrators threatened wards with loudspeakers of up to three years imprisonment or maximum fines if people do not comply with the order for overnight registration. This is not only a violation of the law by the military junta, but also a way for them to scatter and arrest suspects at any time. Despite the severe repression of the media sector in Burma and the restriction of the flow of information in various ways, the junta continues to escalate oppression of journalists. Today, Hpakant-based journalist Naung Yoe was arrested while covering a protest rally in the city. A women’s rights activist and co-founder of Mizzima media, and a colleague were arrested. 29 media were detained by yesterday, only two on bail, and this is rising. Journalists in Burma are coming under escalating oppression. The military terrorist group has been raiding religious sites and in arrest searches. Panpyo Lat Monastic Charity School in Kyauktan Village, Bago Region was stormed yesterday. Guests were made to kneel as they rode through the Panpyo Lat Monastic Charity School. Five residents of the Panpyo Lat Monastic Charity School were taken away. The junta raided churches and mosques in Pathein, Irrawaddy Region. In the ethnic states the junta continues its offensives against Karen National Union (KNU) controlled areas. A man was killed when 12 artillery shells were fired into three villages in Hpapun District. Ye Township, Mon State, the villagers from the entire village fled as the army occupied and set up base in Man Aung village yesterday evening. The military seized power in 1962 and 1988, and the people suffered decades of brutal human rights abuses under dictatorship. Once again, the 2021 coup undermines the very essence of democracy, people losing their freedom. A peaceful federal union will be established once the dictatorship is overthrown, hence we must all fight together to overcome it. Burma’s economy is approaching that of a failed state, continued economic devastation brought about by the junta coup, terror and governance policies will impede investment and growth in ASEAN as well. The junta does not want stability, instead the junta kills civilians and creates terror. Today firing mortars at people to destroy barricades in Bago causing civilian casualties. As ASEAN members announce a proposal to hold an Emergency Summit, AAPP urges them to adhere to their Charter, taking the necessary measures to create a region which is “stable, prosperous, highly competitive and economically integrated”, and which necessitates an end to the military coup. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges, sentences and fatalities in relation to the attempted coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. If you receive any information about detentions of, or charges against CSO leaders, activists, journalists, CDM workers, other civilians and fallen heros in relation to the military and police crackdown on dissent. Please submit to the following addresses: If you need legal assistance, contact Aung Gyi on 09 451 529 000 from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) and lawyer Khin Thida Lai Lai Htun on 09 774 081 585. “Our uprising must succeed” Email : [email protected] Facebook : https://web.facebook.com/burmapoliticalprisoners/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/aapp_burma In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-09
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Title: Myanmar junta says protests are dwindling as at least 10 reported killed by troops
Description: "Myanmar’s junta said on Friday that a protest campaign against its rule was dwindling since people wanted peace, and that it would hold elections within two years, the first timeframe it has given for a return to democracy since its Feb. 1 coup. Troops fired rifle grenades at anti-coup protesters on Friday in the town of Bago, near the main city Yangon, witnesses and news reports said. At least 10 people were killed and their bodies piled up in the corner of a pagoda, they said. Myanmar Now news and Mawkun, an online news magazine, said at least 20 people were killed and many wounded. It was not possible to get a precise toll because troops had cordoned off the area near the pagoda, they said. Junta spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun told a news conference in the capital, Naypyitaw, that the country was returning to normal and government ministries and banks would resume full operations soon. More than 600 people have been killed by security forces cracking down on protests against the coup, according to an activist group. The country has ground to a standstill because of the protest campaign and widespread strikes against military rule. “The reason of reducing protests is due to cooperation of people who want peace, which we value,” Zaw Min Tun said. “We request people to cooperate with security forces and help them.” He said the military had recorded 248 deaths and he denied that automatic weapons had been used. Sixteen policemen had also been killed, he said. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) activist group has said 614 people, including 48 children, had been killed by security forces since the coup, as of Thursday evening. More than 2,800 were in detention, it said. “We are humbled by their courage and dignity,” a group of 18 ambassadors in the country said of the protesters in a joint statement. “We stand together to support the hopes and aspirations of all those who believe in a free, just, peaceful and democratic Myanmar. Violence has to stop, all political detainees must be released and democracy must be restored.” The statement was signed by the ambassadors of the United States, Britain, the EU, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Switzerland and several other European nations. “The suggestions from neighbouring countries and big countries and powerful people in politics, we respect them,” Zaw Min Tun said. He also accused members of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy of arson and said the protest campaign was being financed by foreign money, but gave no details. Suu Kyi and many of her party colleagues have been in custody since the coup. Zaw Min Tun said reports that some members of the international community did not recognise the military government were “fake news”. “We are cooperating with foreign countries and working together with neighbouring countries,” the spokesman said. The United Nations special envoy for Myanmar, Christine Schraner Burgener, had wanted to visit the country but said she has been rebuffed by the generals. She said on Friday she had arrived in Bangkok, the capital of neighbouring Thailand. “I regret that Tatmadaw answered me yesterday that they are not ready to receive me,” Schraner Burgener said on her official Twitter account, referring to the Myanmar military. “I am ready for dialogue. Violence never leads to peaceful sustainable solutions.”..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-09
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 7 April, (598) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (17) fallen heroes today. (12) died on 7 April. (5) were killed on previous days and documented today. This is the number verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. As of April 7, a total of (2847) people are currently under detention; of them (38) are sentenced. 481 have been issued arrest warrants. We are verifying the recently released detainees and continuing to document. Peaceful protests continued across Burma today, some witnessed crackdowns, the illegitimate military is focusing its terror on rural areas. In the early morning, the junta forces excessively used live rounds, grenades, and machine guns trying to create a conflict zone in Tahan Ward, Kalay Township, Sagaing Region. At least 8 civilians were killed and 20 others injured, including one civilian who lost his hand. Over 10 civilians were violently arrested. During the crackdown, junta forces opened fire into houses and searched and raided community clinics. Moreover, in Taze Township, Sagaing Region, a civilian was killed and more than 20 people injured, three of them are in critical condition. A villager from Paline village was reportedly dead this evening in Ngar Hsuu Kone village strike in ShweBo Township, Sagaing Region. In Kyaukyisu Ward, Bago City, 2 men were killed and at least 3 civilians injured in an unprovoked shooting by junta troops. Some people were also killed and others injured when the military and so-called police opened fire last night. In the Nyaung Shwe Township, Shan State, one youth was shot dead in the head. In Myingyan Township, Mandalay Region, it is reported that some civilians were injured in unprovoked shootings by the junta. During detention, torture to death continuely occurs, on the night of April 4 in Taunggyi Township, Shan State, whilst the Nyaung Phyu Ward Administration Office was on fire a youth who came out to stop the fire was arrested by the military and so-called police. Two days later, his dead body was returned to his family with many wounds including skull fracture, one ear nearly amputated, genitalia mutilated, stab wounds in the back. The young man died from severe torture, but the junta claims he died when hit by a fire truck. On April 5, the junta informed a family to take the dead body of a young man arrested in Kawthaung Township, Tanintharyi Region. The terrorist junta not only vandalizes and destroys property in towns, villages and streets but also on houses and restaurants. There were raids in Khin Oo township, Sagaing Region, and junta forces stormed a house and searched the cupboards and boxes of a fallen hero in Kan Thit village yesterday. Moreover, they raided a restaurant at Inn Pat greengrocery and stole over 11 hundred thousands kyats in cash and arrested a chef, and an orphan. Conflict perpetrated by the terrorist junta continued against the ethnic areas. This morning, junta Infantry Battalion No.299 opened fire from the edge of the stream in Mhan Aung village in Win Ray township, Duu Palayar District, Karen State with heavy artillery. A villager was killed, and another villager wounded with local residents displaced in the clashes between the military and Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) near Mhan Aung village last night. As known reportedly, the junta forces opened fire onto villagers and made the villagers be protection shields during their military operations . Burma has fallen into chronic instability, there is no peace. The livelihoods of anyone and everyone are under threat. Left alone, the junta’s terrorism will escalate and threaten peace in the whole region. The ASEAN Charter pledges to a “shared commitment and collective responsibility in enhancing regional peace, security and prosperity”. The effects of airstrikes and military offensives against civilians in Karen State have already gone into other ASEAN states. A lack of coherent action challenges the relevance of its Charter. Current non-interference will directly challenge the peace, sovereignty and security of ASEAN members. The most severe violence today was in Kalay, Sagaing, a nearby town to another neighbor, India. This junta terrorism cannot be seen as a domestic issue, it poses a risk to the peace and security of of all ASEAN’s people, and to the stability of the entire region. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges, sentences and fatalities in relation to the attempted coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. If you receive any information about detentions of, or charges against CSO leaders, activists, journalists, CDM workers, other civilians and fallen heros in relation to the military and police crackdown on dissent. Please submit to the following addresses: If you need legal assistance, contact Aung Gyi on 09 451 529 000 from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) and lawyer Khin Thida Lai Lai Htun on 09 774 081 585. “Our uprising must succeed” Email : [email protected] Facebook : https://web.facebook.com/burmapoliticalprisoners/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/aapp_burma In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-08
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Title: Eleven killed as Myanmar protesters fight troops with handmade guns, firebombs: media
Description: " Anti-coup demonstrators in Myanmar fought back with handmade guns and firebombs against a crackdown by security forces in a town in the northwest but at least 11 of the protesters were killed, domestic media reported on Thursday. Initially, six truckloads of troops were deployed to quell protesters in the town of Taze, the Myanmar Now and Irrawaddy news outlets said. When the protesters fought back with handmade guns, knives and firebombs, five more truckloads of troops were brought in. Fighting continued into Thursday morning and at least 11 protesters were killed and about 20 wounded, the media said. There was no word of any casualties among the soldiers. That would take the toll of civilians killed by security forces to over 600 since the junta seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). It had a toll of 598 dead as of Wednesday evening. Taze is near the town of Kale, where at least 12 people were killed in a similar clash between troops and protesters on Wednesday, according to news media and witnesses. Security forces fired live rounds, grenades, and machine-guns on protesters who were demanding the restoration of Suu Kyi’s government, AAPP said. “Taze, Kale have many hunters in the jungle,” said Hein Min Hteik, a resident of the region and a youth activist. “They have handmade firearms. And now they came out with their weapons in order to protect the locals, while the people were under attack by the junta.” A spokesman for the junta could not be reached for comment. “People will try to defend their own lives and their rights,” said a former government minister who is part of the CRPH, a group of lawmakers representing the ousted civilian government. “People will not wait for CRPH to act,” the minister said in a video call with Reuters. “The CRPH cannot stop the possible armed resistance by the people, from the people.”The junta on Thursday arrested Paing Takhon, a model and actor who had spoken out against the coup, his sister told Reuters. In Yangon, the country’s biggest city, activists placed shoes filled with flowers to commemorate dead protesters..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-08
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Title: Myanmar celebrity model arrested as military targets public figures
Sub-title: Social media accounts of Paing Takhon, who has a huge online following, are taken down following anti-coup comments
Description: "One of Myanmar’s most popular celebrities, the model and actor Paing Takhon, has been arrested by a military that is increasingly targeting celebrities who have criticised the coup. Paing Takhon, who has a huge online following, was detained at 5am on Thursday, and is the latest of thousands of people to be held since the February coup. The 24-year-old was taken away after eight trucks carrying police and soldiers arrived at his mother’s home in Yangon, according to local media reports. He had been in poor health at the time. The military has been publishing the names and photographs of popular figures in daily wanted lists on TV and in the state-run newspaper. More than 100 are being sought by the military, and many have gone into hiding. On Wednesday, the popular beauty blogger Win Min Than was reportedly taken by security forces who arrived at a hotel where she had been staying with her mother, according to the Irrawaddy news site. Paing Takhon, who had participated in anti-coup protests, faces charges under section 505a of the penal code, which criminalises comments that “cause fear” or spread “false news” and can lead to up to three years in prison. His social media profiles have been taken down, though it is not clear who removed them. According to the advocacy group, the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners in Burma, 2,750 people – from politicians to doctors, actors and social media influencers – are in detention. Most are held in unknown locations. On Thursday, Jose Ramos Horta, a Nobel peace prize winner and former Timor-Leste president, urged the UN security council to ignore China and Russia and make a resolute statement on the military coup that included arms embargos and sanctions, even if it was vetoed. Ramos Horta said it was better for China and Russia to “be exposed” than for the council to have unanimous support on an “empty and useless press release”. The leading human rights figure made the comments during a conference of hundreds of south-east Asian civil society groups to decide a regional response to the crisis. Dr Dino Patti Djalal, chair of the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia, and co-organiser of the meeting dismissed claims that non government groups and civil society in south east Asia had little power to take action. “We have a voice, we are the voice of the conscience of the people, of the region. That’s a powerful thing. Let’s begin with that.” On Thursday, protesters began what they called a “marching shoe strike”, placing flowers in pairs of shoes at protest locations, or in their homes. Organisers said the symbolic protest would honour the more than 580 people killed by the military, writing: “for every step, a flower blooms”. Protesters, who have faced brutal violence by the security forces, have found new ways to show their defiance to the junta. On Monday, Easter eggs were decorated with anti-coup slogans, part of an “Easter egg strike”, while on Tuesday, the streets of Yangon were splashed with red paint in a “Blood strike” to highlight the killing of peaceful protesters. Protesters have also made creative use of social media, using it to share footage of abuses by the military, as well as anti-coup art work and memes. Many have joined in solidarity with other pro-democracy movements in the region, adopting the #MilkTeaAlliance hashtag, which was first used by young people in Thailand, Taiwan and Hong Kong to voice opposition to authoritarianism. According to Twitter, which has now created an accompanying milk tea emoji, the hashtag has been featured in more than 11m tweets in the past year, with its use surging in February when the coup first occurred..."
Source/publisher: "The Guardian" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-08
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 6 April, (581) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (11) fallen heroes today. (1) died on 6 April. (10) were killed on previous days and documented today. This is the number verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. As of April 6, a total of (2750) people are currently under detention; of them (38) are sentenced. 463 have been issued arrest warrants. We are verifying the recently released detainees and continuing to document. Burma is being terrorized by a junta with no legitimacy. At its founding ASEAN enshrined a purpose “to maintain the centrality and proactive role of ASEAN as the primary driving force in its relations and cooperation with its external partners”. Non-interference and a lack of international cooperation amidst these ongoing crimes against humanity will question the very purpose of ASEAN. The non-interference policy does not mean allowing the junta to torture detained persons, or mutilate civilians with tattoos of their democratically elected leaders. The ASEAN Charter compels it to respond, non-interference against these crimes risks jeopardizing ASEAN’s global reputation and credibility and will crucially impact their global trading capacities and international diplomacy. Today in Mandalay, the junta forces violently cracked down on a gathering health worker strike, one person was injured and four doctors violently arrested. Motorcycles and mobile phones were also confiscated. In Kyaukme Township, Shan State, the junta forces assaulted with over 20 smoke grenades into a crowd of protestors doing a sit-down strike. In Mogaung Township, Kachin State, the junta forces used live ammunition on a protest. In Pinlebu Township, Sagaing Region, the junta forces opened fire until the night, resulting in two civilians killed. Last night in Mogaung also, Kachin state, a man was shot and injured and a woman inside the house was seriously injured in the arm due to unprovoked shooting by junta troops. The military junta is kidnapping family members as hostages if they don’t find the people who they want. Today in Natlu Hti Pon Ward, Monywa Township, Sagaing Region, the younger brother was taken and arrested as a hostage instead of his elder brother. Yesterday, the military forces arrested six family members including 2 years and 13 years old children of the in-charge of the information of the Tharrawaddy NLD who was warranted for pro-democracy movements in the Tharrawaddy Bago region..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-07
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 5 April, (570) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (6) fallen heroes today. (1) died on 5 April. (5) were killed on previous days and documented today. This is the number verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. As of April 5, a total of (2728) people are currently under detention; of them (38) are sentenced. 443 have been issued arrest warrants. We are verifying the recently released detainees and continuing to update the lists. Today, people across Burma defy the dictatorship’s brutal represion, there were violent crackdowns on protests in PinLeBu town in Katha District, Sagaing Region. In the junta assaults, two students were arrested, one man killed, and two wounded civilians also arrested. Gunfire was used against crowds of people demanding the release of the two detained students. Last night in Mandalay City, a woman was shot dead on the spot and a man injured in his stomach while riding a motorbike, in arbitrary fire by junta forces. Moreover last night in Kyaukme town, Shan State, two passersby were threatened with gunfire and injured by bullets. In Tamu town, Sagaing Region, the terrorist forces opened fire unprovoked towards the people. When trying to counter, people were injured and some houses and walls hit by gunfire by the junta group. Today, protestors were searched for in homes and arrested on the roads, as happens consistently these days. This morning, youths in Tamwe and Kyauk Myaung were searched for in their homes and some reportedly arrested. Moreover, passing motorbikes and cars on the roads were being investigated and if the passengers’ mobile phones were caught with anti-military dictatorship stickers and photos, they were detained. The terrorist soldiers and so-called police commit torture in public daily to install a climate of fear into the community and people. Last night, soldiers and so-called police abducted, and forced one man to take off his clothes, finding “Spring Revolution” and “Daw Aung Sann Suu Kyi” portrait and the word “22222” tattooed on his arm. The soldiers then lit a piece of tire to burn and mutilate his arm tattoo. In addition to burning his tattoo, he was kicked and beaten with gunstock. Such inhumanity is casually and worryingly committed by this junta against the people. Since March, the junta has excessively oppressed free media and the journalists leading to the termination of many news outlets. The junta is also threatening ethnic news departments. On April 3, the Hakha Post news department based in Hakha town in Chin State was raided and two desktops and office documents stolen. News staff were evading arrest at the time. It is apparent that daily arson is perpetrated by the junta because it happens during the night and time of martial law. This morning, Yoma water purifying factory in Hlaing township, Yangon Region, was burnt on fire and also last night, the administer office of 32th Quarter, North Dagon township, Yangon was arsoned in Taunggyi, Shan State, the administer office of Nyaung Phyu Kan was torched..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-07
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 4 April, (564) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (7) fallen heroes today. (2) died on 4 April. (5) were killed on previous days and documented today. This is the number verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher as the death toll continues to rise. We will continue adding as and when. As of April 4, a total of (2667) people are currently under detention; of them (38) are sentenced. 425 have been issued arrest warrants. We are verifying the recently released detainees and continuing to update the lists. Today anti-coup protests by people in Burma took the form of an “Easter Egg Strike” in support of democracy. In Pyinmana town, a man was reportedly killed. In Bhamaw town, Kachin State, battalion 77 raided the residential ward and opened fire, hitting a community guard in his chest and leg, who later died of wounds. His body was taken away by the military and so-called police. More than six people were injured and ten community guards were beaten and arrested. In Kayah State, the MineLone strike was violently cracked-down onto the streets, thus more than five people were arrested and many injured by rubber bullets. The terrorist junta vandalizes every day. This morning, the office of the junta-appointed administer of North Kyun Taw Quarter in Sanchaung township, Yangon Region, was arsoned during a night of martial law. Whenever these incidents happen, the junta group declares falsely that it was the people who committed these crimes, to spread propaganda. As for arbitrary violent raids, a house with a grocery store in Tamu town, Sagaing Region, was raided and opened fire on, and threw a hand grenade yesterday afternoon. The terrorist junta threatens the people with torture every day, their brutality is evidenced by: In Mandalay City, the military and so-called police destroyed people’s barricades and beat and arrested the passerby and grocery stores nearby. In Kyauk Myaung, Tamwe Township, Yangon Region, the protestors were searched for in homes and around 20 youths were arrested. Some evaders were captured and beaten. Last night, the police forced a youth to sit on his knee and slapped and kicked him. Yesterday evening, three passersby were violently beaten and interrogated in Thanlyin township. In Thapyay Aye village, Yinmabin township in Sagaing Region, the two dead bodies of six villagers abducted on April 2 were reportedly returned today. In Myitchay town, Pakokku district in Magwe Region, two of four detainees at the end of March were killed and two others disappeared. The family members of the latter two are now having to evade arrest. The terrorist junta has applied torture as their normal routine for about seven decades, dictatorships do this to install fear and and stop dissent to their rule. Also in ethnic areas, the terrorist regime threatens demonstrations. Yesterday, it was reported that the commanding officer of the South Eastern Command of the terrorist group threatened to shoot if the people protested on the streets in Phaya Thone Sone town in Karen State. In Monywa, Sagaing Region, it was reported that people in some neighborhoods were evacuating their homes since the last weekend of March because of so-called police and military entering neighborhoods, shooting, and robbing. On 4 April, the Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) of the signatories of Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) announced a statement that urges immediate cessation of violent crackdowns and killings of unarmed people, to immediate release of all detainees and three other points. AAPP welcomes this statement and will cooperate as much as we can for peace and national reconciliation..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-07
