Campaigners Demand Regime Allow Medical Access To Min Ko Naing

The Burma Campaign UK today launched an email campaign targeting Burmese embassies worldwide, calling on the regime to allow medical access to political prisoner Min Ko Naing.

Min Ko Naing, a leading democracy activist, is being held in Rangoon’s notorious Insein Prison. He is suffering from a serious eye infection and may go blind because he is being denied medical treatment. It is reported that his eye condition has deteriorated to the point that he is unable to sleep or eat because of the pain the infection has caused.

Min Ko Naing has been in prison since August last year. He was arrested for leading protests in Rangoon. The protests triggered the biggest demonstrations in Burma since the 1988 uprising, but were brutally crushed by the dictatorship. We will never know how many were killed during the regime’s brutal crackdown. Today, the situation in Burma remains as severe as ever. Arrests continue and torture is routine. Political prisoners are singled out for brutal treatment, including the denial of medical treatment.

“Denying medical treatment is just another form of torture that the regime uses against political prisoners,” said Hlaing Sein, Campaigns Officer at Burma Campaign UK.  “This email campaign will show the regime that the world is watching what they are doing. They want the world to believe their lies about their so-called road map to democracy, but we can see their true nature by how they are treating political prisoners.”

Min Ko Naing is one of the most famous student leaders from the 1988 uprising. He was arrested in 1989 and spent more than 16 years in prison. He was severely tortured and held in solitary confinement for most of his sentence. He was released in 2004 and despite constant threats and harassment by the regime, he has continued to campaign for freedom and democracy in Burma.
Campaigners can email Burmese embassies via:  http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/mkn_action.html

For more information contact Hlaing Sein on 02073244720

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