Zarganar Blog, Human rights in Burma

Zarganar is the most famous artist of Burma, and a former political prisoner.

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PRISONERS of conscience

FIDH Open Letter to EU (part about political prisoners)

While we acknowledge that positive steps have been taken by the government in Burma/Myanmar, we caution that reforms have not led to progress towards national reconciliation. Nor have they sought to stem the ongoing human rights abuses and impunity,

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‘political prisoner’ definition

a political prisoner as: “any individual who is detained or being legally punished for participating in various forms of political activity due to a belief that it would serve the interest of the country and its people or that the people are

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Harsh conditions in Burmese prisons

Political prisoners say they are still being ill-treated and forced to carry out hard labor. When Aung Ko Latt was brought to Ohbo Prison Court on Tuesday he managed to exchange a few words with a reporter and complained about the maltreatment that

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Freedom for remaining political prisoners ?

President Thein Sein’s office ordered the formation of a commission to “grant liberty to remaining political prisoners”. The committee has been tasked to review existing cases and determine how many political prisoners remain in Burma, according to

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Burma is still failing basic rights tests

Over the past year, the Burmese government released nearly 400 political prisoners, relaxed media censorship, and permitted opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy party to assume the 43 parliamentary seats it won in

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HR violations conducted under the Unlawful Associations Act

The Asian Human Rights Commission released a special dossier of recent cases of arrest, detention, torture and extortion carried out by Burma military and police personnel in Kachin State. The 36 cases from 2012 have all been conducted under the

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Labor camp = death sentence

Following the recent release of prisoners, the AAPP says 218 political prisoners remain incarcerated and more than 100 are facing trial, mostly in Arakan and Kachin states. “Political prisoners are treated especially harshly. It is still common

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ICRC will once again be allowed to visit prisoners

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will once again be allowed to visit prisoners in Burma. Former political prisoners have welcomed the resumption of the visits, saying it is an “essential” form of moral and health support for inmates,

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Former prisoner Min Ko Naing : a painter full of energy

American sculptor Jim McNalis recently met with renowned political prisoner Min Ko Naing in Yangon. "I am certain that Min Ko Naing would prefer to be known as something other than Burma's most famous political prisoner, after Aung San Suu Kyi.

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Prizes and Awards

Myat Kaung, Zarganar's son (right) and artist Htein Lin - Bremen BURMESE laureates 2012.12.07 Myanmar filmmakers win awards at Asean-Rok workshop 2012.11.30 President Thein Sein - "In Pursuit of Peace" Award from International Crisis Group

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A transparent mechanism to review remaining prisoner cases

President Thein has ordered a prisoner amnesty ahead of a historic visit to the country by President Barack Obama. 66 detainees should be released, among them 43 political prisoners, quoting to AAPP-B list. Burmese government has long insisted that

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Help to close Burma’s dark chapter of political prisoners

It has been over one year since the government of Burma ordered the release of 6,359 prisoners. Among the thousands were 247 political prisoners, including respected leaders like female labor activist Su Su Nway and famed satirist Zagarnar. It was

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White House Blog : many issues in Burma

Many of the issues will likely feature in the President’s upcoming trip to Burma. These included: Prisoners of conscience. The release of more than 700 political prisoners in the last year has been unprecedented. But as Secretary Clinton has made

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HRW : Obama should press for the release of all political prisoners

President Barack Obama’s visit to Burma will be a success only if it generates concrete and lasting steps toward improving human rights in the country, Human Rights Watch. Obama should press for the release of all political prisoners and an end to

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Mee Mee : I want women who join politics

Mee Mee has made her mission to persuade Burmese women to set aside their fears and take a more active role in politics. Mee Mee has been imprisoned three times for her role in Burmese politics—in 1988, 1996 and 2007—and has spent a total of 10 years

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Min Ko Naing : the value of education

“You all know more than us the value of education and how educated people manage their countries around the world,” said Min Ko Naing, who spent 24 years in prison for his role in peaceful democracy demonstrations. The 88 Generation has so far

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Zarganar : I knew I would be criticized

Zarganar, a popular comedian and former political prisoner who is part of the commission, said that months after the violence, community members “from all sides” in Rakhine had been refusing to cooperate, and that the inquiry might not be completed

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Some areas haven’t changed at all

The situation on the ground does not justify the lifting of all sanctionssaid Aung Din, former political prisoner and Executive Director of the U.S. Campaign for Burma. There are three major areas where changes are not in effect. First, the judiciary

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UN Special Rapporteur Report, September 25

The Special Rapporteur is concerned that prisoners of conscience remain in detention throughout Myanmar. He reiterates that the Government should release all remaining prisoners of conscience without conditions or delay. This is central to national

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Prisoner release : public relations, not reform

"President Thein Sein claims to be a reformer, but 18 months after becoming president there are still hundreds of political prisoners, and he has not abolished any of the laws which were used to arrest and jail them,” said a Burma Campaign UK

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