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Type: Individual Documents
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 3 April, (557) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (7) fallen heroes today. (4) died on 3 April. (3) were killed on previous days and documented today. This is the number verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher as the death toll continues to rise. We will continue adding as and when. As of April 3, a total of (2658) people are currently under detention; of them (38) are sentenced. 235 have been issued arrest warrants. AAPP documented and compiled (17) people today, (110) were released previous days but confirmed today which is why the number of detainees has decreased. We are verifying the recently released detainees and continuing to update the lists. People across Burma continued striking for the end of dictatorship, for democracy and human rights. Townships with momentus strikes fell victim to the most brutal crackdowns by the junta, but everywhere is being violently suppressed. In Sagaing Region, the main strike in Monywa township was encircled in an armed crackdown since this morning resulting in three civilians including a man serving in People’s Defense Team killed. In Mon State, the Paw Taw Mu strike in Thahton town was violently suppressed. More than 20 civilians including an injured man and an injured woman were reportedly arrested. The man injured in his chest was forcibly dragged to the military vehicle and the woman injured in her stomach was reportedly snatched by the military while being taken to the hospital by the people, (the man taken away by the military is rumoured to be dead, confirmation is ongoing). In Mandalay Region, the Amarapura strike and motorcycle strike in Mandalay City were violently attacked: reportedly four civilians were arrested. In Bago Region, junta troops based in San Taw Twin monastery in Bago shot a youth passerby in his stomach and died on the spot. Last night civilians were injured in arbitrary shootings by junta forces, in Mandalay City, a man was shot in Manaw Hayi 58 street and is in critical condition. The terrorist junta group use live ammunition during the day and night, they capture and violently assault. Community guards in quarters, especially youths from strikes defense teams have been captured. Today, they tried to arrest strikes’ leaders, activists, and the people’s defense team from six townships in Yangon. Last night at Yuzana Garden City, Dagon Seikkan township, twelve defense liners youths were beaten, arrested and threatened – “if you dare look up, you will be killed”. Moreover, six community guards in Thaketa township were captured, during arrest the junta demonstratively tortures detainees. In the early morning, the compound door of a doctor’s house was destroyed, reportedly dragging the doctor tying up his hands at the back and blindfolding his head with black plastic bag in Mayangone township, Yangon Region..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-07
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Type: Individual Documents
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Size: 2.67 MB 647.43 KB 696.82 KB
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 2 April, (550) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (7) fallen heroes today. (2) died on 2 April. (5) were killed on previous days and documented today. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher as the death toll continues to rise. We will continue adding as and when. As of April 2, a total of (2751) people are detained in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1, of them (38) are sentenced. A further (126) people have been issued arrest warrants. We are verifying the recently released detainees and are continuing to update the list of names who were released. Last night junta forces ordered internet providers to shut down all wireless broadband services until further notice. Alongside the 47 nightly internet cut and 18 days of a mobile data shutdown. As a result, only a small percentage of individuals can access the internet in Burma. These oppressive measures intend to even further disrupt internal communication and silence the voice of the people. They block communication with the international community to hide the junta’s atrocities from the outside world. In the UN Security Council statement yesterday they “expressed deep concern” at the “rapidly deteriorating situation” in Burma. The situation is clearly worsened further, all UNSC members must not simply witness these ominous signs, but take immediate and forceful action which align with the Special Envoy and Special Rapporteurs urgent recommendations. On April 2, anti-military dictatorship protests across Burma endured, a Flower Strike dedicated to the Spring Revolution fallen heroes who could not return to their homes was held in Yangon. Yet killings, injuries, detentions and arbitrary raids also continued. At about 2am this morning, the junta forces raided strike quarters in Quarter 13, Tamu township, Sagaing Region, killing one policeman participating in CDM whose dead body was taken away. The situation in Yinmar Bin township, Sagaing Region is tense, villagers had created barricades, but beginning 3am this morning, over 400 junta troops raided and shot at anti-coup strikes in Thit Ywar Pin village. As is reportedly known, three villagers were seriously injured and lacked medical treatment. In Thapyay Aye village, military and so-called police came to the village to arrest the monk, villagers tried to stop this. So the junta shot and injured six villagers, one of them is reportedly in critical condition. Junta forces then took six villagers as hostage to demand the monk give himself up. On March 31, a female staff member of Shinhan Bank (South Korea Bank) was arbitrarily shot, she died this morning on April 2. At around 10pm on April 1, the police and military stormed and shot at community guards in Swan Chat Quarter, Sagaing Region, one man was killed and another reportedly wounded. The death and injury toll is increasing as the regime committs to perpetrating its policy of torture. In Pathein street, Sanchaung township, Yangon Region, a gang of so-called police beat a youth and dragged him along, leaving him on the edge of the street, the people took on a severe risk to rescue him. At night on 31 March, the junta forces also raided 104 Ward in South Dagon township, and assaulted the men with gunstocks. A woman 5 months pregnant was shot and injured inside a house by random but malicious gunfire. Civil servants participating in CDM were also threatened, beaten and abducted. In Myeik, Tanintharyi Region, two education staff participating in CDM and evading arrest were arbitrarily detained and assaulted at around 1am on the morning of 31 March. They were reportedly charged under Penal Code Section 505(a)..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-07
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 1 April, (543) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (7) fallen heroes today. (5) died on 1 April. (2) were killed on previous days and documented today. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher as the death toll continues to rise. We will continue adding as and when. As of April 1, a total of (2741) people are detained in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1, of them (38) are sentenced. A further (126) people have been issued arrest warrants. We are verifying the recently released detainees and are continuing to update the list of names who were released. It has been two months since the military coup on April 1 when people began to endure all kinds of atrocities committed by this terrorist SAC group, yet people are still fighting to end dictatorship and achieve democracy, though casualties and arrests are rising day after day. The Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Representative Committee (CRPH) is the official new government and yesterday announced the Federal Democracy Charter to form a collaborative National Unity Government in the first week of April in order to achieve a federal democratic union. It also repealed the 2008 constitution, which not only intended to prolong military dictatorship, but hinder the emergence of a federal democratic union. AAPP welcomes the release of these statements, which are crucial to the establishment of a future federal union and will continue to work together for democracy and human rights. Action is begining by the international community towards Burma, however China rejected an imposition of sanctions at a crucial closed-door session of the UN Security Council on March 31. We could expected China to reject such a proposal. But this encourages continued crimes against humanity in Burma, democratic development in Burma has been ruthlessly obstructed in the interests of China. On 1 April people across Burma continued to protest against the military dictatorship. Monywa Township, Sagaing Region, the main strike in Monywa was violently cracked down, one civilian was shot dead in the head and six others were injured. In addition, some houses were raided. In Mandalay City, a man was shot dead in the head and his body taken away by the junta forces. Moreover, one man was also shot in the abdomen and died. The military and so-called police also destroyed barricades and opened gunfire, resulting in at least five civilians getting injured. In Yankin Township, Yangon Region, a strike was cracked down, but no one was arrested and injured..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-07
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Title: Myanmar security forces kill 13 protesters; small blasts hit Yangon
Description: "Myanmar troops fired at anti-coup protesters on Wednesday, killing at least 13 people and wounding several, media said, as a series of small blasts hit the commercial capital Yangon and a Chinese-owned factory was set on fire. The country’s military ruler said the civil disobedience movement was “destroying” Myanmar. More than 580 people have been killed, according to an activist group, in the turmoil in Myanmar since a Feb. 1 coup that ended a brief period of civilian-led democracy. Nationwide protests and strikes have persisted since then despite the military’s use of lethal force to quell the opposition. Security forces opened fire on Wednesday on protesters in the northwestern town of Kale as they demanded the restoration of Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government, domestic media said. (GRAPHIC: Myanmar’s internet suppression - here) A resident of the area and the Myanmar Now news outlet said 11 people were killed and several wounded. Reuters could not independently verify the toll. Two protesters were killed in the town of Bago near Yangon, Myanmar Now said. At least seven small explosions were heard in Yangon, including at government buildings, a military hospital and a shopping mall, residents said. There were no casualties and no claims of responsibility. The U.S. Embassy in Yangon said it had received reports of “handmade ‘sound bombs,’ or fireworks meant to create noise and cause minimal damage”. A fire broke out in the Chinese-owned JOC Garment Factory in Yangon on Wednesday, the Fire Department said. There were no reports of casualties and no details on the extent of damage. In another Yangon neighbourhood, activists set fire to the Chinese flag, according to pictures posted on Facebook. China is viewed as being supportive of the military junta and last month arson attacks were made on 32 Chinese-invested factories in Yangon. Details of the blasts and the fire were difficult to obtain because of the junta’s curbs on broadband internet and mobile data services. A spokesman for the junta could not be reached for comment. ‘DESTROY THE COUNTRY’ Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the junta, said in a statement on Wednesday the civil disobedience movement, or CDM, had halted the working of hospitals, schools, roads, offices and factories. “Although protests are staged in neighbouring countries and the international community, they do not destroy businesses,” he said. “CDM is an activity to destroy the country.” According to the Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) advocacy group, 581 people, including dozens of children, have been shot dead by troops and police in almost daily unrest since the coup, and security forces have arrested close to 3,500 people, with 2,750 still detained..."
Source/publisher: "Reuters" (UK)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-07
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Title: Myanmar: Hundreds Forcibly Disappeared
Summary: "Myanmar’s military junta has forcibly disappeared hundreds of people since the February 1, 2021 coup, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities have taken into custody politicians, election...
Sub-title: Account for Missing Politicians, Activists, Others at Risk of Torture, Death
Description: "Myanmar’s military junta has forcibly disappeared hundreds of people since the February 1, 2021 coup, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities have taken into custody politicians, election officials, journalists, activists, and protesters and refused to confirm their location or allow access to lawyers or family members in violation of international law. The security forces have arrested many people suspected of participation in anti-coup demonstrations or in the opposition Civil Disobedience Movement during nighttime raids on homes throughout the country. The nongovernmental organization, Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, told Human Rights Watch they could confirm the location of only a small fraction of the more than 2,500 recent detainees they have identified. “The military junta’s widespread use of arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances appears designed to strike fear in the hearts of anti-coup protesters,” said Brad Adams, Asia director. “Concerned governments should demand the release of everyone disappeared and impose targeted economic sanctions against junta leaders to finally hold this abusive military to account.” Human Rights Watch spoke to family members, witnesses, and lawyers of 16 people feared to have been forcibly disappeared since the coup. On February 1 at about 5:30 a.m., four uniformed soldiers and a man in civilian attire arrived at the home of Mya Aye, 55, an outspoken activist and member of the National League for Democracy (NLD), in Mingalar Taung Nyunt township, Yangon. The men showed no arrest warrant and offered no basis for his arrest to family members, which was caught on a neighbor’s CCTV camera and later was posted on Twitter. Later that day, two plainclothes officers came to the residence to collect his medications but refused to provide additional information. In late March, Mya Aye’s family said that the authorities still had not told them where Mya Aye was being held and had not provided him access to a lawyer. On March 6, police arrived at the funeral in Mandalay of a protester shot dead by police, causing those attending to flee in panic. A prominent activist, Nyi Nyi Kyaw, fell and the police arrested him. A friend of Nyi Nyi Kyaw said that the authorities did not tell his family where he was, and that they went into hiding out of fear that they may be targeted as family members. The family received one communication from Nyi Nyi Kyaw – a short but chilling phone call to his eldest son from a blocked number – four days after his disappearance in which he sounded agitated and distressed, the friend said. The call was ended before the family could ascertain his whereabouts. On March 9, military trucks arrived around 1:30 p.m. and parked outside the office of Karmayut Media in Yangon, neighbors said. At about 3 p.m., they saw soldiers take away the media outlet’s co-founder, Han Thar Nyein, 40, and the editor-in-chief, Nathan Maung, 45. Their families still have not been informed of their whereabouts, a family member said. “We’re so anxious about where they are, and we’re worried for their well-being,” the family member of Han Thar Nyein said. “We want to see them with our own eyes, to accept that they are okay, that they are alive. And we want this to happen quickly, not to wait in this agonizing way.” Many friends and family members of anti-coup protesters who have been arrested told Human Rights Watch they do not know exactly where the person was being held, heightening concerns about their safety and well-being. In many cases, families have only received information informally about the location of their family member, such as when newly released detainees notify family members or lawyers that they had seen a person who had been detained. Some families believe that because a prison accepts a package for their family member, it is most likely the place where their relative is being held. However, this is conjecture and does not relieve the authorities of their obligation to provide information on a detainee’s whereabouts, produce a detainee in court within 48 hours, and allow access to counsel and family members. Under international human rights law, a state commits an enforced disappearance when government authorities or their agents arrest or detain an individual followed by a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of liberty or by concealing the fate or whereabouts of the person, placing them outside the protection of the law. Forcibly disappeared people are commonly subjected to torture or extrajudicial execution. Families must live with the uncertainty of not knowing if their loved ones are dead or alive, and worrying about their treatment in captivity. Enforced disappearances are grave violations of international law, and when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack on a civilian population, are crimes against humanity..."
Source/publisher: Human Rights Watch (USA)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-07
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 30 March, (521) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (11) fallen heroes today: (8) died on 30 March, (3) were killed on previous days and documented today. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher as the death toll continues to rise. We will continue adding as and when. As of March 30, a total of (2608) people are detained in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1, of them (37) are sentenced. A further (120) people have been issued arrest warrants. We have not completed verification of all recently released detainees over the last 6 days, but are continuing to update the list of names who were released. The junta is committing atrocities every day in many townships, South Dagon township in Yangon Region was the scene of particularly severe violence, with many killed and injured by so-called police and military. People made barricades to defend themselves from arbitrary gunfire into streets, wards and houses. The town had been raided and shot at by large numbers of junta troops since the barricades were broken down by grenades, launchers and heavy weapons last night (March). People’s cars and houses are being destroyed. They force detained youths onto both hands and kneel down, they set the detainees as targets for snipers from high apartments, then threaten the strikers “if you don’t come and save their detainees, they will be shot and killed”. In South Dagon last night dead bodies and injured people were taken away so it is difficult to collect accurate data. The number of the victims will increase. The junta raided Sanpya Hospital but also private and public hospitals, many lost the right to treatment because of this, the junta prepared to arrest the patients in advance. Pinnya Alin Library which provides treatment to injured people was violently destroyed by them this morning. Patients were insufficiently treated, and died from lack of adequate medicines. In South Dagon’s violent crackdown last night, a civilian was burnt to death. This brutal act followed the burning to death of a community guard in Mandalay. Today, two civilians were killed by gunshots in initial reports and the terrorist junta forces took away the body. In defiance to brute violence by the junta group, the strikers protest peacefully across Burma. Today, civilians were reportedly murdered and some wounded and arrested because of arbitrary shooting, raids and crack-downs in Bago and Pyay in Bago Region, Mandalay City, Kawthaung in Tanintharyi Region, Muse in Shan State and Myitkyina in Kachin State in addition to South Dagon in Yangon Region..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 29 March, (510) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (51) fallen heroes today: (14) shot to death on 29 March and (37) were killed the previous days. Children, students, youths and civilians have all been killed since the coup.. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher as the death toll continues to rise. We will continue adding as and when. As of March 29, a total of (2574) people are detained in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1, of them (37) are sentenced. A further (120) people have been issued arrest warrants. We have not completed verification of all recently released detainees over the last 5 days, but are continuing to update the list of names who were released. As people continue to oppose the dictatorship 57 day and nights now, junta repression against peaceful protests deteriorates in their attempt to govern the economy and over society. On March 29, there were unprovoked shootings into houses and wards, the death and injury toll is rising. Today, in Thaketa, South Dagon and Thanlyin Townships, Yangon Region; Taungoo Township, Bago Region; Myingyan City, Mandalay Region, Monywa City, Sagaing Region; Pathein City, Ayeyarwady Region; Myitkyina, Kachin State and Taunggyi and Muse, Shan State, there have were crackdowns and shooting in many wards, people were killed and many injured. More than 20 people have been arrested..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 27 March, (423) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. At least (90) were killed today, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented killings of children, students, youths and civilians. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher as the death toll continues to rise. We will continue adding as and when into our newly separately published lists. In addition, (5) others were confirmed killed on previous days. As of March 27, a total of (2428) people are detained in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1, of them (24) are sentenced. A further (119) people have been issued arrest warrants. We have not completed verification of all recently released detainees over the last 3 days, but are continuing to update the list of names who were released. Last night, the junta propaganda MRTV television station threatened the people they could be shot dead in the head and to the back if they strike. Today was known as a “Nationwide March Revolution”, people across Burma bravely protested against the military dictatorship knowing they risked their lives. The junta shot at peaceful protesters since the early morning, the most deadly day in the 55 days since the coup. Many civilians, including children, were shot dead and injured. Today, over 40 townships in Yangon Region, Bago Region, Magway Region, Sagaing Region, Tanintharyi Region, Ayeyarwady Region, Mon State, Kachin State, and Shan State were violently cracked down using live ammunition. Junta forces shot machine-guns into residential areas, resulting in many civilians, including six children between ten and sixteen years old, killed. In Meikhtila Township, Mandalay Region, a 13-year-old girl was shot dead while she was inside her house. This is the second child to be shot dead in the house after a 7-year-old girl from Mandalay Town. In Dawei Township, Tanintahryi Region, while a 16-year-old boy was driving a motorcycle, he was shot at from an unmarked car driven by junta forces, and his body dragged away. The boy died due from not receiving medical treatment in detention. The fact the illegitimate military regime is targeting children is a grave act of inhumanity. Children’s dignity and right to life are being threatened on a daily basis by this junta’s violence. Moreover, reporters who are broadcasting live also are targeted. Today in Kyeikhto Township, Mon State, while a reporter was reporting live on the crackdown, he was shot and injured, including a real bullet wound to the leg. Today, the junta violated diplomatic ethics by opening gunfire at the American Center in Yangon. Some shot dead bodies were dragged away and not returned to their families to erase all evidence of military crimes today. Injured people were taken away and given no medical treatment, later dying while in detention. Including girls, those arrested are beaten on the streets. The illegitimate military regime uses many tactics of intimidation, they destroy and loot public and private property. In Dagon Seikkan Township, Yangon Region, a young man who was bleeding was dragged away. In Mandalay Town, a civilian who was shot in the head was dragged away. Today, many towns in Burma were created into a combat zone, but were in fact killing fields of unarmed civilians, shot without mercy. The illegitimate military regime must take responsible and accountable for each and every crime it commits. As long as the international community fails to decisively protect Burma’s people, the junta’s inhumanity will deteriorate..