Monday, June 20, 2005
Free Suu Kyi, says Amnesty International
By Yeni June 16, 2005
Amnesty International has released a report condemning Burma’s justice system and calling for the release of political prisoners in the military-ruled country. The report specifically calls for the release of Burmese democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and has been timed to coincide with the Nobel Prize winner’s 60th birthday on June 19.
“Myanmar’s [Burma’s] political prisoners are being held hostage by the authorities,” said Irene Khan, Secretary General of AI in a statement accompanying the report. “The continued use of detention to remove senior leaders from the political process is a major obstacle in resolving the political deadlock that has existed in the country since 1988.”
The report notes that many political prisoners are elderly and suffering from serious illnesses after years of imprisonment and ill-treatment and highlights the case of 75-year-old journalist and NLD member Win Tin, who has been detained since 1989.
Other prisoners of conscience mentioned include Myat San, a student leader who was imprisoned in 1991 for taking part in student demonstrations to celebrate Suu Kyi winning the Nobel Peace, and Thet Win Aung who is serving a 59-year prison term for organizing demonstrations calling for student rights in 1998.
The report also cites the case of Aung Hlaing Win, an NLD member who was detained on May 1 and who is reported to have died in custody on May 7. Doctors are reported to have found injuries consistent with torture on his body though the authorities claim Aung Hlaing Win died as a result of chronic diseases of the heart, liver and lungs just before interrogation was due to begin.
According to AI, there are at least 1,350 political prisoners in Burma. The ruling junta, however, has repeatedly guaranteed that Suu Kyi and other political leaders will be released “when the time is right.”
Speaking to the Thai English language daily Bangkok Post yesterday, Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon expressed hope that Suu Kyi would be released from house arrest before the next election, which he believed could come “within months” of the National Convention’s resumption in November.
Meanwhile, supporters of Aung San Suu Kyi around the world are planning demonstrations for her birthday this Sunday. “Aung San Suu Kyi has been denied her liberty for almost two-thirds of the last 16 years and has never been charged or brought to trial,” said Irene Khan. “It is a totally unacceptable price to pay for her peaceful political activities.”