No Political Prisoner Left Behind

Despite some welcome political change in Burma, including the release of high profile political prisoners, hundreds of political prisoners remain in jail.

The international community must not forget those political prisoners still left behind in Burma’s jails.

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Free Political Prisoners

In an effort to get international sanctions lifted, Burma’s military-backed government has started to release political prisoners. However, hundreds of political prisoners remain in jail.

Please take action now and urge Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne to demand the immediate release of all political prisoners.

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Action

Free Thant Zaw

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Reports

The Darkness We See

A report by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), exposing the true scale of torture in Burma’s prisons.

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Eight Seconds of Silence

A report by AAPP which details the deaths of 127 Burmese Democracy Activists in custody.

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The future in the Dark

New report by the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners (Burma) and the US Campaign for Burma documents the huge increase in number of Political Prisoners currently detained in Burma

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SPDC constitution

SPDC constitution which enshrines military rule, giving 25 percent of the seats to the military, and also gives the military effective veto power over decisions made by Parliament. Download the constitution in English here.

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Burma’s Forgotten Prisoners

A report by Human Rights Watch documenting dozens of prominent political activists, Buddhist monks, labor activists, journalists, and artists arrested since peaceful political protests in 2007 and sentenced to draconian prison terms after unfair trials.

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The Role of political prisoners in the national reconciliation process

Report by The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma).

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…

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Repression to silence dissent

Report by Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma)

The widespread and unlawful detention of political activists has a significant impact on Burma’s political environment in two main ways.

Firstly, most of the prominent activists are removed from public or political life. Almost all of the 88 Generation student movement…

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Release Over 2200 Political Prisoners Now!

This report, released by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners on behalf of 12 groups working inside Burma, details the situation of Burma’s more than 2200 political prisoners languishing behind bars. Not only does the report highlight the political prisoner situation, but it goes further, emphasizing the importance of the…

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Political Prisoners in Burma – A Crime Against Humanity

Burma Briefing No. 10

In the past two years there has been an increasing trend to look at Burma through the lens of international law, rather than just as a civil liberties or human rights issue. This approach gained momentum in March 2010, when the United Nations Special Rapporteur on…

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Political Prisoner Releases in Burma

Updated 10 January 2012

Burma Briefing No. 16

As speculation mounts that the government in Burma is about to release some political prisoners, this briefing looks at the history of political prisoner releases in Burma.

The mass release of prisoners is a regular event in Burma and happens every…

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Political Prisoners in Burma – A Crime Against Humanity

10 Mar 2011
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Burma Briefing No. 10

In the past two years there has been an increasing trend to look at Burma through the lens of international law, rather than just as a civil liberties or human rights issue. This approach gained momentum in March 2010, when the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Burma called for a UN Commission of Inquiry into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Burma.

Most attention on possible war crimes and crimes against humanity taking place in Burma has focused on attacks and persecution on ethnic minorities, particularly crimes committed against the ethnic Karen, Karenni and Shan in Eastern Burma, and against the Rohingya in Western Burma, and the Chin in the Northwest. This briefing looks at an area which has so far not received much attention, the detention and treatment of political prisoners. This briefing is not intended as a detailed legal analysis, but rather to highlight this issue as one which should also be looked at in the context of international law.

The detention and mistreatment of political prisoners in Burma implicates breaches of Article 7 of the Rome Statute, and as such, would be crimes against humanity. This briefing recommends further research into this issue and for the detention and treatment of political prisoners to be included in the remit of any future UN Commission of Inquiry into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Burma. It argues that the detention and mistreatment of political prisoners provides yet another justification for the establishment of such an Inquiry.


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No Political Prisoner Left Behind

Take action to free other political prisoners in Burma:

Khun Kawrio
image Khun Kawrio was sentenced to 37 years in prison for his part in the campaign against the 2008 referendum.


Thant Zaw
NLD member Thant Zaw was sent to prison for 30 years in 1989.


Burma Campaign UK works for Human Rights, Democracy and Development in Burma

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