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of 28 March, (459) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) compiled and documented (36) fallen heroes today, 13 died on 28 March. Children, students, youths and civilians have all been killed since the coup.. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of fatalities is likely much higher as the death toll continues to rise. We will continue adding as and when. As of March 28, a total of (2559) people are detained in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1, of them (37) are sentenced. A further (119) people have been issued arrest warrants. We have not completed verification of all recently released detainees over the last 4 days, but are continuing to update the list of names who were released. Yesterday, the illegitimate military regime viciously killed unarmed civilians, including children. Over 100 civilians, some were shot and killed in night-raids in towns without reason. Last night, at least five civilians were killed and thirteen civilians injured in Tharkayta Township, Yangon Region, Taunggyi Township, Shan State, Mogok Township, Mandalay Town, Mandalay Region, Pathein Township, Ayeyarwady Region, and Tatkon Township in Nay Pyi Taw, from unprovoked shootings by junta troops. One of those killed last night in Mandalay City was serving as a security guard in the ward. He was shot and dragged onto a fire of car tyres and burnt him alive. This inhumanity is a tactic of the junta to create a climate of fear among the people. Around 60 houses in Pyi Gyi Dagun Township were destroyed by fire yesterday and people in nearby neighborhoods were prevented from helping when the junta shot at them. Today, a large number of junta forces used live ammunition and grenades in Hlaing Township, Tharkayta Township, Kyauk Myaung Ward in Tamwe Township, Dagon Myothit (South) Township in Yangon Region, Monywa Township, Kalay Township in Sagaing Region, Myingyan Township in Mandalay Region, Taunggyi Township in Shan State, Myitkyina Township, and Hpakant Township in Kachin State. Nine civilians, including four women, were killed and many arrested and injured. The junta is using grenades, not just live rounds but machine-guns in urban areas, to create a combat zone of peaceful residential homes. Yesterday, in Kyauk Myaung Ward, Tamwe Township, Yangon Region, the junta forces used a grenade on a young man who died on the spot. Last night, the junta propaganda MRTV television station claimed this was done by an artist who was violently arrested during the crackdown in Kyauk Myaung Ward. Today (March 28), the junta forces used a grenade in Hlaing Township, resulting in one man’s hand being cut off from the wrist and another person injured. According to the international laws, hospitals, religious buildings, schools, women, and children are given special protection, however since the coup, the illegitimate military regime completely disregards this. Today, one hospital staff was injured and patients terrorized as gunfire was opened inside the Asia Royal Hospital, where youth protestors had fled to. Yesterday, the junta forces inhumanly looted dead bodies and forced their families not to celebrate public funerals but with family members and 5 monks. Some families therefore quickly buried their loved heroes to prevent the junta from looting their bodies. The illegitimate military regime uses many tactics of intimidation, they destroy and loot public and private property on a daily basis. In Dagon Seikkan Township and Tharkayta Township, Yangon Region, over 20 private cars were destroyed. The junta raided a store and stole food in Thingangyun Township, Yangon..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
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Type: Individual Documents
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Size: 2.66 MB 591.27 KB 478.65 KB
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "As of March 26, a total of (3070) people have been arrested, charged or sentenced in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1. (328) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. AAPP documented (8) fallen heroes today. (24) coup detainees have been convicted. (117) have been charged with a warrant and are evading arrest. We have not completed verification of all recently released detainees over the last 2 days, but are continuing to update the list of names who were released. Of the fallen heroes, (4) were shot dead today in Myeik, Tanintharyi Region, (2) fallen heroes died today from serious injury sustained in Mohnyin Town in Kachin State and Kyauktaga Township in Bago Region yesterday, (2) others were confirmed killed on previous days. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of casualties is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. A group of six professors in social science at the University of Oslo in Norway nominated the Civil Disobedience Movement of Myanmar for the Nobel Peace Prize. CDM workers are facing repression, arrests, lawsuits, dismissals, and forced eviction from staff housing on a daily basis. However, the movement has not given up and continues to fight. We, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) warmly welcome this submission for the Nobel Peace Prize. US Ambassador Thomas Vajda and his wife Ms. Amy Sebes laid a wreath today in front of a school where 23-year-old network engineer Nyi Nyi Aung Htet Naing died on February 28, 2021. Although it has been 54 days since the coup, civilians are still subject to various forms of brutal repression by the junta, but demonstrations continue. Deaths, injuries, arrests, even against children and torture, as does destruction, arson, looting and raids also are deteriorating day after day across Burma. In the early morning of 26 March, the National League for Democracy (NLD) party headquarters in Shwegondaing, Bahan Township, Yangon region was set on fire. Home in a village in Laung Lone Township, Dawei District, was set on fire on March 21, leaving seven family members severely injured. Among them, was a 14-year-old boy who died. Today, civilians were killed across Burma in violent crackdowns of protests by the junta, in Kyauk Myaung, Tamwe Township, and Kyauktada Township, Yangon Region, Dawei Township, and Myeik Township in Tanintharyi Region. In Myeik Township, a large number of junta forces, including the Air force and Navy, used live ammunition to suppress people. Moreover, an ambulance vehicle was used to storm into protestors, four civilians, including one woman, were shot dead, and at least ten civilians were injured. Some civilians were violently arrested. During arrest, two youths were tied up with a piece of rope on their back and treated like dogs. In Kyat Sar Pyin Ward, Dawei Township, Tanintharyi Region, one civilian was injured with live ammunition and two civilians were arrested. In Kyauktada Township, Yangon Region, 5 people were arrested for marching on strike. During the arrest of a student in Dawei Township, the junta raided the house and looted gold, a motorcycle, money, and other valuables. Yesterday (March 25), 11 civilians were killed during violent crackdowns by the military and so-called police in the day. Civilians were also shot and killed in raids in some towns during the night time without reason. Last night in Dagon Myothit (South) Township, the military and so-called police raided the area and fired at least 300 live rounds, one civilian was killed and ten civilians were injured, and at least 20 civilians violently arrested. In addition to this, they destroyed Wifi and phone line cables. In Tamu Township, Sagaing Region, one civilian was killed and nine civilians injured, three were put in critical condition. On the evening of March 25, Kyauktaga Township, Bago Region, when the police and military vehicles entered a village, the villagers fled into the fields. The junta followed and shot them, resulting in one man seriously injured who died today, and three others were arrested. During the crackdown in Mohnyin Township yesterday, one man who was seriously injured died today. The illegitimate military regime’s terror, even against children, is intensifying. Last night in North Okkalapa Township, Yangon Region, the military and so-called police raided a nursery school and destroyed equipment, and stole two computers. On the night of March 21 in Kalay Township, Sagaing Region, while a 14-year-old boy was driving a motorcycle, he was hit from behind by a military vehicle and then shot and taken away. Per available information, the child is suffering from a broken arm, and leg. He is in critical condition. Arrests and detentions of the injured currently being treated in hospital, demonstrate their brutality. Yesterday, the military and so called police came to Sanpya Hospital and arrested four people who were receiving medical treatment from gunshots in a crackdown in Thingangyun Township. They arbitrarily arrested these four people and threatened the health workers who asked the junta to not detain the four. The junta forces threatened the health workers that they have permission to shoot those who try to stop them making arrests. Article 14 of the Geneva Convention enshrines the protection of children, injured people, and hospitals and nursery schools as safe zones. However, as this military junta is using force and violence to break any laws..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
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Type: Individual Documents
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Size: 2.99 MB 484.97 KB
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) has documented and identified (275) heroes killed yesterday (March 23), and (12) heroes killed today. However, one person previously included in the list of casualties was removed today, details further below. Therefore, (286) heroes have been killed so far. That number is documented and verified by AAPP, and the actual number of casualties is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. As of March 24, a total of (2906) people have been arrested, charged or sentenced in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1. Of them, (24) were convicted. (109) have been charged with a warrant and are evading arrest, and (394) were released as of yesterday. (628) people, including students and civilians, were released across Burma today. The names of today’s released detainees have not been immediately available to compile. Therefore, we will provide the list of names who were released and remain in prison. The silent strike, so-called “the silence is the loudest cry” was held across Burma today to protest this military dictatorship. Nobody left their homes, shops and shopping centers closed and no cars or people were seen on the roads. Demonstrating the general public’s solidarity against dictatorship. Only some sit-down strikes were held because they did not know about the silent strike campaign from lack of internet connection. Ko Man Swin Khaing (a.k.a Wai Yan Maung Maung) was removed from the fatality list. He was shot in the thigh and disappeared during the North Okkalapa strike. His family members went to hospitals, police stations, and Insein Prison to investigate, but no further information was found, his family therefore assumed he died and held a funeral for him on 7 March. This is why his name was added to the AAPP fatality list, he is since included in the release list today. AAPP sincerely apologizes to all people, including the victim, and those citing our data with trust. While people adhered to the silent strike, the military junta last night went around communities and announced with loudspeakers the country was in a stable condition with no danger, and that people should carry on their daily lives as usual. At the same time, more than 600 students and civilians were released. The released raised the three finger salute on their way home to show solidarity with the people and opposition to the military dictatorship. However, according to AAPPs confirmed data, over 2000 detainees are still detained, sentenced, or face outstanding warrants. The junta coup continuously arrests, and today the military and so-called police raided Kyauk Myaung in Tamwe township, Yangon and captured the people there. Furthermore, they yelled and threw sound grenades, opening fire with live bullets onto Myanandar 13th Street, Yankin township and raided two houses, attacking and detaining 17 people including a 14-year old 8th Grade student. The coup junta commits these crimes against humanity, brutally arresting children, taking away dead bodies. Last night, they attempted to loot the body of a 7-year-old child who was shot and killed by the junta in Mandalay. Family members of the killed child were able to escape with the body of the child, in response the junta destroyed the house in rage. Moreover, the junta beat the head of the child’s brother with a gun, tortured and dragged him away. There has been no further news and he is assumed dead by his family. Such incidents are extreme human rights violations, children and their lives are given no dignity, constant threats to their security and education. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges, sentences and fatalities in relation to the attempted coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. If you receive any information about detentions of, or charges against CSO leaders, activists, journalists, CDM workers and other civilians in relation to the military and police crackdown on dissent. Please submit to the following addresses: If you need legal assistance, contact Aung Gyi on 09 451 529 000 from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) and lawyer Khin Thida Lai Lai Htun on 09 774 081 585. “Our uprising must succeed” Email : [email protected] Facebook : https://web.facebook.com/burmapoliticalprisoners/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/aapp_burma In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
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Type: Individual Documents
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "Today, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) has compiled and documented (14) heroes. Of these, (3) were shot dead in Mandalay and (1) were struck by a military vehicle travelling at high speed in Dawei in Tanintharyi Region. (10) were killed on a previous day but added on 23 March. (275) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of casualties is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. As of March 23, a total of (2812) people have been arrested, charged or sentenced in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1. Of them, (24) were convicted. (109) have been charged with a warrant and are evading arrest, (394) were released. A total of (2418) are still under detention or have outstanding charges/evading arrest, including the (24) sentenced. In today’s detainee list, we received and documented the names of (130) people. However, more were arrested today, AAPP will continue investigating these and make appropriate announcements when. Today, March 23 is the 21st anniversary of the establishment of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). During these 21 years, AAPP tirelessly advocated for civil and political rights. However, since the coup on 1 February, democracy, civil and political rights have ceased. AAPP will continue to fight to attain these rights. Today, despite the illegitimate military regime continuing crackdowns, anti-coup protests have taken place across Burma. The crackdowns in Mandalay were severe and three civilians, including a 7-year-old girl, were killed. The girl was shot dead at home. Putting children in harm’s way is a clear violation of the terms of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). It has been three days since the protests in Mandalay, and according to AAPP at least 21 civilians were killed here between March 21 and 23. A man was killed while he was standing to cross the road by a military vehicle in Dawei Township, Tanintharyi Region. In Kyanginn Township, Ayeyarwady Region, when a man who was serving as a night watchman, the so-called police attacked and arrested him, thereafter , the local residents went on the road and demanded his release. The military and so-called police fired more than 50 rounds of live ammunition, resulting in 2 civilians getting seriously injured and 7 civilians were violently arrested. The junta has been raiding, arresting and shooting all day and nights as well as looting, destroying and vandalizing. Last night (March 22), they raided Nwel Aye Quarter, Dawpone Township, Yangon Region. They verbally abused the residents and shot aimlessly at the houses resulting in many injured people. Moreover, the junta destroyed public properties, cars, shops, and houses. This morning, they came back to Nwel Aye Ward and arrested people. Furthermore, in Mandalay, the military raided and destroyed a house with a bulldozer and stole two phones and money in the afternoon yesterday. At night, they arsoned the people’s barricades and threw fire rings into Aung San Quarter, Insein township at around 1:30am today, leading to two houses burning down. The terrorist junta also shot at and stormed Hana Microfinance, the South Korean loaning department, which provides loans to farmers, and ordered them to hand over money. The junta does not leave the disabled alone, they harassed them too, in one incident a disabled man living in Hinthada town, Ayeyarwady Region, was detained under section 505 (b) of Penal Code yesterday. A video of the junta destroying the trishaws of drivers who depend on daily income went viral on social media. They repressed railway staff participating in the Civil Disobedience Movement, evicting them from staff housing in Yangon and Mandalay, and today the same suppression happened to staff in Kaw Lin town, Sagaing Region. The junta, SAC, has also threatened the CDM staff in various sectors by postponing, dismissing, arresting and charging them and their job assignments. Crimes against humanity are committed daily by the regime, the SAC attempts in every possible way to inject fear in the general people, particularly by threatening the livelihood of the people. In the midst of this, people face physical and mental insecurities on a daily basis, yet the PEOPLE have defied for 51 days the orders of the dictatorship. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges, sentences and fatalities in relation to the attempted coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. If you receive any information about detentions of, or charges against CSO leaders, activists, journalists, CDM workers and other civilians in relation to the military and police crackdown on dissent. Please submit to the following addresses: If you need legal assistance, contact Aung Gyi on 09 451 529 000 from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) and lawyer Khin Thida Lai Lai Htun on 09 774 081 585. “Our uprising must succeed” Email : [email protected] Facebook : https://web.facebook.com/burmapoliticalprisoners/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/aapp_burma In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
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Type: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 2.75 MB 434.06 KB
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "Today, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) has compiled and documented (11) heroes. Of these, (3) were shot dead on the spot in Mandalay today. (8) were killed on a previous day but added on 22 March. (261) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of casualties is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. As of March 22, a total of (2682) people have been arrested, charged or sentenced in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1. Of them, (15) were convicted; (2) to two years imprisonment, (1) to three months, (2) to one year imprisonment, (2) to one month imprisonment, (8) to three months imprisonment. (109) have been charged with a warrant and are evading arrest, (380) were released. A total of (2302) are still under detention or have outstanding charges/evading arrest, including the (15) sentenced. In today’s detainee list, we received and documented the names of (17) people. However, more were arrested today, AAPP will continue investigating these and make appropriate announcements when. The junta crackdown using live ammunition, assaults and arrests, kidnapping, using repressive legislation, and forcibly evicts CDM participants from staff housing. They do this to spread fear, but people continue to protest. This evening, a man died in Mandalay, the crackdown had been severe yesterday afternoon yesterday, last night, protests against the military based in a Chan Mya Thar Si Township school were dispersed using live ammunition and random fire, 5 men died and 30 injured. Since this morning, the military and so-called police have continuously fired weapons towards Myayi Nandar housing, Aung Pinle, Aung Thar Yar quarters in Chan Mya Thar Si township. 3 people were killed including a young boy, Grade-8 student and more than 6 people got injured initially reportedly. The fallen child was shot when he strayed out of the house to fill the up water in front of the house. Furthermore, the junta forces arsoned barricades, and destroyed people’s cars. A grandma aged over 60 years was killed in an unprovoked shooting by the junta forces in No.(2) quarter, Kyaw town, Yaw province, Magway Region (formerly known as Pe Ma Sar village) last night. One of the tactics the junta practices is vicious assaults when detaining and in detention. In Taunggyi, Shan State, the military and s0-called police raided houses, arrested people, arsoned roads, and unprovoked shootings across yesterday and this morning. Yesterday, the Taunggyi so-called police beat people on the road in a public display of violence, during which a 14 year old youth and a civilian were detained and 20 civilians injured by rubber bullets. On March 22, in a crackdown in Natmatu, Kachin State, the junta beat the detainees including education civil servants with hard sticks and tied their hands on their backs. In addition, last night in Hakha, Chin State, military and so called police waited for the returnees from sit-in protests to be beaten. Five civilians were reportedly beaten and the fingers of two of them broken. This was not an isolated incident, similar happened elsewhere today. Since the military coup in Burma, instability of society is everywhere and the rule of law has been completely destroyed. If the coup group stays in power, the people will be enslaved to the military for decades more. Liberty, human rights, and freedom from persecution will not exist if dictatorship remains. No dignity for people or democracy, we will only have peace and stability if revolution succeeds. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges, sentences and fatalities in relation to the attempted coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. If you receive any information about detentions of, or charges against CSO leaders, activists, journalists, CDM workers and other civilians in relation to the military and police crackdown on dissent. Please submit to the following addresses: If you need legal assistance, contact Aung Gyi on 09 451 529 000 from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) and lawyer Khin Thida Lai Lai Htun on 09 774 081 585 “Our uprising must succeed” Email : [email protected] Facebook : https://web.facebook.com/burmapoliticalprisoners/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/aapp_burma In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
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Type: Individual Documents
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "On February 8, the eighth day of the military coup and the third day of the people’s protests, tens of thousands of people across Burma rallied against the military coup. Civil service workers, teachers, doctors, and more were involved in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) and stood and demonstrated together with the people. 88 generation student Leader Nilar Thein from 88 Peace and Open Society arrived and stood with the protesters as they called for a “People to People Plan” to assist civil servants who face personal and financial difficulties with their participation in CDM. At the Naypyidaw protest, police fired water cannons without warning leaving some with serious injuries. Pro-military groups incited some to perform a counter-protest in anticipation of a violent crackdown. Cars in support of the coup lined up in front of the Rangoon Thuwanna Stadium, with songs, STOP campaign posters, and the five-fingered salute. After seeing such a response, we are concerned peaceful protestors will suffer violent action in the future. The Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV) announced “action must be taken in accordance with the law if there are violations of state stability and peace, safety of people, and the rule of law”. This is seen as a warning to the peaceful protests, that they could get violently crackdown, hence the concern for protesters safety. Township general administrators signed and released a statement on February 8 to ban people from protesting or gathering in groups of five or more, with a curfew to run from 8pm to 4am, under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Section 144 refers “whoever, being armed with any deadly weapon, or with anything which used as a weapon of offence, is likely to cause death, is a member of an unlawful assembly, shall be punished with imprisonment of their description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both”. The Committee Representing the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw has released an announcement on the unlawful seizure coup including the current political condition on February 8. It stated “the illegal coup was driven by the personal interests of the military leaders. The armed takeover and dismantling of the duly elected government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar is an act of offence against the state.” As for the arrests and charges, Dr Myint Naing, Chief Minister of Sagaing Region was arrested because he gave a speech to anti-military demonstrators through a mobile phone and brought it to Na Ma Kha (West-Northern Command). In addition, Nan Khin Htwe Myint, Chief Minister of Karen State, was brought again from house arrest by the military. On February 7, Kyaw Swar Moe, Tun Lwin Soe, Kay Thi, Thin Thin Khaing and Ma Moe, helped transport 88 generation student Leader Min Ko Naing, of the 88 Peace and Open Society to the Rangoon protest. They were arrested after, before being released on February 8. Thus, as of February 8, a total of (170) people have been arrested and detained in relation to the military coup on February 1. Of them, (2) were sentenced to two years imprisonment and (18) were released. A total of (152) are still under detention, including the (2) sentenced. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges and sentences in relation to coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
