Burma is ruled by one of the most brutal dictatorships in the world. The Burmese Army rapes, loots, burns, tortures and kills. Civilians are shot on sight, even children. It spends billions of dollars on the military while the population goes without access to proper healthcare, education and food.

Aung San Suu Kyi, pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, symbolises the struggle of Burma’s people to be free. Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) won 82% of the seats in elections held in 1990. The people of Burma overwhelmingly rejected military rule yet the military refused to transfer power to Burma’s democratically elected leaders.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s message is a simple one - that only by fighting fear can you truly be free - a message Burma’s military fears and aims to silence.

• The widespread use of forced labour
• Over 1 million people forced from their homes
• Hundreds of political prisoners, many of whom are routinely tortured
• Widespread use of child soldiers
• Rape as a weapon of war against ethnic women and children
• The regime spends nearly 25% of the budget on defence and just 1.3% on health

Aung San Suu Kyi has spent a total of more than 15 years under house arrest. When she was released in May 2002, there was hope that it would be a step towards democracy in Burma and lead to serious political reform.

However, during a tour of northern Burma in 2003, Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters were attacked by the Union Solidarity and Development Organization (USDA), a government sponsored militia. The attack took place in Depayin on 30 May 2003. As many as 70 people were killed in the attack and over 100 people arrested, including Aung San Suu Kyi.

Aung San Suu Kyi remained in secret detention for over three months. She was then placed under house arrest in Rangoon, where she was allowed no visitors, her phone line cut, and her post intercepted. In May 2009, she was arrested after an American man, John Yettaw, swam to her house and refused to leave. She was found guilty of breaking the terms of her house arrest and sentenced to 18 months under house arrest on 11 August 2009. She was released from her third period of detention on Saturday 13th November 2010.

The dictatorship responded to international criticism over the Depayin massacre by announcing a ‘roadmap to democracy’ in August 2003, in an attempt to avoid further international pressure and sanctions. The sham elections held on 7th November 2010 were part of that ‘roadmap to democracy’.

Ahead of the elections the dictatorship increased harassment of democracy activists, banned the National League for Democracy and placed severe restrictions on parties and candidates. There were widespread allegations of voter intimidation and bribery during the election.

The elections brought in a rubber stamp parliament and a new constitution designed to legalise dictatorship and did not bring any new freedom to Burma’s people. Rather than a step towards democracy, it marked a transition from military to civilian dictatorship.

Parliament is a largely powerless body, dominated by the military. 25% of seats in the new Parliament are reserved for the military and as any change to the constitution requires a majority of more than 75 percent, this makes it impossible to promote democratic change without agreement from the military.

Real power lies with the President, the Commander-in-Chief and the new National Defense and Security Council, who are not accountable to Parliament.

For more information, see our briefing here: http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/index.php/news-and-reports/burma-briefing/title/burmas-fake-election