Take action now!
Burma is about to hold its first national election in two decades.
In the last elections in 1990, the National League for Democracy (NLD) won a resounding victory — only for the military government to ignore the results and arrest scores of opposition activists who threatened their grip on power.
We cannot let this happen again.
Many of Burma’s 50 million people live in poverty. And those who express views contrary to that of the ruling authorities face harassment, arrest, torture, imprisonment and, sometimes, execution. Many are held in solitary confinement, denied access to medical care and cut off from their families and loved ones.
More than 2,200 political prisoners are behind bars in Burma – silenced simply for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association.
Now is the time to act
The eyes of the world are on Burma as they prepare for elections. As the moment draws nearer, foreign ministers of Burma’s neighbouring countries are under pressure to speak out against the military government.
Now is a critical time to pressure these Ministers and defend the three freedoms – expression, assembly and association – in Burma.
We cannot let the repression continue while Burma’s election goes ahead. With your help, we can work towards a global outcry that ensures the people of Burma are protected in the lead up to the 2010 elections and beyond.
All Human Rights for All!
For ASEAN to be a successful union, it needs to move beyond the mere existential use it has now. ASEAN needs to evolve to keep up with the political situation of their members and need to be able to guide its members towards a functionable and transparent political system. As long as ASEAN continues to stay quiet, there is increased possibility that it will become permanently mute. And therefore, useless.
“Please use your liberty to promote ours” — Aung San Suu Kyi
Amnesty International Public statement
18 July 2010
Burma elections will test ASEAN’s credibility
Southeast Asian nations should press the Burmese government to protect the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and association throughout the elections period and beyond, Amnesty International said on the eve of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Hanoi.
ASEAN has repeatedly emphasised that the elections should be held in a “free, fair and inclusive manner”. Yet those calls do not go far enough to highlight the human rights that are most at risk in the elections context. Indeed, the Burmese government has not taken any steps to improve its poor human rights record as the polls approach.
More than 2,200 political prisoners continue to languish behind bars in Burma . This is double the number since the start of the mass peaceful anti-government protests of August/September 2007 – a huge indictment of the grim human rights situation there.
Under Electoral Laws enacted in March, no political prisoner can take part in the elections, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The same laws also prohibit them from membership in any political party.
ASEAN should unequivocally call for the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience at the Ministerial Meeting, something they conspicuously failed to do at the organisation’s summit in Hanoi in April.
The Electoral Laws also list a number of offences and penalties, among them—a blatant violation of freedom of expression—a vaguely worded provision against “exhorting” persons to vote or not to vote in the elections.
Moreover, in a 21 June directive issued by the Union Election Commission, political parties are prohibited from campaigning activities that “harm security, the rule of law and community peace”. These regulations allow for an excessively broad interpretation of what constitutes a threat to “security”. For decades the authorities have routinely used vaguely worded laws to arbitrarily criminalise peaceful political dissent.
New censorship rules introduced in June also serve to undermine any remaining scope for independent journalism around the elections process.
The “three freedoms”—of expression, peaceful assembly, and association—must be safeguarded for all, whether people choose to participate in the elections or not. It is not enough for ASEAN to adopt a “wait and see” attitude.
ASEAN states must also be prepared to speak out forcefully if individuals are harassed and detained for their peaceful political views and activities in the run-up to the elections.
Failure to address these urgent challenges will damage ASEAN’s international credibility. It is crucial that ASEAN seizes this opportunity to work towards the realisation of long overdue human rights improvements in Burma .
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprises 10 member states: Brunei , Cambodia , Indonesia , Laos , Malaysia , Burma , the Philippines , Singapore , Thailand , and Viet Nam . The annual ASEAN Ministerial Meeting takes place from 19 – 23 July this year.