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Type: Individual Documents
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "Updated 7 February 2021 On February 7, demonstrations against the military coup intensified. This morning thousands of activists, students and civilians took part in protests in Rangoon and across the country, and Min Ko Naing, 88 Generation Student Leader, arrived and stood among the protesters. Demonstrations were held at Rangoon, Bago, Mandalay, Sagaing, Ayeyarwady, Tanintharyi and Magway Regions, Naypyidaw, Mon, Shan, Karen and Kachin States. Protests were peaceful and non-violent, and police blocked the roads for protestors and watched the situation, though there were no violent crackdowns. When police fired in the air at protestors in Myawaddy Town in Karen State, rioting broke out and a total of 14 civilians (5 women and 9 men) including former female political prisoner Khin Htar were arrested. By 6:30pm, they all were released. A woman was also shot during the protest in Myawaddy. The 8pm symbolic peaceful “Drumming out of Evil” continued across the country in opposition to the military junta. It has also been verified that Than Lwin, NLD Chairman of Payathonzu Town of Karen State, was arrested on the night of February 6. It has also been confirmed that Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, Chief Minister of Mandalay Division, was in the morning of February 7 moved from house-arrest with a group of MPs. He was then re-arrested and placed in another location. He is reportedly not in good health. Phyo Min Thein, Chief Minister of Rangoon Region, was re-arrested when under house arrest last night. Tun Tun Hein, Deputy Speaker of the lower house of the Myanmar parliament was released today. He returned to his hometown Nawnghkio, Shan State as he was not allowed to return where his family lives in Rangoon. U Htun Htun Hein, Vice Speaker of Pyithu Hluttaw (Lower House of the Parliament) and member of the Central Executive Committee of the NLD, was released from detention at around 10am, a family member confirmed. However, he was not allowed to return to his home in Rangoon. He and his wife are now going to Naung Cho, his birthplace in a small town, Shan State, Therefore, as of February 7, a total of (165) people have been arrested and detained in relation to the military coup on February 1. Of them, (2) were sentenced to two years imprisonment and (13) were released. A total of (152) are still under detention, including the (2) sentenced. In addition to all this, according to the Pyay Former Political Prisoner Group, Kyaw Nyan Tun, Myo Thant Htut and Phyu Phway will be charged under the Natural Disaster Management Law for staging a protest against the military coup in Pyay Township, Bago Division. They have not yet been detained. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges and sentences in relation to coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. When police fired in the air at protestors in Myawaddy Town in Karen State, rioting broke out and a total of 14 civilians (5 women and 9 men) including former female political prisoner Khin Htar were arrested. By 6:30pm, they all were released. A woman was also shot during the protest in Myawaddy. The 8pm symbolic peaceful “Drumming out of Evil” continued across the country in opposition to the military junta. It has also been verified that Than Lwin, NLD Chairman of Payathonzu Town of Karen State, was arrested on the night of February 6. It has also been confirmed that Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, Chief Minister of Mandalay Division, was in the morning of February 7 moved from house-arrest with a group of MPs. He was then re-arrested and placed in another location. He is reportedly not in good health. Phyo Min Thein, Chief Minister of Rangoon Region, was re-arrested when under house arrest last night. Tun Tun Hein, Deputy Speaker of the lower house of the Myanmar parliament was released today. He returned to his hometown Nawnghkio, Shan State as he was not allowed to return where his family lives in Rangoon. U Htun Htun Hein, Vice Speaker of Pyithu Hluttaw (Lower House of the Parliament) and member of the Central Executive Committee of the NLD, was released from detention at around 10am, a family member confirmed. However, he was not allowed to return to his home in Rangoon. He and his wife are now going to Naung Cho, his birthplace in a small town, Shan State, Therefore, as of February 7, a total of (165) people have been arrested and detained in relation to the military coup on February 1. Of them, (2) were sentenced to two years imprisonment and (13) were released. A total of (152) are still under detention, including the (2) sentenced. In addition to all this, according to the Pyay Former Political Prisoner Group, Kyaw Nyan Tun, Myo Thant Htut and Phyu Phway will be charged under the Natural Disaster Management Law for staging a protest against the military coup in Pyay Township, Bago Division. They have not yet been detained. AAPP will continue to keep you informed of verified daily arrests, charges and sentences in relation to coup, and update our lists to the details of these alleged offences. Today people have expressed their desire and great concern for the future of Burma. We urge the respect of people’s will and to protect peaceful protesters in ways that were not done during the past military regime in Burma. In addition, we urge foreign governments and the international community to monitor and take actions against the military coup. In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
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Type: Individual Documents
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Size: 193.65 KB 110.87 KB
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Title: Daily Briefing in Relation to the Military Coup 53 Days ago
Description: "As of March 25, a total of (2981) people have been arrested, charged or sentenced in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1. (320) people are now confirmed killed by this junta coup. AAPP documented (34) fallen heroes today, 11 who were killed on March 25. (24) of the recent detainees have been convicted. (109) have been charged with a warrant and are evading arrest. We have not completed verification of all recently released detainees over the last 2 days, but are continuing to update the list of names who were released. Fallen heroes were shot dead today in Thingangyun Township in Yangon, Khin-U Town in Sagaing Region, Mohnyin Town in Kachin State, Pyu Township in Bago Region and Taunggyi City in Shan State. (23) were killed on a previous day but added on 25 March. This is the number documented and verified by AAPP, the actual number of casualties is likely much higher. We will continue adding as and when. Since yesterday’s silent strike, night protests were held in a number towns, some of which were violently cracked down. People were shot to death, injured, and arrested. In Kyaukpadaung Township, Mandalay Region, a youth was killed. In Mandalay City, a 16-year-old child was killed and some others injured. In addition to this, ambulance vehicles also were shot at unprovoked. As the illegitimate military regime attempts to halt protests before Armed Forces Day on March 27, many soldiers and so-called police commit brutal acts. Today, protests in Mohnyin and Myitkyina, Kachin State, Hpa-an Township in Karen State, Mawlamyine Township in Mon State, Taunggyi Township in Shan State, Khin-U Township in Sagaing Region, Mandalay City, and Thingangyun and Tamwe Township in Yangon Region were violently crackdown..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
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Type: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf pdf
Size: 2.92 MB 487.21 KB
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Title: Statement on Recent Detainees in Relation to the Military Coup
Description: "4th February 2021 On 1 February 2021, Burma’s elected politicians intended to take their seats in Parliament per democratic norms and Burma’s 2008 constitutional provisions. Instead, as of 4th February evening, AAPP knows of 133 officials and lawmakers who have been detained by the military in the attempted coup. These arbitrary detentions are an effort to subdue the democratic election of November 8, 2020. The detentions are also causing great distress to families, who are deeply concerned about the detainee’s health and want to see their loved ones again. There are also 14 civil society activists such as filmmaker Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi, 88 generation activist Mya Aye, and Shwe Nya War Sayadaw, who are being detained by the military to stifle dissent against this illegitimate undermining of the election. So far, some officials have been released by the military, either under house arrest or unconditionally. Though on 3 February, U Thawbita was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment under Telecommunications Law Section 66(d), he was charged before the coup by the military for defamation. State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint were also charged under Import Export Law and Natural Disaster Management Law and both are to be remanded until 15 February. On 4 February, 3 arrests were made against peaceful demonstrators. These are some of the first prosecutions under the military coup. AAPPs recent list is for detainees with identified names, even though the NLD Secretary in Hpakhant Township and two commission members of Naung Mon Township and some commission members of Machanbaw Township of Kachin State were detained on 1 February, we have not confirmed their names. We will continue to diligently update our lists. AAPP calls for the immediate release of the remaining detained 147 recently detained political prisoners, in addition to the 42 sentenced and 663 (inside and outside prison) awaiting trial political prisoners already persecuted in Burma. In Solidarity, AAPP..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-04-06
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Type: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf pdf pdf
Size: 106.02 KB 209.2 KB 104.2 KB
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Title: “Situation Report of the LGBTIQs after the Military Coup in Myanmar” by Ministry of Human Rights and Ministry of Women, Youths and Children Affairs, National Unity Government of Myanmar
Description: "1. Context: Approaching nearly 5 months of military coup, people of Myanmar face vastuncertainty and regressions in socio-economic sectors, with all forms of their humanrights being violated. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners(AAPP), over (881) have been killed, (6,348) have been detained and (1,965) have beenissued warrants by the military junta since the day of the coup, 1 February 2021.Undeniably, members of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer(LGBTIQ) communities are also a part of that statistics. Since the beginning of the coup, LGBTIQ people have been activelyparticipating in anti-coup protests, demonstrations and civil disobedience movement(CDM). As crackdowns, violence and tortures against pro-democracy activists andcivilians intensified within the past few months, many LGBTIQs across Myanmar facedsevere human rights violations. The drag queens who used to be proudlyphotographed with protest signs took to the streets wearing helmets, goggles andshields. As impressive as it looked, the cheap helmets and shields however offeredno safety at all against live ammunition. The situation has extremely deteriorated for the human rights defenders andactivists who led the community as well as for the wider community. Many of theactivists have gone into hiding and change places to sleep every 3-4 days. Themilitary publishes new arrest lists every day and there is a constant fear of getting onthe list. Reports from LGBTIQ civil society organizations highlight that there are 12cases of LGBTIQ fatalities; with 73 being arrested and/or charged under 505 (a); (65)still being detained and (28) either in hiding or having fled to non-SAC controlledareas.....2. LGBTIQ Deaths, Arrests and Detentions: Gathering LGBTIQ-related data during the coup is a challenge given limitedaccess to the internet and communication with those who are out of reach forsecurity reasons or who do not want to disclose their identities. However, reliablesources indicate that gay people and transgender women are predominantly at thetop of the chart of most cases of human rights abuses and violations committedagainst the LGBTIQ.From 1 February to 20 June, (12) LGBTIQ community members from Myitkyina,Myingyan, Monywa, Mawlamyine, Yangon, Kyaukpadaung, and Mandalay were shotdead while participating in non-violent and peaceful protests and defendingprotesters from military violence. (3) gay men and (1) transgender woman fromMyingyan and Bago were seriously injured by riot police/armed forces. LGBTIQ groups throughout Myanmar actively participated under rainbow flagsas front-liners at every stage of the revolution. The visibility of the community leadsto highlighting the diversity and inclusivity of the people against the coup. Nodiscriminations against the LGBTIQ community was observed but respect and unity.Hence, LGBTIQ activists were equally targeted and a lot of them are blacklisted andcharged under section 5051 (a) and (c). Majority of blacklisted individuals are in hidingand some got arrested. (73) arrests of LGBTQ individuals have been reported since 1February. Majority of them were from Yangon and Mandalay regions. Because of thevisible identity of transgender people who got arrested, they experienced differentforms of sexual harassment during arrest, in police custody and in detention placesby armed forces..."
Source/publisher: Ministry of Human Rights and Ministry of Women, Youths and Children Affairs, National Unity Government of Myanmar
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-30
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Type: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
Size: 493.56 KB
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Title: 7 March 2021 Daily Briefing, Detention and Fatality Lists in Relation to Military Coup
Description: "The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) pays respect to the heroes who sacrificed their lives and liberty to fight for democracy, human rights and dictatorship to an end. Up until now, more than (54) people have been killed due to the violent and arbitrary crackdowns. As of March 7, a total of (1790) people have been arrested, charged or sentenced in relation to the attempted military coup on February 1. Of them, (3) were convicted; (2) to two years imprisonment, (1) to three months. (70) have been charged with a warrant and are evading arrest, (318) were released. A total of (1472) are still under detention or have outstanding charges/evading arrest, including the (3) sentenced. In today’s detainee list, we received and documented the names of (17) people. However, more than 100 protestors including students and youths were arrested during the crackdown across the country today. We will continue to investigate these and make appropriate announcements when. After brutal crackdowns on peaceful protests yesterday by the police and military, brutal acts continued into the night, raids into residential areas and homes, gunfire, and unlawful search and detentions. Some NLD members were targeted last night, these detentions are to deprive communities and protests of coordination and leadership. Last night, police and military raided the homes of NLD members in Pabedan Township, Rangoon, breaking down doors, opening fire at people looking out their apartments. The raids targeted the home of Khin Maung Latt, chair of the NLD party in Ward (7) in Pabedan Township who was found and detained. On the night of his arrest, Khin Maung Latt was tortured to death in his cell. They searched the home of Maung Maung, information officer of Pabedan Township NLD, but could not find him so they attacked his younger brother and put in a prone position. They searched the home of lawyer Maung Maung, vice chair of NLD Pabedan Township and took his phone and other material. Also detained were two sons of Thein Oo, vice chair of NLD Dagon Township, because they could not find Thein Oo. In Monywa, Sagaing, today they also arrested the wife of activist Nay Myo who they could not find. In Madaya Township, Mandalay Region, Ko Ko Lwin, treasurer of NLD Monywa Township was arrested last night. Such violently beatings of arrests and torture are beyond brutal and inhumane, they are also intentional. Tortures is prohibited across the world, however, torture to achieve confession is allowed in Burma right now. The Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment was encated to protect detainees and convicts, yet the military junta does not follow and respect any domestic and international laws and allows its troops to commit human rights violations. We strongly condemn the death of Khin Maung Latt, chair of the NLD party in Ward (7) in Pabedan Township, as well as the hostage taking of family members, this is terrorism. Today protests in Taikkyi, Tharkayta, South Okkalapa, Tamwe, Dagon Myothit (North), Mayangone, Sanchaung, Shwe Pyi Thar, Insein Townships in Yangon Region, Yay in Mon State, Magway, Pakokku Townships in Magway Region, Loikaw Township in Kayah State, Mandalay City, Myingyan, and Bagan Township in Mandalay Region, Lashio, Shan State, and Pathein Township, Ayeyarwady Region were brutally suppressed. Especially in Bagan, which is an ancient city and UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mandalay Region of Burma. Near the Bagan New Town market, one protester was shot and injured and 6 protesters were arrested during the crackdown by the junta’s forces. Around 10 protestors in Sanchaung township and at least 20 peaceful protestors were arrested, and another one was hit with four rubber bullets in South Okkalapa Township. 50 peaceful protestors, including two women were arrested and some injured in Taikkyi Township. two peaceful protestors were injured and another one was arrested in Pathein township. Six peaceful protestors were arrested in Mawlamyaing Gyunn Township. Some peaceful protestors were arrested in Loikaw and Mandalay. One peaceful protestor was injured in Myingyan. Two were injured in Loikaw..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
Date of entry/update: 2021-03-08
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Type: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 962.97 KB 196.23 KB
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Title: “Prison Overcrowding and the Need for Urgent Reform - အကျဉ်းထောင်တွင်းလူဦးရေလျော့ချနိုင်ရေးအရေးတကြီးလုပ်ဆောင်ရန်လိုအပ်သည့် အကျဉ်းထောင်စနစ် ပြုပြင်ပြောင်းလဲရေး နည်းလမ်းများ အစီရင်ခံစာ
Description: ''Prisons are a direct reflection of a country’s administrative, legislative and judicial systems1. Hidden from public view, facing stigmatization and afforded little public sympathy, prisoners face a greater risk of having their human rights abused2. These issues are compounded even further in light of rising prison populations around the world and the prevalence of prison overcrowding. Reducing prison overcrowding, is an essential first step in reforming the criminal justice system in Burma where prisons have a notorious history of human rights abuses and impunity. Presidential amnesties, as have occurred in Burma and the construction of more prisons, as is proposed, are short term and costly solutions to much more systemic issues, that contribute to prison overcrowding. If laws and prison conditions remain unchanged, these measures will not have a lasting impact on improving human rights in prisons. Systemic reform, addressing issues related to broader issues of social justice, disproportionate punishments, and the lack of an adequate separation of powers in Burma will ensure sustainable and long-term solutions to prison overcrowding can be implemented, reducing the high social and financial costs of incarceration. This will improve prospects for development, the advancement of human rights and social justice for all of Burma3. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) urges the Government of Myanmar to seize this opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to ending human rights abuses across Burma by actively engaging in prison reform, starting with the most pressing issue of prison overcrowding...''
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) - AAPP
Date of publication: 2018-12-13
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-24
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Type: Individual Documents
Language: English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 740.52 KB 1.93 MB
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Title: Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Opinion No. 33/2016 concerning Shin Gambira (Myanmar)
Description: "...Disposition: 35. In the light of the foregoing, the Working Group renders the following opinion: The deprivation of liberty of Mr. Gambira was arbitrary, being in contravention with Articles 10 and 13 of the UDHR; it falls within category II of the categories applicable to the consideration of the cases submitted to the Working Group. 36. Consequent upon the opinion rendered, the Working Group requests the Government to take the necessary steps to remedy the situation of Mr. Gambira and bring it into conformity with the standards and principles set forth in the UDHR. 37. The Working Group believes that, taking into account all the circumstances of the case, including the release of Mr. Gambira, the adequate remedy would be to accord him an enforceable right to compensation..."
Source/publisher: United Nations - Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
Date of publication: 2016-09-07
Date of entry/update: 2016-11-04
[field_licence]
Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 113.51 KB
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Title: Handbook on Habeas Corpus in Myanmar - Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Description: နိဒါန်းနှင့် အနှစ်ချုပ် အပြည်ပြည်ဆိုင်ရာဥပဒေမှ လူသားတစ်ဦးချင်း၏ အခွင့်အရေးဖြစ်သည့် လွတ်လပ်ခွင့်ကို တရား လက်လွတ်ဆုံးရှုံးခံရမှုအပေါ် လျင်မြန်သော တရားရေးကျင့်ထုံးဥပဒေ ဆောင်ရွက်ပေးခြင်း အခွင့်အရေးအတွက် အာမခံပေးထားရာ ၎င်းတွင် အမှီအခိုကင်း၍ ဘက်မလိုက်သည့်တရားရုံးမှ ၎င်းတို့အား ဥပဒေအရ ထိန်းသိမ်းခံထား ရမှုအပေါ် သုံးသပ်ပြီး မှားယွင်းစွာထိန်းသိမ်းခံရသူများအား လွှတ်ပေးရန် အမိန့်ပေးပိုင်ခွင့်ရှိသည်။1 အဆိုပါ လုပ်ထုံး လုပ်နည်းသည် အင်္ဂလိပ်ရိုးရာဥပဒေ (common law) ကို အခြေခံထားသော ဥပဒေစနစ်များပါ လျှောက်ထားလွှာ ဖြစ်သည့် တရားရုံးရှေ့တော်သွင်း စာချွန်တော်အမိန့်ကို ယေဘုယျအားဖြင့် ရည်ညွှန်းပါသည်။2 ယင်းအခွင့်အရေး သည် ဖမ်းဆီးခြင်း သို့မဟုတ် ထိန်းသိမ်းခြင်းခံရမှုမှ လွတ်မြောက်ခွင့်ကို တရားလက်လွတ်ဆုံးရှုံးခြင်း ကြုံတွေ့သည့် မည်သူမဆို တရားရုံးတွင် အမှုခင်းဆိုင်ရာဆောင်ရွက်ချက်ရပိုင်ခွင့်ရှိသည်။ သို့မှသာ တရားရုံးမှ နှောင့်နှေးမှုမရှိဘဲ ထိန်းသိမ်းမှုသည် ဥပဒေနှင့်အညီ ဖြစ်၊ မဖြစ်ကို ဆုံးဖြတ်ပေးပြီး၊ အကယ်၍ တရားဥပဒေနှင့် အညီမဖြစ်ပါက ပြန်လည်လွှတ်ပေးရန် အမိန့်ထုတ်ဆင့်ခြင်းပြုရမည်။3 တရားရုံးတွင် ထိန်းသိမ်းခြင်းဆိုင်ရာ တရားဝင်မှု ရှိ၊ မရှိ (lawfulness)ကို စိန်ခေါ်နိုင်ခွင့်သည် မိမိကိုယ် ကိုရပ်တည်နိုင်သည့် လူ့အခွင့်အရေးတစ်ရပ်ဖြစ်ပြီး ၎င်းအား ငြင်းကွယ်ခြင်းသည် လူ့အခွင့်အရေး ချိုးဖောက်မှု တစ်ရပ်ပင် ဖြစ်သည်။4 တရားရုံးရှေ့တော်သွင်းစာချွန်တော်အမိန့်သည် ပုဂ္ဂလိကဆိုင်ရာ လွတ်လပ်မှု သို့မဟုတ် ရုပ်ပိုင်းဆိုင်ရာ ဂုဏ်သိက္ခာကို တရားစီရင်ရေးအမိန့်ဒီဂရီအားဖြင့် ကာကွယ်မှုပေးရာ ၎င်းတွင် ထိန်းသိမ်းခံရသူအား တရားသူကြီးမျက်မှောက်သို့ ခေါ်ဆောင်ရန် အမိန့်ထုတ်ဆင့်ပြီး ထိန်းသိမ်းခံရသူသည် ဥပဒေနှင့်အညီ ထိန်းသိမ်း ခြင်းဖြစ်သည်ကို ဆုံးဖြတ်နိုင်ခြင်း၊ သင့်တင့်လျောက်ပတ်ပါက ထိန်းသိမ်းခံရသူကို ပြန်လည်လွှတ်ပေးနိုင်ရန် အမိန့် ထုတ်ဆင့်နိုင်ခြင်းတို့ကို ဆောင်ရွက်နိုင်ပါသည်။5 မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ၏ စစ်တပ်အုပ်ချုပ်ရေးလက်အောက်တွင် ဥပဒေအရသော်လည်းကောင်း သို့တည်းမဟုတ် လက် တွေ့ဆောင်ရွက်မှုအားဖြင့်သော်လည်းကောင်း ဥပဒေနှင့်အညီဖမ်းဆီးခြင်းနှင့် ထိန်းသိမ်းခြင်းအား သုံးသပ်သည့် တရားစီရင်ရေးအတွက် ထိရောက်သောယန္တရား မရှိခဲ့ပေ။6 မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ၏ ၂၀၀၈ ဖွဲ့စည်းပုံအခြေခံဥပဒေရှိ ကြီးမား သော (မမျှော်လင့်ထားသော) တိုးတက်မှုတစ်ရပ်မှာ တရားရုံးရှေ့တော်သွင်း စာချွန်တော်အမိန့်ဆိုင်ရာ စာချွန် တော်အမိန့်ကို ပြန်လည်မိတ်ဆက်ထည့်သွင်းပေးခြင်းဖြစ်သည်။7 ထိုအချိန်မှစ၍ အစိုးရက ?၂၀၁၄ ခုနှစ် စာချွန်တော် အမိန့် လျှောက်ထားမှုဆိုင်ရာဥပဒေ” ကိုပြဋ္ဌန်းခဲ့ပြီး ပြည်ထောင်စုတရားလွှတ်တော်ချုပ်မှ အဆိုပါဥပဒေကို အကောင် အထည်ဖော်ဆောင်ရွက်မှုအတွက် နည်းဥပဒေသများနှင့် လုပ်ထုံးလုပ်နည်းများကို ပြဋ္ဌာန်းပေးထားပါသည်။8တရားစီရင်ရေးဆိုင်ရာ ပြုပြင်ပြောင်းလဲရေးနှင့် လူ့အခွင့်အရေးကာကွယ်မှု အားကောင်းလာစေရေး လုပ် ငန်းစဉ်ကို ကူညီတွန်းအားပေးရန်အတွက် အပြည်ပြည်ဆိုင်ရာ ဥပဒေပညာရှင်များကော်မရှင် (ICJ) အနေဖြင့် နိုင်ငံ တကာဥပဒေနှင့် မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ၏လက်ရှိ ပြည်တွင်းဥပဒေတို့အရ တရားရုံးရှေ့တော်သွင်း စာချွန်တော်အမိန့်နှင့် စပ်ဆက်မှုရှိသည့် ဥပဒေဆိုင်ရာ ဤဆွေးနွေးမှုစာတမ်းကို ရေးသားထားပါသည်။ အောက်ပါအချက်များသည့် အထူးအရေးပါသော အချက်များဖြစ်သည်။ • တရားလက်လွတ် သို့မဟုတ် တရားမဝင် ဖမ်းဆီးခြင်း (သို့မဟုတ်) ထိန်းသိမ်းခြင်းကို စိန်ခေါ်မှုပြုရန်အတွက် အပြည်ပြည်ဆိုင်ရာစံနှုန်း?
Source/publisher: International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)
Date of publication: 2016-04-30
Date of entry/update: 2016-06-28
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Type: Individual Documents
Language: Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
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Title: Handbook on Habeas Corpus in Myanmar (English)
Description: "...International law guarantees the right of all individuals deprived of their liberty to an expeditious judicial procedure in which an independent and impartial court reviews the legality of their detention and orders the release of individuals wrongfully detained.1 This right is commonly referred to as ?habeas corpus? in legal systems that are based on common law. The right entitles anyone who is deprived of liberty by arrest or detention to take proceedings before a court, in order that the court may decide without delay on the lawfulness of the detention and order release if the detention is not lawful. The right to challenge the lawfulness of detention before a court is a self-standing human right, the denial of which constitutes a human rights violation. Habeas corpus protects personal liberty or physical integrity by means of a judicial decree ordering the appropriate authorities to bring the detained person before a judge so that the lawfulness of the detention may be determined and, if appropriate, the release of the detainee ordered. In Myanmar under military rule from 1962 until 2008, there was no effective mechanism to challenge the lawfulness of detention before a court. One of the major (and unanticipated) improvements in Myanmar?s 2008 Constitution was the reintroduction of the writ of habeas corpus. Since then, the government has passed an ?Application of Writs Act 2014” and the Supreme Court has promulgated rules and procedures for its implementation. In order to assist and propel the process of judicial reform and strengthen the protection of human rights, the International Commission of Jurists provides this discussion of the law relevant to the writ of habeas corpus under international law as well as Myanmar?s current national law. The following are of particular significance: • Analysis of international standards for challenging arbitrary or unlawful arrest or detention (including that which results in torture and ill-treatment of detainees)... • Analysis of Myanmar?s current legal framework for the Constitutional writ of habeas corpus... • Analysis of the seemingly forgotten and underutilized procedure for challenging arbitrary arrest and detention (similar to the writ of habeas corpus) under Section 491 of the 1898 Code of Criminal Procedure... • Analysis of the few publicly available recent petitions for the writ of habeas corpus... • Analysis of relevant existing precedents (pre-1962) from the Myanmar judiciary?s case law on habeas corpus....."
Source/publisher: International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)
Date of publication: 2016-04-30
Date of entry/update: 2016-06-27
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Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: ?After release I had to restart my life from the beginning” - The Experiences of Ex-political Prisoners in Burma and Challenges to Reintegration
Description: Executive Summary: "Since 1962, between 7,000 and 10,000 political prisoners have been imprisoned in Burma. Whilst a multitude of anecdotal records exist, there is very little comprehensive data concerning the torture and mistreatment experienced by political prisoners within Burma?s interrogation centers and jails. Nor is there comprehensive data on the challenges political prisoners face upon release. Between January 2014 and July 2015, AAPP and FPPS collected data on the experiences of ex-PPs by surveying ex-PPs throughout Burma and along the Thailand-Burma border. The findings of data collected on 1,621 ex-PPs inform this report, which seeks to reveal the widespread mistreatment of, and systematic use of torture against political prisoners in Burma, and makes a case for reparations for ex-PPs as part of transitional justice. In 2005 AAPP released The Darkness We See: Torture in Burma?s Interrogation Centers and Prisons, a report detailing torture and ill-treatment inflicted on political prisoners in interrogation centers and prisons based on interviews with 35 ex-PPs. The 2005 report made a number of recommendations to the then military government regarding the imprisonment and mistreatment of political prisoners, however these were largely ignored. Rather than rectifying the mistakes of the previous military regimes, President Thein Sein?s government continued to imprison and mistreat those who sought to defend their civil and political liberties. In fact in early 2015, the United Nations (?UN”) High Commissioner for Human Rights observed that although Burma had promised to end the era of political prisoners, it ?now seems intent on creating a new generation by jailing people who seek to enjoy the democratic freedoms that have been promised.” Thus the ex-PP population in Burma continued to grow. Since the NLD-led government assumed power following their landslide win in the November 2015 general elections, a number of political prisoners have been released. A new dawn of a Burma free from political prisoners finally seems within reach, and it is hoped that the new government will oversee the release of all remaining political prisoners in the near future. In light of the recent wave of political prisoner releases, and given the reintegration issues faced by ex-PPs post-release, this report by AAPP and FPPS and its recommendations comes at a pertinent and crucial time..... Chapter 1 (Overview of the Political Prisoner Situation) provides an overview of the political prisoner situation in Burma from the 1962 military takeover to the post-2011 quasi-civilian Burma Government ruled by President Thein Sein, during which time civil and political rights were routinely quashed and those attempting to exercise their fundamental freedoms were systematically imprisoned..... Chapter 2 (Methodology) outlines the objective, scope and methodology of the report. The primary objective was to examine the life experiences of ex-PPs in Burma, including the human rights violations encountered following arrest, during interrogation and in prison, and the difficulties faced since their release. The research, carried out between January 2014 and July 2015, involved surveying and interviewing ex-PPs throughout Burma and along the Thailand-Burma border. The final research yielded 1,621 surveys and six comprehensive interviews, the findings of which inform this report..... Chapter 3 (Abuse of the Judicial System) reveals how the judicial system in Burma, characterized by institutionalized corruption, inefficiency and military influence, allowed previous governments to criminalize and impede the activities undertaken by those that have sought to protect their civil and political rights. Based on the findings from the data, this chapter describes the circumstances under which the ex-PPs were arrested and imprisoned, highlighting the way in which the authorities have abused the judicial system in Burma in order to silence political dissidents..... Chapter 4 (Torture in Interrogation Centers and Prisons) describes how, despite the legal framework prohibiting torture of prisoners, political prisoners have been subject to torture in Burma?s interrogation centers and prisons, not only to extract confessions and information, but also to punish, degrade and humiliate. The data provides strong evidence as to the widespread and systematic manner in which torture has been employed in Burma against activists..... Chapter 5 (Mistreatment in Prison) reveals the illtreatment endured by political prisoners in Burma?s prisons, where detainees are frequently denied their basic rights. The prison authorities systematically mistreat and dehumanize political prisoners, violating not only international standards for prisoners but also Burma?s own standards set out in domestic law. Squalid prison conditions, a basic lack of hygiene, inadequate provisions of food and water, and poor levels of healthcare are major causes of a myriad of physical and psychological illnesses amongst detainees..... Chapter 6 (Barriers to Reintegration) depicts the grim reality political prisoners are forced to live in post-release. The multitude of restrictions ex-PPs face, in addition to the lingering effects of imprisonment, and social stigmatization, pose major barriers to successful reintegration. Ex-PPs in Burma face a series of limitations including travel restrictions; denial of education and employment opportunities; financial hardships; social exclusion; family tensions and ongoing health issues..... Chapter 7 (Reparations) makes the case for reparations for ex-PPs as part of transitional justice in Burma, outlining Burma?s legal obligations to provide reparations under international law. While civil society organizations have been providing services to ex-PPs in the absence of government led initiatives, it remains the responsibility of the Burma Government to provide such support as part of wider reparations. Government-led reparations for ex-PPs in other countries are examined, along with their relevance to Burma..... Chapter 8 (Conclusion) concludes that even after political prisoners have been released in Burma, their hardships are far from over, and the road to reintegration is made almost impossible by a number of stringent restrictions placed upon them by the authorities, and the lingering effects of their harsh imprisonment. Thus, it is crucial that assistance is made available to them to ensure successful reintegration and national reconciliation..... Chapter 9 (Recommendations) makes a number of key policy recommendations to the new Burma Government in terms of providing reparations to ex-PPs and their families as part of transitional justice. Based on the research, these recommendations encompass satisfaction, restitution, rehabilitation, compensation, and guarantees of nonrepetition, which if implemented will bring about positive change for ex-PPs and prove the government?s commitment to producing national reconciliation. Recommendations are also made to political parties and civil society groups in Burma, and to the international community, to urge the Burma Government to implement the recommendations and to assist ex-PPs and their families where possible in the interim."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPPB); Former Political Prisoners Society (FPPS)
Date of publication: 2016-05-25
Date of entry/update: 2016-05-26
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Type: Individual Documents
Language: English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
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Title: Report Reveals Unending Struggles for Political Prisoners
Description: "Than Than Htay, a 50-year-old former political prisoner, feels insecure whenever one of her family members yells at her cat, a companion she brought with her upon her release from prison five years ago. ?They would say ?Put that cat back in prison!? and I felt really insecure because I sometimes wondered if they wanted my cat or me to be back in prison again,” she told The Irrawaddy at the report launch of ?After Release I Had To Restart My Life From the Beginning” in Rangoon on Wednesday. The report gathered data from more than 1,600 former political prisoners from January 2014 to July 2015, and was published by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) (AAPP) and the Former Political Prisoners Society (FPPS). It examines the life experiences of Burma?s former political prisoners and the mistreatment that they encountered in prisons under the military regime. According to the report, Burma has had between 7,000 and 10,000 political prisoners since 1962..."
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy"
Date of publication: 2016-05-25
Date of entry/update: 2016-05-26
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Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: AAPPB-2016-05-25-After release-bu-red
Source/publisher: Online Burma/Myanmar Library (obl/docs22)
Date of entry/update: 2016-05-25
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Type: Individual Documents
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Title: Myanmar: New expression meets old repression: Ending the cycle of political arrests and imprisonment in Myanmar
Description: "Since it came to power in March 2011, the government in Myanmar has embarked on a major transition from five decades of authoritarian military rule towards a more open political system. However, despite these reforms, activists continue to face arrest, prosecution and imprisonment for their peaceful activities. This report highlights the pattern of politically motivated arrest and imprisonment since the start of 2014. It offers concrete recommendations to the new government to respect the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, and to put an end to the repressive practices which fuel arbitrary arrests and imprisonment."
Source/publisher: Amnesty International
Date of publication: 2016-03-24
Date of entry/update: 2016-03-25
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Type: Individual Documents
Language: English and Burmese
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 889.54 KB 1.21 MB
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Title: I Want to See a Burma Where We Accept Diversity: Student Leader and Former Political Prisoner Sithu Maung
Description: "The student movement has historically played a central role in the pro-democracy struggle in Burma. Sithu Maung, a 27-year-old university student is one of the many who have paid a heavy price for their involvement in the movement. Sithu Maung was arrested in 2007 for re-founding the outlawed All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU), and for his role in leading the 2007 Saffron Revolution. In September 2007, Sithu Maung participated in the peaceful demonstrations with monks and other protestors, demanding to be allowed to form student unions and calling for democracy. Sithu Maung witnessed his fellow students being shot by the military, and although he escaped the crackdown, authorities soon found him. Sithu Maung was sentenced to 11 years in prison. After his release in the 2012 amnesty for political prisoners, Sithu Maung continued his political activities and founded the Confederation of University Students? Unions (CUSU), which has played an active role in the recent negotiations for democratic education and in promoting the students? rights in Burma. Sithu Maung applied to the NLD (National League for Democracy) to be a candidate in the upcoming 2015 general election, but his application, along with all Muslim candidates, was rejected. Sithu Maung now dreams of preparing himself to become a member of parliament one day and advocating for minority rights and dignity."
Source/publisher: Burma Link
Date of publication: 2015-10-02
Date of entry/update: 2016-03-16
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Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: We Were Arrested, Please Tell the People!: Former Political Prisoner ? PART 1
Description: "n 1996, Chit Min Lay was a young university student full of dreams, wishing to become a literature man and a poet. He was about to finish his four-year degree at the University of Rangoon when the young student became interested in politics and activism. At 22 years of age, he was among the youngest to participate in the student demonstrations in December 1996, the biggest since the countrywide 8888 uprising, when thousands had been killed in a brutal military crackdown. In the 1996 demonstrations nearly a decade later, Chit Min Lay and hundreds of others were beaten and arrested by the police, taken to a Burmese army camp, and intimidated before their release. After another student demonstration a few days later, authorities closed all the universities ? Chit Min Lay and his fellow students went underground, and planned the next large scale demonstrations for August and September 1998. This time, Chit Min Lay was not released. He was sentenced for 31 years in prison."... See the Alternate link for part 2
Source/publisher: Burma Link
Date of publication: 2015-10-15
Date of entry/update: 2016-03-16
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Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Briefing Paper: Medical Crisis for Political Prisoners of Letpadan Case
Description: Overview: "There has been a significant deterioration in the health and well-being of 53 students and supporters who have been detained without bail for nine months at Thayawaddy prison. Their criminal trial has now dragged on for nine months. I f convicted, they could face up to ten years in prison. Because the arrest was in violation of their rights to free speech and peaceful assembly, which are meant to be protected under the 2008 Constitution (Article 354) and various provisions of international law, the detainees are recognized as political prisoners by human rights groups around the world. Many of the detainees are suffering from serious untreated medical conditions due to the brutal beatings inflicted by police during their arrest , the unsanitary conditions of their detainment , and the lack of medical treatment . Their urgent efforts to access treatment have been repeatedly denied by the presiding judge and prison authorities. Multiple pet it ions to the Government of Myanmar for redress have also been ignored. As a result , several detainees have developed life- threatening illnesses, including tuberculosis, severe hyper tension, and gastrointestinal diseases. Under international and domestic law, the Government is responsible for ensuring the safety and well-being of all prisoners. Instead of fulfilling this legal duty, authorities have consistently denied the rights of Thayawaddy detainees? first by depriving them of liberty without lawful cause, second by conducting an unfair trial with lengthy delays and a lack of due process, and third by placing their health and lives at risk by refusing to provide adequate medical care. This briefing paper focuses on the third issue? the failure to provide medical treatment . This is a clear violation of law and obligates the Government to take immediate steps to care for the well-being of the political prisoners. The briefing paper has four sect ions: 1. Factual background of the Leptadan crackdown and trial process; 2. Applicable legal framework; 3. Key findings from a medical survey given to the detainees in November ; 4. Summary of a report by an independent team of doctors who examined the detainees during prison visits in August and November. The paper concludes with a call to the Government to fulfill its responsibilities by providing detainees with immediate access to proper medical treatment, and more broadly, to drop all pending criminal charges and grant them unconditional release."
Source/publisher: All Burma Federation of Student Unions, Justice Trust, and Letpadan Justice Committee
Date of publication: 2015-11-30
Date of entry/update: 2016-02-24
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Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Size: 4.5 MB
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Title: ?Going back to the old ways? - A new generation of prisoners of conscience in Myanmar
Description: "Myanmar?s authorities have been locking up and harassing scores of peaceful activists as part of an intensifying and far-reaching crackdown ahead of November?s elections, Amnesty International said as it launched a new campaign to free prisoners of conscience today. A new Amnesty International briefing ? ?Back to the old ways? ? exposes how repression has drastically picked up pace over the past two years, in stark contrast to official claims that not a single person is imprisoned for peacefully exercising their rights. The organization believes there are at least 91 prisoners of conscience currently behind bars in Myanmar, although the actual number is likely to be higher. This represents a dramatic increase since a wide-ranging presidential pardon at the end of 2013 when Amnesty International was aware of just two prisoners of conscience. ?Myanmar?s government is trying to spin an alternate reality where all is rosy for human rights, which the international community is far too eager to accept. The reality on the ground could not be more different. Authorities have intensified a chilling crackdown on freedom of expression over the past year,” said Laura Haigh, Amnesty International?s Myanmar Researcher..."
Source/publisher: Amnesty International
Date of publication: 2015-10-07
Date of entry/update: 2015-10-07
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Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
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Title: ?Going back to the old ways? - A new generation of prisoners of conscience in Myanmar လမ်းဟောင်းကိ ြ ပနသ် ာွ းြ ခင်း ြ မန်မာနုငိ ်ငံမ ှ ယုံြ ကည်ချက်?
Description: ၂၀၁၅ နုဝိ င်ဘာလ ၈ ရက်နေ့တွင် မြန်မာနုငိ ်ငံတွင် အများက မျှော်လင့်နေကြသော အထွေထွေရွေးကောက်ပမွ ဲ ျား ကျင်းပတော့မည် ဖြစ်ပါသည်။ ဤရွေးကောက်ပမွ ဲ ျားမှာ နှစ်ပေါင်း ငါးဆယ်ခန့် စစ်အုပ်ချုပ်ရေး အပြီး သမ္မတဦးသိန်းစိန် ၏ အရပ်သားတစ်ဝက် အစိုးရ ၂၀၁၁ ခုနှစ်တွင် တက်လာပြီးသည့်နောက် ပထမဆုံး ကျင်းပသည့် အထွေထွေရွေးကောက်ပ ွ ြဲဖစ်သည်။ ရွေးကောက်ပွမဲ ျား ကျင်းပချနိ ်သည် အစိုးရက ၎င်းတို့ နုငိ ်ငံရေး၊ စီးပွားရေး၊ လူမှုရေး ပြုပြင်ပြောင်းလဲမှုများကို ပြုလုပ်ခဲ့ပြီး တိုးတက်ဖြစ်ထွန်းမှုများ ရရှေ ိ နပါပြီဆိုသော သတင်းစကားကို နုငိ ်ငံတကာ အသိုင်းအဝိုင်းကို ပြသနုငိ ်ခဲ့ပြီဟူသော မျှော်လင့်ချက်များ ရှေ ိ နချနိ ်လည်း ဖြစ်ပါသည်။ ?ရွေးကောက်ပွေဲတွ နီးလာတာနဲ့ ပွင့်ပွင့်လင်းလင်း ထုတ်ဖော်ပြောဆိုသူအများအပြားလည်း အဖမ်းခံလာရတယ်၊ ကျွန်တော်ကတော့ တော်တော် စိတ်ပူပါတယ်၊ တက်ကြွလှုပ်ရှားသူတွေ စွခဲ ျက်အမျုးိမျုးိနဲ့ ရင်ဆိုင်ရတယ်၊ ဒီအခြေအနေကို အစိုးရက ဖန်တီးထားတာပါ၊ ကြိုက်တဲ့အချနိ ်မှာ ကြိုက်တဲ့သူကို သူတို့ ခေါ်သွားလို့ ရနေတယ်။” မန္တလေးမှ လူ့အခွင့်အရေးတက်ကြွလှုပ်ရှားသူ တစ်ဦး၊ ဇူလိုင် ၂၀၁၅။ သို့ရာတွင် တက်ကြ ွအားကောင်းစပြုလာသော မြန်မာ့ အရပ်ဖက် လူ့အဖွ့အဲ စည်း အသိုင်းအဝိုင်းမှ လူအများ အကြားတွင်မူ ပြည်တွင်း အခြေအနေများမှာ အစိုးရပုံဖော်သလောက် လှပတင့်တယ်မှု မရှကြိ ပေ။ ၂၀၁၄ခုနှစ် နှစ်ဆန်းမှ စတင်၍ အစိုးရသည် ယခင် စစ်အစိုးရအသုံးပြုခဲ့သော နည်းလမ်းများအတိုင်း ပြည်တွင်းမှ ငြိမ်းချမ်းသော လှုပ်ရှားမှုများနှင့် အတိုက်အခံ အသံများကို ဖိနှပိ ်ချုပ်ခြယ်ရန် ကြိုးပမ်းလာခဲ့သည်။ လူ့အခွင့်အရေး လှုပ်ရှားသူများ၊ နုငိ ်ငံရေး လှုပ်ရှားသူများနှင့် အရပ်ဖက် လူ့အဖွ့အဲ စည်းမှ လှုပ်ရှားတက်ကြွသူများသည်း ၎င်းတို့၏ လွတ်လပ်စွာ ထုတ်ဖော်ပြောဆိုခွင့်၊ ဖ့စွ ဲည်းလှုပ်ရှားခွင့်နှင့် စုဝေးခွင့်များကို ပိုမိုတင်းကြပ်စွာ ဖိနပှ ိ ်ကန့်သတ်မှုများနှင့် ရင်ဆိုင်လာကြရသည်။ အကျုးိဆက်မှာ မိမိတို့၏ အခွင့်အရေးများကို ငြိမ်းချမ်းစွာ ကျင့်သုံးသူ အများအပြား ဖမ်းဆီးထိန်းသိမ်းခံလာရပြီး မြန်မာနုငိ ်ငံတွင် ယုံကြည်ချက်ကြောင့် အကျဉ်းချခံနေရသော မျုးိဆက်အသစ်တစ်ခု ပေါ်ထွန်းလာခြင်း ဖြစ်သည်။ ?၂၀၁၂ နဲ့ ၂၀၁၃ မှာတော့ အခြေအနေတွေက အများကြီးကောင်းခဲ့ပါသေးတယ်၊ ၂၀၁၄ ကနေ ၂၀၁၅ ရောက်လာတော့ လူတွေ စခွ ဲ ျက်တွေတင်ခံရ ထောင်ချခံရတာတွေ ဖြစ်လာတယ်။” သက်သက်အောင် (နုငိ ်ငံရေး အကျဉ်းသူဟောင်း) ဇွန် ၂၀၁၅။
Source/publisher: Amnesty International
Date of publication: 2015-10-07
Date of entry/update: 2015-10-07
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Type: Individual Documents
Language: Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
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Title: MYANMAR: DEMAND RELEASE OF MYANMAR LABOUR ACTIVISTS
Description: "Two labour activists are currently on trial for providing striking garment workers in Myanmar advice on their rights. Two other union leaders have already been sentenced to two years and six months in prison for their role in leading and supporting the workers. All four are prisoners of conscience who must be released immediately and unconditionally."
Source/publisher: Amnesty International
Date of publication: 2015-09-28
Date of entry/update: 2015-09-29
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Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: BURMA/MYANMAR: Some political prisoners in Burma still without redress
Description: "Recently the President of Burma has been granting amnesty to political prisoners across the country. However, these grants have not reached every case, and do not address some of the most recent issues involving politically motivated mass arrests. Specifically, the government?s newspaper, The Global New Light of Myanmar has published a list of political prisoners that have not been granted amnesty. Moreover, the last year has seen a dramatic number of farmers arrested and locked up by the military while trying to regain possession of their own lands. A list of remaining political prisoners and the charges for which they are serving their sentences; 27 out of 30 have been published in state?s own newspaper on 1 November 2014. According to the list, a significant number of the prisoners are from ethnic armed groups, who are charged over bombings. The list however, fails to address the issue that many are being punished without having had any chance to defend themselves in military court. Additionally, some cases include information that appears to suggest the law is being violated regarding the criminal sentencing of the otherwise political prisoners. The situation is not just a holdover from the former military government. The most recent prisoners, La Phine Gam and Bran Yong, were convicted over alleged involvement in a militant ethnic based anti-government group and several bombings in 2012. The two men were interrogated and tortured. The court, aware that they had been tortured, created two criminal charges against them base on the confession extracted through torture, and convicted them without any other evidence..."
Source/publisher: Asia Human Rights Commission
Date of publication: 2014-11-07
Date of entry/update: 2015-04-25
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Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: ?This moment? (English, Burmese/ မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Description: "It was past midnight of December 1, 1958, around the strike of one. […] The beam from a flashlight shining into the mosquito net accompanied by the sound of shoes woke my sleeping wife and me. ?Maung… get up… I think it?s the police. They?ve come right into the bedroom.? ?Huh… really?? I said, rolling from bed to outside of the net and coming face to face with Special Branch Inspector Ko Aung Hpe, holding the flashlight, and U Ba Thaung, at the head of the bedstead......In this manner on December 2, 1958 I arrived at the Insein Prison Annexe. From there, starting with Insein Central Prison I arrived at Prome Prison, Thayet Prison, and then the unforgettable Coco Island Prison. […] My life is now simply the life of a section 5 detainee who cannot count the days to his release. Even people who have committed serious crimes like murder, armed robbery and rape can count the days to their release on their fingers. But how can I count? Now I doubt the expression ?a moment?. The term ?a moment? that I and you the reader use is a moment with a time limit. However, ?that moment? of which the police officers speak has no limit. ?That moment? is a moment without end or beginning. This moment that has lasted one year, five months and 12 days has for me been a lifetime..."
Maung Chit Yi (trans. Nick Cheesman)
Source/publisher: Section five from Coco Island
Date of publication: 1960-06-01
Date of entry/update: 2014-08-21
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Type: Individual Documents
Language: English, Burmese/ မြန်မာဘာသာ
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Size: 648.37 KB 5.88 MB
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Title: The Incongruous Return of Habeas Corpus to Myanmar
Description: CONCLUSION: "Where the role of the courts is to assist in a state programme, rather than check executive power, policy directives can be implemented through the judiciary in the same way as through the administrative bureaucracy. By contrast, systems like those in Sri Lanka or Nepal may be defective and compromised but judges in them do still adjudicate more according to the terms of law than according to the dictates of executive officers. Ironically, a corrupted policy-implementing judicial system like that in Myanmar can be mistaken for an efficient system in contrast to its functionally separate counterparts, because its efficiency derives from the carrying out of orders and urgency to make money through the exercise of authority, not from integrity or professionalism of the sort that courts in other countries struggle to achieve, however imperfectly and half-heartedly. This is the real incongruity of habeas corpus as an element in the 2008 Constitution of Myanmar. Habeas corpus is premised on the idea that courts have the power to compel soldiers, police and other officials to follow their orders. In Myanmar, where the judiciary is a proxy for the executive, judges have this power only where they have the approval and backing of higher executive authorities. Whereas in certain authoritarian settings the courts have retained nominal legal power over other parts of government but have been unable or unwilling to exercise it at certain times because of extenuating circumstances, in Myanmar the problem is much more basic. Myanmar?s courts don?t have effective authority over other parts of government at all. Their capacity to review the activities of state agencies and agents is limited to what the executive permits them. Under these circumstances, not only is the reintroducing of habeas corpus a figment but so too is any constitutional commitment to protect the individual, because all such legal commitments are delimited by higher administrative imperatives. Only where legal and administrative objectives coincide can the former prevail. The incongruity of habeas corpus in the new constitution percolates throughout the charter?s contents, and through the extant state institutions that will be responsible for establishing new institutions in accordance with its terms following general elections. Where the armed forces rather than the judiciary have responsibility to safeguard the constitution and uphold the rule of law, statements of citizens? rights are perverse. Where the state has subordinated legality to policy and detached policy from any coherent ideology, no amount of technical or procedural rearranging can effect significant change. Because the new constitution is a vague expression that is not binding on its guardian, ultimately it contains no guarantees, whether for a political detainee, an ordinary under-trial accused or anyone else."
Nick Cheesman
Source/publisher: "Ruling Myanmar From Cyclone Nargis to National Elections", Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), Singapore, pp. 90-111
Date of publication: 2010-08-25
Date of entry/update: 2014-08-18
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Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
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Title: Myanmar mourns Win Tin
Description: "Thousands of people streamed through a funeral hall here on Wednesday to pay last respects to Win Tin, one of Myanmar?s most respected political activists and journalists. Self-opinionated and unbowed by authority, Win Tin was a leading figure in the country?s military suppressed pro-democracy movement as a political prisoner for nearly two decades. He died earlier this week of kidney failure at the age of 85. Released from prison in a general amnesty in 2008, Win Tin remained a thorn in the side of the country?s military leaders until the end. "We should never compromise with the army," he told this writer shortly before he was hospitalized last year. "If they don?t change the constitution, including [amendments] allowing Aung San Suu Kyi to become president, we should take to the streets and protest. The people want change..."
Larry Jagan
Source/publisher: "Asia Times Online"
Date of publication: 2014-04-25
Date of entry/update: 2014-05-27
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Language: English
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Title: BURMA/MYANMAR: Amnesty does not free all political detainees
Description: "The Asian Human Rights Commission welcomes Order No. 51/2013 of 30 December 2013 by the president of Burma (Myanmar), issuing a general amnesty for all persons imprisoned or facing trial or investigation for certain categories of political offences. The categories include persons accused or convicted of offences under the colonial-era Unlawful Associations Act, for charges of treason, sedition or disturbing the public tranquillity under the Penal Code (sections 122, 124A and 505[b]), the 2011 Peaceful Assembly and Procession Law, and the 1950 Emergency Provisions Act. According to latest reports, eligible prisoners are today being released from jails around the country. Image Courtesy: Flickr.com The order has been issued in order to fulfil the president?s commitment given previously that all political prisoners would be released by the end of 2013, both by ensuring the release from prison of people detained under political offences, and halting actions against people currently facing such charges. Insofar as it does this it has a general expediency; however, the amnesty fails to take into account the fact that now, as in the past, Burma?s prisons contain people detained for political reasons who have been charged with non-political offences..."
Source/publisher: Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
Date of publication: 2013-12-31
Date of entry/update: 2014-01-04
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Title: Right to Counsel: The Independence of Lawyers in Myanmar
Description: Lawyers continue to encounter impediments to the exercise of their professional functions and freedom of association, as well as pervasive corruption, although they have been able to act with greater independence, says the ICJ in a new report launched today. Right to Counsel: The Independence of Lawyers in Myanmar – based on interviews with 60 lawyers in practice in the country – says authorities have significantly decreased their obstruction of, and interference in, legal processes since the country began political reforms in 2011. ?The progress made in terms of freedom of expression and respect for the legal process is very visible,? said Sam Zarifi, ICJ Asia-Pacific director. ?But despite the improvements, lawyers still face heavy restrictions and attacks on their independence, which can result in uncertainty and fear, particularly when it comes to politically sensitive issues.? Systemic corruption continues to affect every aspect of a lawyer?s career and, as a result, is never absent from lawyers? calculations vis-?-vis legal fees, jurisdictions and overall strategy. ?Corruption is so embedded in the legal system that it is taken for granted,? Zarifi said. ?When the public also generally assumes that corruption undermines the legal system, this severely weakens the notion of rule of law.? ?Lawyers in Myanmar, as elsewhere, play an indispensable role in the fair and effective administration of justice,? Zarifi added. ?This is essential for the protection of human rights in the country and the establishment of an enabling environment for international cooperation towards investment and development.? But lawyers in Myanmar lack an independent Bar Council, the report says, noting that the Myanmar Bar Council remains a government-controlled body that fails to adequately protect the interests of lawyers in the country and promote their role in the fair and effective administration of justice. The ICJ report shows that other multiple long-standing and systemic problems affect the independence of lawyers, including the poor state of legal education and improper interferences on the process of licensing of lawyers. In its report, which presents a snapshot of the independence of lawyers in private practice in Myanmar in light of international standards and in the context of the country?s rapid and on-going transition, the ICJ makes a series of recommendations: The Union Attorney-General and Union Parliament should significantly reform the Bar Council to ensure its independence; The Union Attorney-General and Union Parliament should create a specialized, independent mechanism mandated with the prompt and effective criminal investigation of allegations of corruption; The Ministry of Education should, in consultation with the legal profession, commit to improving legal education in Myanmar by bolstering standards of admission to law school, law school curricula, and instruction and assessment of students.
Source/publisher: International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)
Date of publication: 2013-12-03
Date of entry/update: 2013-12-09
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Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
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Title: BURMA/MYANMAR: Activist sentenced to eleven years? jail for opposing army copper mine
Description: "...The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has previously issued a statement on the ongoing targeting and arrests of activists and farmers opposed to the expansion of an army-backed copper mining operation in the Letpadaung Hills of Sagaing Region (AHRC-STM-108-2013). In this appeal we bring you the full details of the numerous charges brought against one of those activists, Ko Aung Soe, who was arrested with two other persons for working with farmers organising against the mining operation. Aung Soe has now been sentenced to eleven-and-a-half years in jail in patently unfair trials that closely resemble those of the decades of military rule in Burma..."
Source/publisher: Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
Date of publication: 2013-08-12
Date of entry/update: 2013-08-12
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Title: Burma?s Forgotten Political Prisoners
Description: "The international community is normalising relations, praising reforms and lifting pressure on Burma despite the fact that the military-backed government keeps hundreds of political prisoners in jail. Hundreds of political prisoners remain in jail two years after the reform process started. The Burmese government has used releases of political prisoners as public relations exercises to achieve good publicity, and to persuade the international community to lift sanctions. The release of political prisoners is often timed to coincide with key political developments in order to try and convince the international community about the reforms...n addition, more activists and ethnic people are being arrested, and sometimes tortured brutally and forced to make false confessions. Following his visit to Burma in February 2013, the UN Special Rapporteur not only highlighted the on- going detention of political prisoners, but also the increasing reports of the use of torture against some detainees..."
Source/publisher: Burma Campaign UK (Burma Briefing 25)
Date of publication: 2013-04-30
Date of entry/update: 2013-05-27
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Language: English
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Title: BURMA: Former activist monk and demonstrators among detainees in wave of arrests
Description: "The Asian Human Rights Commission is concerned by a recent wave of arrests in Burma, signaling that continuation of repressive practices from earlier periods of direct military rule. Among those arrested are a number of leaders of recent demonstrations against a copper mining project in the north of the country, and a former monk who after his release from prison at the start of the year has been subjected to constant harassment and abuse. We are calling for the release of all these persons who have done nothing other than exercise their rights to participate in social life at a time that the government of Burma claims to be democratizing...."
Source/publisher: Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
Date of publication: 2012-12-06
Date of entry/update: 2012-12-06
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Title: BURMA: Court issues landmark ruling on death in police custody
Description: "In a landmark ruling, a court in Burma has rejected the police version of events that led to the death of a man in their custody, and has opened the door to a charge of murder to be brought against the officers involved. In its findings of 9 November 2012, a copy of which the Asian Human Rights Commission has obtained, the Mayangone Township Court ruled in the case of the deceased Myo Myint Swe that the death was unlikely to have been natural. Despite attempts by the police of the Bayinnaung Police Station to cover up the torture and murder of Myo Myint Swe, whom they had arrested over the death of a young woman, Judge Daw Aye Mya Theingi found that even though the investigating doctor had been equivocal about whether or not extensive external injuries caused by torture had resulted in the death, on the basis of the testimonies, written records and photographs submitted to the court, it was "difficult to conclude that the death was natural"..."
Source/publisher: Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
Date of publication: 2012-12-05
Date of entry/update: 2012-12-05
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Title: Arbitrary Arrests in Burma: a tool to repress critical voices
Description: "The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) is highly concerned that the government of Burma continues to use arbitrary arrest as a tool to hold members of the democracy and human rights movement behind bars often without formal charges. The highly celebrated political prisoner amnesties that occurred in 2012 have coincided with an alarming increase in the number of arbitrary arrests. The ongoing arrests suggest that Burma has made no significant progress towards protecting and promoting the fundamental civil and political liberties of the people. * Since January 2012, there has been a substantial increase in the number of activists and dissidents detained without any formal charges in Burma. We have documented at least 200 politically motivated arrests without formal charges in this eight month time period. Of these arrests, less than 60 have resulted in formal court proceedings. Many leave detention unsure whether they will face trial or not. It is clear that politically motivated arrests remains a favored tactic for suppressing critical voices of democracy and human rights. * There has been no trend towards emptying Burma?s prisons of political prisoners. The high rate of detentions documented since January 2012 indicate that the prisons in Burma are being restocked after a prisoner release. At least 200 individuals have been detained and arrested since January 2012. This is roughly half the number of political prisoners released in the same period and a major cause of concern. * The series of political prisoner amnesties since January 2012, resulting in the release of approximately 448 political prisoners, is not a reflection of a more welcoming environment for basic civil and political freedoms. Those who speak out continue to be intimidated and treated in a degrading manner consistent with extreme tactics used when Burma was under direct military rule. Common means of intimidation, which include sexual violence and beatings, are never investigated by the police or judiciary. * The arrest rates correlates to the highs and lulls in Burma popular resistance. For example, arrest rates are highest in the months of May, July, and September, which coincide with the protests against power cuts, commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the military crackdown on student demonstrations, and the copper mine and clothing factory protests respectively. In July, the number of new detentions climbed to 58, and in September, the number of detentions was 23, not including 13 peace network activists now facing sentences of 1 years in 10 different townships, amounting to a potential 10 year imprisonment on charges of breaching the protest bill."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma)
Date of publication: 2012-09-27
Date of entry/update: 2012-09-28
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Title: Locked In, Locked Out
Description: Election holds little hope for Burma?s political prisoners... "Violence, intimidation and arbitrary detention have no place in free, fair and credible elections. Where violence and intimidation are routine or accepted as a fact of life then the ruse of a ?free and fair? election must be exposed for what it is. Rather than bettering the lives of Burma?s 50 million people, the November election is increasing the threats that people face, on a daily basis, from the regime..."
Bo Kyi
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" Vol. 18, No. 10
Date of publication: 2010-09-30
Date of entry/update: 2012-07-22
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Title: "BURMA (MYANMAR): WORSENING REPRESSION"
Description: Arrests of Opposition Party Leaders and Candidates... The Ruling Against Aung San Suu Kyi... Restrictions on Freedom of Speech and Assembly... Forced Relocations of Civilians... Restrictions on Freedom of the Press... The Border Conflict... Forced Porterage... Student Refugees in Thailand... U.S. Policy... RECENT PUBLICATIONS FROM ASIA WATCH
Source/publisher: Human Right Watch/ Asia
Date of publication: 1990-03-11
Date of entry/update: 2012-07-15
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Title: "BURMA: POST-ELECTION ABUSES"
Description: BURMA: POST-ELECTION ABUSES... Background... Recent Demonstrations... Arrest and Torture of Political Prisoners Since the Elections... Execution of Political Prisoners... Continued Detention of Political Prisoners... Abuses of Civil Liberties... Abuses Against Refugees Returning from Thailand... Recommendations...
Source/publisher: "Human Right Watch/ Asia"
Date of publication: 1990-08-14
Date of entry/update: 2012-07-15
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Title: MYANMAR: Justice trade obstructing human rights in Myanmar
Description: A written statement submitted by the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC), a non-governmental organisation with general consultative status..... The Asian Legal Resource Centre has in numerous previous written statements submitted to the Human Rights Council and to its predecessor described how the politicization and decrepitude of Myanmar?s courts, policing and prosecution agencies are major obstacles to the enjoyment of basic human rights in the country. In the last year, as political conditions have begun to change, many organizations and concerned individuals have in turn begun to appreciate the extent to which the country?s justice system is indeed a heavy barrier to the realization of human rights. In particular, many people have begun to take seriously calls to study and develop responses to the pervasive corruption in the system. Meanwhile, public debate about corruption has steadily increased.
Source/publisher: Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC)
Date of publication: 2012-06-04
Date of entry/update: 2012-06-04
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Title: Myanmar: Recent developments related to human rights
Description: This report describes some of the human rights violations which have taken place in Myanmar between May and September 1990, including the arrest of political activists and ill-treatment of political prisoners. It reports the continuing detention of members and leaders of the National League for Democracy (NLD), namely: Aung San Suu Kyi, Tin U, Kyi Maung, Chit Kaing, Ohn Kyaing, Thein Dan, Ye Myint Aung, Sein Kla Aung, Kyi Hla, Sein Hlaing, Myo Myint Nyein, and Nyan Paw. Three leaders of the Democratic Party for a New Society have also been arrested: Kyi Win, Ye Naing, Ngwe Oo.
Source/publisher: Amnesty International (ASA 16/28/90)
Date of publication: 1990-11-01
Date of entry/update: 2012-05-08
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Title: Incident Report: Arbitrary detention and violent abuse in Dooplaya District, December 2011
Description: "This report includes a situation update submitted to KHRG in February 2012 by a villager describing events occurring in Dooplaya District in December 2011. The villager reported an incident that took place in H--- village on December 12th, during which Burmese soldiers from Battalion #--- arrested ten villagers on suspicion of their being KNLA soldiers because they had tattoos, and took them to T---. The village head petitioned the soldiers and secured the release of five of the villagers, and one other villager succeeded in escaping, however according to a villager trained by KHRG, the remaining four villagers were violently abused during a period of arbitrary detention that lasted two-and-a-half months, until their release on February 28th 2012."
Source/publisher: Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication: 2012-03-16
Date of entry/update: 2012-04-12
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Title: Political prisoner list is now 1,572 ? location of 918 confirmed and documented
Description: "...The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), AAPP has been verifying the political prisoner database in attempts to publicly account for each individual who has been unjustly detained and arrested for exercising their fundamental freedoms. AAPP can now verify there are at least 1,572 individuals in Burma who have been arrested and sentenced on political grounds and are believed to currently be in prison. There is an ongoing secondary verification process to confirm their current whereabouts, for example, whether they are in prison or have been released. The verification process is currently underway, and this does not mean there are only 918 political prisoners in Burma. AAPP maintains that the number of political prisoners is likely much higher, given the lack of access and reliable information in remote ethnic areas, monasteries, and during periods of mass arrests, compounded by the absolute lack of prison transparency in Burma. The number of verified political prisoners will continue to increase as the verification process continues, and AAPP will make sure to provide the public with consistent updates as to progress made..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma)
Date of publication: 2011-12-23
Date of entry/update: 2011-12-27
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Title: "Myanmar: Government must go further with prisoner release" - Amnesty International
Description: "The release of at least 120 political prisoners in Myanmar today is a minimum first step, and authorities must immediately and unconditionally release all remaining prisoners of conscience, Amnesty International said. Prisoners of conscience make up the majority of the political prisoners still jailed after the measure. ?This release of political prisoners is welcome, but is not consistent with the authorities? recent promises of political reform in Myanmar?, said Benjamin Zawacki, Amnesty International?s Myanmar researcher. ?Unless the figure rises substantially, it will constitute a relaxation of reform efforts rather than a bold step forward?...."
Source/publisher: Amnesty International
Date of publication: 2011-10-12
Date of entry/update: 2011-10-12
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Title: CRITERIA FOR AAPP?S DEFINITION OF A POLITICAL PRISONER
Description: "AAPP defines a political prisoner as anyone who is arrested because of his or her perceived or real active involvement or supporting role in political movements with peaceful or resistant means. AAPP maintains that the motivation behind the arrest of every individual in AAPP?s database is political, regardless of the laws they have been sentenced under..."...List of laws commonly used to arbitrarily detain activists or criminalize dissent.... N. B. the texts of all of these laws can be found in the Law And Constitution section of the Online Burma/Myanmar Library
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma)
Date of publication: 2011-09-30
Date of entry/update: 2011-10-11
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Title: The role of students in the 8888 People?s Uprising in Burma
Description: "...Twenty three years ago today, on 8 August 1988, hundreds of thousands of people flooded the streets of Burma demanding an end to the suffocating military rule which had isolated and bankrupted the country since 1962. Their united cries for a transition to democracy shook the core of the country, bringing Burma to a crippling halt. Hope radiated throughout the country. Teashop owners replaced their store signs with signs of protest, dock workers left behind jobs to join the swelling crowds, and even some soldiers were reported to have been so moved by the demonstrations to lay down their arms and join the protestors. There was so much promise...The leaders of the 88 generation have a particularly important role to play in the future of Burma. Not only are they widely admired but they have repeatedly shown their ability to unite ordinary people from all walks of life under a common cause: equality; self-determination; and democratization. This struggle for a unified Burma has been ongoing since independence and cannot be achieved unless there is an inclusive dialogue between the ruling ?civilian” regime, the National League for Democracy, and representatives of all ethnic nationality groups to discuss the future of a unified Burma. Until these issues are resolved, Burma will not transition into a peaceful, democratic, and developing country..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma)
Date of publication: 2011-08-08
Date of entry/update: 2011-09-08
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Title: BURMA: Supreme Court rules that judges holding trials inside prisons have no authority over their own courtrooms
Description: "In an astounding ruling that underscores the extent to which the judiciary in Burma has abdicated its authority in favour of the security services, a Supreme Court justice has ruled that permission or refusal of observers to attend trial hearings held inside prison facilities is not a matter for the presiding judges to decide. The ruling effectively means that judges holding trials inside Burma?s jails have no power over who comes in or goes out of the courtroom, which resides instead with the prison staff..."
Source/publisher: Asian Human Rights Commission
Date of publication: 2011-02-23
Date of entry/update: 2011-03-05
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Title: Members of Parliament Imprisoned Or Detained Without Trial
Description: Prisoners of conscience and NLD MPs-elect Dr. Than Nyein (m), 67, and Dr. May Win Myint (f), 55, have been imprisoned since October 1997 and are in poor states of health. They have each served a seven year prison sentence for organizing a meeting of opposition party members of the National League for Democracy (NLD). They have been detained without charge or trial since the expiry of their sentences and authorities have ordered that they remain in detention until January and February 2006 at the earliest. Both have medical problems, exacerbated by their treatment in detention. Dr. Than Nyein has repeatedly gone on hunger strike to protest his continued imprisonment and his health is believed to be deteriorating seriously. Amnesty International and reiterates calls on authorities for the immediate and unconditional release from detention of these two prisoners of conscience.
Source/publisher: Amnesty International
Date of publication: 2001-05-25
Date of entry/update: 2010-12-15
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Title: Cries from Insein
Description: A report on the physical and psychological conditions of political prisoners in Burma?s infamous Insein Prison. ". . . The following are the usual types of beating: 1. The prisoner has to stand and embrace a post and is beaten while both hands are held firmly by another person; 2. The prisoner is beaten while lying prone on the ground; 3. The prisoner, both legs chained, is made to stand in standard position no. 4 and is beaten; 4. The prisoner is beaten while being forced to crawl along the ground; 5. Prisoners are shackled and a long iron bar is placed so that their legs are splayed. They are then forced to crawl along the ground and are beaten; 6. Prisoners are forced to do squat-jumps (like in the game of leap-frog) and are beaten while doing so. When the authorities beat the prisoners, they do not avoid any part of the body, whether it is the face or chest or back. They routinely kick the chest, abdomen, face and back with military boots. They also jump on the backs of the prisoners who are crawling along the ground . . ."
Win Naing Oo
Source/publisher: All Burma Student Democratic Front (ABSDF)
Date of publication: 1995-11-30
Date of entry/update: 2010-12-03
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Title: Myanmar: a Challenge for the International Community
Description: The State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC, Myanmar?s military government) has shown a cynical contempt for the basic human rights of the Burmese people and for calls by the international community to improve its human rights record. Since the first United Nations (UN) General Assembly resolution was adopted on Myanmar in 1992, the SLORC has made almost no progress in implementing any of the recommendations made by the UN. Although some prisoners of conscience have been released since 1992, scores more have taken their place in prisons throughout the country. Repression of ethnic minorities continues unabated by the SLORC, in spite of 15 cease-fire agreements with armed ethnic minority groups. Radical restrictions on the rights to freedom of speech, assembly and movement remain in place for all citizens in Myanmar. In 1997 the SLORC continued to use short term arrests as a tactic to intimidate political activists, a tactic employed since their seizure of power in 1988. Hundreds of political activists, most of them members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), the largest legal opposition political party, were arrested in the first six months of 1997. Although the majority of these people were held for brief periods, at least 57 others were sentenced to long terms of imprisonment. Renewed NLD activity since the release of party leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in 1995 has been matched by increasing repression of party members by Military Intelligence (MI).
Source/publisher: Amnesty International (ASA 16/28/97)
Date of publication: 1997-09-30
Date of entry/update: 2010-12-03
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Title: Myanmar: Appeal Cases
Description: SAN SAN NWE: JOURNALIST AND WRITER SENTENCED TO 7 YEARS IMPRISONMENT; WIN TIN: JOURNALIST SERVING A 19 YEAR PRISON SENTENCE; MA THIDA: SURGEON AND WRITER SENTENCED TO 20 YEARS IMPRISONMENT; U KAWEINDA: PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE; 75 BUDDHIST MONKS IMPRISONED.
Source/publisher: Amnesty International USA (ASA 16/37/96)
Date of publication: 1996-08-31
Date of entry/update: 2010-12-03
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Title: Tortured Voices (extracts)
Description: Tortured Voices: Personal Accounts of Burma?s Interrogation Centers
Source/publisher: ABSDF
Date of publication: 1998-06-30
Date of entry/update: 2010-12-03
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Title: Unsung Heroines: the Women of Myanmar
Description: Women in Myanmar have been subjected to a wide range of human rights violations, including political imprisonment, torture and rape, forced labour, and forcible relocation, all at the hands of the military authorities. At the same time women have played an active role in the political and economic life of the country. It is the women who manage the family finances and work alongside their male relatives on family farms and in small businesses. Women have been at the forefront of the pro-democracy movement which began in 1988, many of whom were also students or female leaders within opposition political parties. Burman and non-Burman women. List of women in prison.ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: forced resettlement, forced relocation, forced movement, forced displacement, forced migration, forced to move, displaced
Source/publisher: Amnesty International USA (ASA 16/04/00)
Date of publication: 2000-05-24
Date of entry/update: 2010-11-25
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Title: Amnesty International Medical Letter Writing Action
Description: Lack of medical care in Myanmar prisons. Amnesty International is concerned about the poor health of many prisoners of conscience in Myanmar, resulting from torture and conditions amounting to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. These include lack of proper medical care and sanitation, extremely poor diet, and prolonged solitary confinement or overcrowding. In the last ten years dozens of political prisoners have died in custody as a consequence. Amnesty International is in particular concerned for the health of political prisoners U Tin Htun, U Ohn Kyaw, U Tun Aung Kyaw alias Thakhin Mipwar, Zaw Maung Maung Win and Nay Tinn Myint who all require urgent medical attention. Keywords: lack of medical care / prisoners of conscience
Source/publisher: Amnesty Internattional
Date of publication: 2000-05-05
Date of entry/update: 2010-11-21
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Title: Myanmar, the Institution of Torture
Description: Torture and ill-treatment have become institutionalized in Myanmar. They are practised by the army as part of counter-insurgency activities; by Military Intelligence (MI) personnel when they interrogate political detainees; by prison guards; and by the police. Patterns of torture have remained the same, although the time and place vary. Torture occurs throughout the country and has been reported for over four decades. Members of the security forces continue to use torture as a means of extracting information; to punish political prisoners and members of ethnic minorities; and as a means of instilling fear in anyone critical of the military government. KEYWORDS: Torture, ill-treatment, political prisoners, impunity, prison conditions, penal institutions, forced labour, incommunicado detention, death in custody, torture techniques, freedom of expression, freedom of association, minorities, police.
Source/publisher: Amnesty International (ASA 16/24/00)
Date of publication: 2000-12-13
Date of entry/update: 2010-11-21
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Title: Myanmar: Min Ko Naing, Student Leader and Prisoner of Conscience
Description: Paw U Tun alias Min Ko Naing, Chairman of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions ABFSU, was arrested on 24 March 1989. He was sentenced to 20 years? imprisonment later commuted to 10 years under a general amnesty for his anti-government activities
Source/publisher: Amnesty International (ASA 16/001/2001)
Date of publication: 2001-01-01
Date of entry/update: 2010-11-21
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Title: Myanmar: Over 200 Activists Still Held
Description: "The State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC, Myanmars military government) continues to detain 258 National League for Democracy (NLD) activists, among them 235 members of parliament-elect, arrested in the nationwide sweep of the NLD since 20 May. It is not known where most of them are being held and they continue to be detained in incommunicado detention.Amnesty International has obtained the names of 142 of those who have been arrested, which are listed on the attached pages..."
Source/publisher: Amnesty International (ASA 16/23/96)
Date of publication: 1996-05-01
Date of entry/update: 2010-11-21
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Title: Myanmar: Prisoners of Political Repression
Description: "Thousands of political prisoners have been held in detention since large scale public unrest erupted in Myanmar in March 1988...The following lists give details of 458 prisoners known to Amnesty International of the 1,850 political prisoners currently detained in Myanmar: the result of more than a decade of continuous official repression of peaceful dissent in the country. They include students, politicians, doctors, farmers, teachers, journalists, writers, lawyers, comedians and housewives, who have been penalized for peacefully demonstrating; distributing or possessing uncensored leaflets or videos; seeking redress for human rights violations; telling jokes; wearing yellow; or talking to foreign journalists. Amnesty International is concerned that the majority of these prisoners are being held solely on account of their peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of assembly association and expression...." Contains tabular lists with details of 485 political prisoners
Source/publisher: Amnesty International
Date of publication: 2001-04-14
Date of entry/update: 2010-11-21
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Title: Myanmar: Renewed Repression
Description: Nothing has changed in Myanmars human rights situation since the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on 10 July 1995. Although her release raised hopes for an improvement in the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) human rights practice and policy, the pace of political arrests has in fact accelerated dramatically since November 1995. Some 1,000 political prisoners remain behind bars throughout the country. In May 1996 the SLORC arrested over 300 National League for Democracy (NLD) activists in the largest crackdown since the mass detentions of 1990, when scores of NLD members of parliament-elect werearrested.
Source/publisher: Amnesty International USA (ASA 16/30/96)
Date of publication: 1996-07-10
Date of entry/update: 2010-11-21
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Title: Myanmar: Scores of Activists Detained
Description: "Amnesty International is gravely concerned at the arrests of some 191 National League for Democracy activists (NLD, the opposition party founded by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi which won the 1990 elections) by the Myanmar authorities. The scale of these arrests is the largest to take place in Myanmar since the mass detentions in 1990.The current wave of arrests began on 20 May and at last report is still continuing throughout the country. Amnesty International has obtained the names of 91 of those who have been arrested, which are listed on the attached pages..."
Source/publisher: Amnesty International (ASA 16/17/96)
Date of publication: 1996-05-01
Date of entry/update: 2010-11-21
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Title: Myanmar: Imprisoned for telling the truth about human rights
Description: "Freedom of Expression on Trial in Insein Prison A group of political prisoners in Insein Prison, the largest prison in Myanmar, were given additional sentences in 1996, while still imprisoned. The authorities sentenced them for attempting to send information about human rights violations to the United Nations and circulating news and writing in prison. They received at least seven further years? imprisonment in an unfair trial, under a law which effectively criminalizes freedom of expression and opinion, by making it an offence to circulate, or intend to circulate ?false news?. More than 20 persons were given additional prison terms. Nine are still imprisoned..."
Source/publisher: Amnsty International USA (ASA 16/011/2005)
Date of publication: 2005-03-01
Date of entry/update: 2010-11-19
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Title: Myanmar: Justice on Trial
Description: "On 22 May 2003 Amnesty International submitted a 29-page memorandum to the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC, Myanmar?s military government), in order to provide the SPDC with the opportunity to comment on and to clarify various issues about the administration of justice raised in the document. The Memorandum reflected the organization?s findings during its first visit to the country from 30 January to 8 February 2003, and drew on its institutional knowledge and expertise about both international human rights standards and human rights in Myanmar. The text of the original Memorandum has now been updated to reflect comments from the SPDC, which were received by Amnesty International on 9 July 2003. The updated Memorandum forms the text of this document, along with a summary of the current human rights situation in Myanmar... Since the submission of the Memorandum to the SPDC on 22 May, political tensions escalated sharply during a National League for Democracy (NLD) tour of Upper Myanmar, culminating in a violent attack on NLD leaders on 30 May. What follows below is a summary of both the attack and the subsequent deterioration in the human rights situation in Myanmar. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, NLD General Secretary, U Tin Oo, NLD Vice Chairman, and other NLD members had been travelling in Upper Myanmar, with the prior permission of the SPDC, during the month of May. As larger and larger crowds gathered to see the NLD leaders, tension increased between the NLD and the Union Solidarity Development Association (USDA), an organization established, organized, and supported by the SPDC.(1) NLD members and supporters were reportedly harassed, intimidated, and threatened by USDA members in various locations as they attempted to conduct their legitimate political party activities, including giving speeches and opening local NLD offices. However the SPDC reportedly did very little to diffuse tensions between the USDA and the NLD. While Amnesty International acknowledges the universal right to peacefully assemble and conduct protest demonstrations, the actions of the USDA went beyond such non-violent expressions of dissent. .."
Source/publisher: Amnesty International
Date of publication: 2003-07-30
Date of entry/update: 2010-11-19
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Title: Myanmar: Myanmar?s Political Prisoners: A Growing Legacy of Injustice
Description: "Amnesty International is concerned that prisoners of conscience continue to be arrested and imprisoned in Myanmar solely on account of their peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. They are a human legacy of authorities? long-standing misuse of the justice system as a tool of political repression, and a means to restrict rather than protect the peaceful exercise of basic human rights. The State Peace and Development Council continues to abuse the justice system, impede the rule of law and the enjoyment of basic political freedoms in the country, and human rights in Myanmar generally. A list of prisoners of conscience and possible prisoners of conscience follows this introduction. This report updates earlier reports listing prisoners of concern to Amnesty International in December 2004 and April 2001, and reiterates the organization?s long-standing concerns on the administration of justice[3] in the country, and the treatment of more than 1,350 political prisoners who have been sentenced for political offences. Amnesty International is also concerned that arrests and harassment of members and activists of registered political parties are increasing the numbers of people wrongfully deprived their liberty, solely on the basis of their peaceful political activities. Authorities are reported to have threatened individuals in 2005 that should they engage in politics they may face long terms of imprisonment. The SPDC has failed to release prominent political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi General Secretary of the National League for Democracy and U Tin Oo, vice Chairman of the National League for Democracy. They have been detained without charge or trial since they and other NLD members were subjected to a violent government-sponsored attack on 30 May 2003[4]. They, like many of the other prisoners of conscience currently imprisoned, have been in and out of detention or prison for political reasons since 1989. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who turns 60 on 19 June 2005, will have spent 60 % of her time since 1989 under house arrest or in other forms of detention without charge or trial. Amnesty International renews longstanding calls by Myanmar citizens, other governments and the United Nations on the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) to immediately and unconditionally release all prisoners of conscience. The organization is also calling on authorities to take non-reversible steps to provide for the long term protection of the justice system against future abuse by putting an end to illegal practises such as torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment; incommunicado detention; the use of laws which excessively restrict the peaceful exercise of rights; secret trials and administrative detention. Myanmar?s political prisoners have been held hostage by the SPDC, thus perpetuating the political deadlock that has existed in the country since at least 1988. Many are elderly, and many have chronic mental and physical health problems that have been created or exacerbated by their treatment in prison, in contravention of international law and standards. Many have been imprisoned or repeatedly arrested for over a decade. The continued use of detention to remove senior political leaders from the political process, and those petitioning for their release, is presenting a significant obstacle to resolving the political deadlock in the country..."
Source/publisher: Amnesty International (ASA 16/019/2005)
Date of publication: 2005-06-16
Date of entry/update: 2010-11-19
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Title: Myanmar: The Administration of Justice - Grave and Abiding Concerns
Description: "... Amnesty International?s widespread concerns about political imprisonment in Myanmar have been reinforced and heightened as a result of information obtained during its December 2003 visit to the country. Arbitrary arrests; torture and ill-treatment during incommunicado detention; unfair trials; and laws which greatly curtail the rights to freedom of expression and assembly continue as major obstacles to the improvement in the SPDC?s human rights record. In the run-up to the reconvening of the National Convention, Amnesty International renews its calls to the SPDC to: 1. release all prisoners of conscience immediately and unconditionally. 2. seriously consider a general amnesty for all political prisoners. 3. stop arresting people solely for the peaceful exercise of their rights to freedom of expression and assembly. 4. in the absence of a legislature, initiate a moratorium on the use of laws restricting the rights to freedom of expression and assembly, particularly the 1950 Emergency Provisions Law; the 1975 State Protection Law; the 1962 Printers and Publishers Law and the 1908 Illegal Associations Law. 5. repeal Law No 5/96, the provisions of which allow for up to 20 years? imprisonment of anyone who drafts a constitution without official permission and otherwise criminalizes the right to freedom of expression and assembly. 6. instruct the police force, including Special Branch officers, and Military Intelligence personnel not to hold detainees in incommunicado detention, a practice which facilitates torture. 7. issue clear orders to all members of the security forces not to torture or otherwise ill-treat detainees. 8. initiate prompt, effective, independent, and impartial investigations into all serious allegations of torture or ill-treatment. 9. bring to justice those found responsible, under internationally agreed standards of fair trial. 10. ensure that international fair trial standards are upheld in political cases, including the right to legal counsel, the right to presumption of innocence, the right to a public trial, the right to defend oneself, and the right to adequate time and resources to prepare a defence. 11. accede to international human rights treaties, in particular the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; and the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination."
Source/publisher: Amnesty International USA (ASA 16/001/2004)
Date of publication: 2004-04-01
Date of entry/update: 2010-11-19
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Language: English
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Title: Myanmar: Torture of Ethnic Minority Women
Description: Torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of men, women and children, both in ethnic minority areas and in central Myanmar, has taken place for decades. This report examines the torture and ill-treatment of women from ethnic minorities in particular by the tatmadaw (armed forces). Ethnic minorities, who make up a third of the country?s population, mainly live in seven states in the country . . . Amnesty International has documented serious human rights violations by the tatmadaw: extra-judicial executions, "disappearances," torture and cruel treatment of ethnic minority civilians, including the rape and sexual abuse of women. Torture in ethnic minority areas generally takes place in the context of forced labour and portering; forced relocation, and in detention at army camps, military intelligence centres, in people?s homes, fields and villages. Many individuals have died as a result of torture or been killed after being tortured. Force and the threat of force is regularly used to compel members of ethnic minorities to comply with military directives - which may range from orders for villages to relocate; to provide unpaid labourers to military forces; to not harvesting their crops. Torture, including rape, is particularly widespread in those states where armed resistance continues and the army is engaged in counter-insurgency operations against armed groups. ... ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: forced resettlement, forced relocation, forced movement, forced displacement, forced migration, forced to move, displaced
Source/publisher: Amnesty International
Date of publication: 2001-07-17
Date of entry/update: 2010-11-19
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Type: Individual Documents
Language: English, French
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Title: Myanmar: Travesties of Justice ? Continued Misuse of the legal system
Description: "Despite releases of political prisoners in July 2005, Amnesty International remains concerned that the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) have continued to abuse the justice system to silence peaceful dissent. This misuse denies the rule of law and the enjoyment of basic political freedoms in the country, and human rights in Myanmar generally. People continue to be arrested and imprisoned in Myanmar solely on account of their peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, association, assembly and movement. In a welcome move in July 2005 the authorities released more than 260 political prisoners. However, in the last 12 months they have arrested or sentenced at least 60 individuals for political reasons. Since July 2005, the authorities have penalized senior political figures with extraordinarily long prison sentences in secret trials; held individuals incommunicado, and prosecuted persons attempting to report on human rights violations. Arrests and harassment of members and activists of registered political parties are continuing. On 27 November 2005 the SPDC renewed the detention of opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, without charge or trial, for a further six months. The continued use of detention to remove from the political process both senior political leaders and those petitioning for their release, is presenting a significant obstacle to resolving the political deadlock in the country. Amnesty International renews longstanding calls by Myanmar citizens and members of the international community on the SPDC to immediately and unconditionally release all prisoners of conscience. The organization also calls on the Myanmar authorities to implement reform of judicial procedures and laws to uphold and protect human rights. The authorities must also eradicate torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. The organization also urges that discriminatory laws on citizenship and stringent travel restrictions are amended in order to end discrimination against the Rohingya ethnic group. Amnesty International has long-standing concerns at the lack of judicial independence in Myanmar that has enabled the state to imprison political opponents. Furthermore the organization has repeatedly expressed concern to the authorities about the abuse of due process in political trials, and the denial of basic rights in detention. Individuals are routinely arrested without warrant; held incommunicado and tortured or ill-treated in pre-trial detention. Sentences have been handed down following trials which fall far short of international fair trial standards. For example defendants have been denied the right to legal counsel or to legal counsel of their own choice. Prosecutors have also relied on confessions extracted through torture. Prison conditions continue to be poor, and prisoners are being denied adequate nutrition and necessary medical treatment. This document updates earlier reports listing prisoners of concern to Amnesty International issued in June 2005,(1) December 2004,(2) and April 2001,(3) and reiterates long-standing concerns on the administration of justice(4) in the country, and the treatment of more than 1160 political prisoners. A list of prisoners of conscience and possible prisoners of conscience follows this introduction. Other sources estimate that the figure of political prisoners may be significantly higher. Amnesty International has gathered information on the situation of political prisoners in Myanmar from a variety of sources, including private individuals, members of political parties, official and opposition news media, and from visits to Myanmar and neighbouring countries. With the exception of press reports Amnesty International has omitted identifying details about individual or organizational sources for reasons of their security..."
Source/publisher: Amnesty International (ASA 16/029/2005)
Date of publication: 2005-12-12
Date of entry/update: 2010-11-19
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Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Myanmar 1988 to 1998 Happy 10th Anniversary? Death in Custody
Description: In the ten years since the violent suppression of the pro-democracy movement in 1988, Amnesty International is aware of at least 30 political prisoners who have died in custody in Myanmar, thought the true number is believed to be much higher. Information collected during the last 10 years shows that torture and ill-treatment of political prisoners is common, conditions in prisons are poor and insanitary, prisoners are provided an inadequate diet and commonly denied the medical care they need, and some prisoners are made to work under harsh conditions in labour camps. Given this combination of abuses the risk of not surviving imprisonment in Myanmar, particularly for the elderly, is great. Deaths in custody in Myanmar generally fall into two categories. Some prisoners die because they have been tortured and suffer fatal injuries. Other prisoners die from illness -- sometimes induced or worsened by ill-treatment or the conditions under which they are held -- for which they do not receive proper medical care; often prisoners who are ill are not sent to hospital until it is too late. The 10 deaths described below are examples of what can and still does happen to political prisoners in Myanmar.
Source/publisher: Amnesty International (ASA 16/16/98)
Date of publication: 1998-05-28
Date of entry/update: 2010-11-18
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Language: English
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Title: NO EASY ROAD: A BURMESE POLITICAL PRISONER?S STORY - The Life of Thiha Yarzar
Description: Preface by Aye Min Soe; Introduction by Paul Pickrem; Chapter 1: Standing With The Lady; Chapter 2: Dreaming the Prisoner?s Dream; Chapter 3: Sentenced to Die; Chapter 4: The Colonel?s Son; Chapter 5: Student Activist to Armed Revolutionary; Chapter 6: On the Run; Chapter 7: Caught; Chapter 8: The Pain Begins; Chapter 9: Death Row Again; Chapter 10: Taungoo, Kalay, and Taunggyi; Chapter 11: Mai Sat; Chapter 12: The Prisoner?s Dream Comes True; Chapter 13: Life on Another Planet; Chapter 14: Free Burma!; Appendix I: Timeline of Modern Burmese History; Appendix II: Map of Burmese Prisons; Appendix III: 20 Recommended Books; Appendix IV: Recommended Burma‐Related Websites.
Paul Pickrem
Source/publisher: Canadian Friends of Burma, ExPP‐ACT,The Best Friend Library
Date of publication: 2010-09-30
Date of entry/update: 2010-10-22
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Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: The Role of Political Prisoners in the National Reconciliation Process
Description: "...This report sets out the vitally important role of Burma's political prisoners in a process of national reconciliation, leading to democratic transition. A genuine, inclusive process of national reconciliation is urgently needed to resolve the current conflicts and make progress towards peace and democracy. A crucial first step in a national reconciliation process is official recognition of ALL Burma's 2,100 plus political prisoners, accompanied by their unconditional release. This is an essential part of trust-building between the military rulers, democratic forces, and wider society. In order for progress towards genuine national reconciliation and democratic transition to be sustainable, ordinary people across Burma must believe in the process. As long as activists remain in prison or continue to be arrested for voicing their political dissent, the people of Burma will have no trust in any political process proposed by the SPDC..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) (AAPP)
Date of publication: 2010-02-28
Date of entry/update: 2010-05-21
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Type: Individual Documents
Language: English (full text); Shan, Kachin, Burmese (executive summary)
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Title: Above the Law
Description: Burma?s rulers will continue to lean heavily on the judiciary to impose their vision of a ?discipline-flourishing democracy?... "After decades of military rule, many Burmese are no longer aware that their country had one of the most progressive judicial systems in the region after independence in 1948. Judges had secure salaries and could only be removed for misbehavior or incapacity. The courts were not afraid to challenge the executive, and the Supreme Court proclaimed that the 1947 Constitution should be interpreted in a ?liberal and comprehensive spirit.? Even at the height of insurgencies against Rangoon in the late 1940s, the Supreme Court ordered police to release men who had been detained illegally. ILLUSTRATION: HARN LAY/THE IRRAWADDY The slide from a judiciary with integrity to its present role as defender of the military began when the late Gen Ne Win seized power and imprisoned Chief Justice Myint Thein for six years—longer than he imprisoned former Prime Minister U Nu. When Ne Win drafted the 1974 Constitution, he removed any remaining separation between the judiciary and the government. He packed the Council of People?s Justice, which replaced the Supreme Court, with members of the Burma Socialist Programme Party. The Constitution required the court to ?protect the socialist system? rather than the rights of Burmese citizens. Although the military revived the Supreme Court in 1988, Human Rights Watch maintains that judges still ?serve at the whim of the SPDC and must follow the directives of the military.?..."
Arnold Corso
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" Vol. 17, No. 8
Date of publication: 2009-10-31
Date of entry/update: 2010-02-28
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Language: English
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Title: Annual Report 2009: AAPP Political Prisoner Review
Description: "As of 31 December there were a total of 2,177 political prisoners in Burma. This is an overall increase of 15 in comparison to last year?s figure of 2,162. In 2009, 264 political prisoners were arrested and 266 were released. AAPP also received information about activists who were arrested and released before 2009, and this retroactive information explains why there is actually an overall increase of 15 during the course of 2009. These include:...Political prisoners in Burma continued to suffer in 2009. Despite positive signs such as the international community?s sustained condemnation of the military junta?s human rights abuses, and visits to Burma by numerous key international dignitaries and diplomats, over 2,100 political prisoners remain imprisoned across Burma. As detailed in AAPP?s May 2009 report, Burma?s Prisons and Labour Camps: Silent Killing Fields, inadequate medical care, systematic torture, long-term imprisonment, transfers to remote prisons, and denial of healthcare have led to a growing health crisis for political prisoners in Burma. As of 31 December 2009, there were 129 political prisoners in poor health, and during the course of the year at least 71 political prisoners were subjected to prison transfers. With national elections expected to take place in 2010 despite the ongoing detention of prominent political leaders such as NLD leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, AAPP views the release of all political prisoners in Burma as a necessary step towards national reconciliation, and the creation of a free and democratic Burma..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma)
Date of publication: 2009-12-31
Date of entry/update: 2010-02-01
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Type: Individual Documents
Language: En glish
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Title: Burma Human Rights Yearbook 2008 - Chapter 1: Arbitrary Detention & Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances
Description: "...Throughout 2008 Burma?s military junta maintained its campaign of oppression and tyranny against ordinary Burmese citizens, ethnic minorities, monks, political opposition groups and pro-democracy activists. Arrests and detention continued against, and were shaped by, a milieu of extremely significant national events. In August and September 2007, protests against the price increases of fuel erupted throughout Burma. Pro-democracy activists led the initial demonstrations in Burma?s main city, Rangoon. Approximately 400 people marched on 19 August 2007, in what turned out to be the largest demonstration in the military-ruled nation for several years. The authorities moved swiftly to quell the protests, rapidly arresting dozens of activists. Nonetheless, protests continued around the country. Numbers were small, but demonstrations were held in Rangoon, Sittwe and other prominent towns. The protests culminated with the Saffron Revolution; tens of thousands of Buddhist monks joined in a number of protests from 17-26 September. In the brutal crackdown which followed, many were killed and mass arbitrary arrests were carried out. Thousands of activists and monks were arrested and held in makeshift detention compounds..."
Source/publisher: Human Rights Docmentation Unit (HRDU)
Date of publication: 2009-11-23
Date of entry/update: 2009-12-05
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Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Forced Relocation, Restrictions and Abuses in Nyaunglebin District
Description: "This report presents information on ongoing abuses in Nyaunglebin (Kler Lweh Htoo) District, Karen State committed by SPDC forces during the period of March to May 2006. Attacks on hill villagers have continued as SPDC units seek to depopulate the hills and force all villagers to relocate to military-controlled villages in the plains and along roadways. However, those villagers living in SPDC-controlled areas are subject as well to continued abuses including arbitrary arrest and detention, extortion, restricted movement and forced labour..."
Source/publisher: Karen Human Rights Group Field Report (KHRG #2006-F6)
Date of publication: 2006-07-10
Date of entry/update: 2009-11-09
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Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: Bullets and Bulldozers: The SPDC offensive continues in Toungoo District
Description: "The first two months of 2007 have done nothing to lessen the intensity of attacks against the villagers of Toungoo District. SPDC forces continue to send in more troops and supplies, build new camps and upgrade older ones using forced village labour, convict porters and heavy machinery brought in for this purpose. Local villagers have been the ones to suffer from the increased military build-up and infrastructure ?development? as such programmes have put the SPDC in a stronger position to enforce their authority over civilians in rural areas and undermine the efforts of local peoples to evade military forces and maintain their livelihoods. Employing the new roadways and camps to shuttle troops and supplies deeper into areas beyond military control, SPDC forces continue to expand their reach in terms of extortion of funds, food and supplies; extraction of forced labour; and restriction of all civilian movement, travel and trade. These abuses have combined to exacerbate poverty, worsen the humanitarian situation and restrict the options of villagers living in these areas..."
Source/publisher: Karen Human Rights Group Field Report (KHRG #2007-F1)
Date of publication: 2007-02-19
Date of entry/update: 2009-11-08
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Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Title: BURMA?S FORGOTTEN PRISONERS
Description: A campaigning report with photos and profiles of some of the 2100 political prisoners (2009)...KEY FACTS ABOUT BURMA?S POLITICAL PRISONERS: • Activists and anyone outspoken against military rule have been routinely locked up in Burma?s prisons for years. • There are 43 prisons holding political activists in Burma, and over 50 labor camps where prisoners are forced into hard labor projects. • Beginning in late 2008, closed courts and courts inside prisons sentenced more than 300 activists including political figures, human rights defenders, labor activists, artists, journalists, internet bloggers, and Buddhist monks and nuns to lengthy prison terms. Some prison terms handed down were in excess of one hundred years. • The activists were mainly charged under provisions from Burma?s archaic Penal Code that criminalizes free expression, peaceful demonstrations, and forming organizations. • The sentencing was the second phase of a larger crackdown that began with the brutal suppression of peaceful protests in August and September 2007. The authorities arrested many of the activists during and in the immediate aftermath of the 2007 protests or in raids that swept Rangoon and other cities in Burma in late 2007 and 2008. • More than 20 prominent activists and journalists, including Burma?s most famous comedian, Zargana, were arrested for having spoken out about obstacles to humanitarian relief following Cyclone Nargis, which struck Burma in May 2008. • There are now more than 2,100 political prisoners in Burma—more than double the number in early 2007.
Source/publisher: Human Rights Watch
Date of publication: 2009-09-16
Date of entry/update: 2009-09-18
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Type: Individual Documents
Language: English; French (extracts)
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Title: One-way Street
Description: "Pro-democracy activists are not the only ones who have been a part of the tortuous history of Insein Prison and Burma?s most notorious court BURMESE lawyers call it ?the one-way street,? but it is officially known as the ?special court? at Insein Prison. The accused who end up here know that their fate is sealed before they even enter a plea. The verdict is preordained, and the sentence is invariably a long stretch in Insein—Burma?s most dreaded prison—or worse. Whatever the charge, there is never any doubt about the true nature of the offense. The allegations against the accused may be real or imagined, deadly serious or utterly ridiculous, but the ?crime? is always the same: threatening the country?s despotic rulers? hold on power. This has been the end of the road for many of Burma?s most prominent political prisoners, as well as countless others who have fallen afoul of the powers that be. Since the Buddhist monk-led uprising of September 2007 alone, hundreds of dissidents have been legally processed here and dispatched with ruthless efficiency to the Burmese gulag. But pro-democracy activists are not the only ones who have been robbed of long years of their lives by this kangaroo court. Often, those who come here to face summary justice are former colleagues or close associates of Burma?s military masters. When the mighty fall from grace, this is usually where they land. Here we present a few of the better known cases of doomed defendants who have passed through the special court after losing the confidence of their supreme leader...
Aung Zaw
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" Vol. 17, No. 4
Date of publication: 2009-06-30
Date of entry/update: 2009-08-11
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Language: English
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Title: Burma's Prisons and Labour Camps: Silent Killing Fields
Description: "In October 2008, reports emerged from Burma that the military junta had ordered its courts to expedite the trials of political activists. Since then, 357 activists have been handed down harsh punishments, including sentences of up to 104 years. Shortly after sentencing, the regime began to systematically transfer political prisoners to prisons all around Burma, far from their families. This has a serious detrimental impact on both their physical and mental health. Medical supplies in prisons are wholly inadequate, and often only obtained through bribes to prison officials. It is left to the families to provide medicines, but prison transfers make it very difficult for them to visit their loved ones in jail. Prison transfers are also another form of psychological torture by the regime, aimed at both the prisoners and their families. Since November 2008, at least 228 political prisoners have been transferred to jails away from their families. The long-term consequences for the health of political prisoners recently transferred will be very serious. At least 127 political prisoners are currently in poor health. At least 19 of them are in urgent need of proper medical treatment. Political prisonersâ' right to healthcare is systematically denied by the regime. Burma's healthcare system in prisons is completely inadequate, especially in jails in remote areas. There are 44 prisons across Burma, and at least 50 labour camps. Some of them do not have a prison hospital, and at least 12 of the prisons do not even have a prison doctor. The regime's treatment of political prisoners directly contravenes the 1957 UN standard minimum rules for the treatment of prisoners. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) carried out its last prison visit in Burma in November 2005. In January 2006 the ICRC suspended prison visits in the country, as it was not allowed to fulfil its independent, impartial mandate. Since 1988 at least 139 political prisoners have died in detention, as a direct result of severe torture, denial of medical treatment, and inadequate medical care. Many, like Htay Lwin Oo, were suffering from curable diseases such as tuberculosis. He died in Mandalay Prison in December 2008. He had been due for release in December this year... 1. Political Prisoners In Poor Health There are currently at least 127 political prisoners known to be in poor health..."
Source/publisher: Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma)
Date of publication: 2009-05-11
Date of entry/update: 2009-05-11
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Type: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Size: 680.92 KB
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