While several prominent former political prisoners have been given passports and traveled abroad, including Aung San Suu Kyi, Zargana, and blogger Nay Phone Latt, they are exceptions.
“The Burmese government is dragging its feet rather than fulfilling its promises to release all political prisoners,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director. “Donor countries promoting reform should actively press Burma to meet its human rights commitments by immediately freeing the remaining political prisoners and lifting all restrictions against them.”
“There could be at least two reasons why they are denying us passports,” Anthony told Human Rights Watch. “One, they still want to suppress us, and two, they don't want us to go out and spread the truth about what happened in Burma or in the prison itself.” As a result, his plans to travel abroad to attend democracy training courses have been delayed. On August 29, the US government waived visa restrictions on President Thein Sein, allowing him to travel in the United States for the first time from September 24-27. “President Thein Sein is denying passports to former political prisoners, just as he is able to travel in the US after years on a blacklist,” Robertson said. “Accepting all passport requests from ex-political prisoners would close one of the huge gaps in Burma’s touted march to reform.”
Released political prisoners have also been prevented from resuming their educational pursuits at universities in Burma. At least 15 students imprisoned on various charges after the 2007 Saffron Revolution and released on January 13 have been prohibited from re-attending their university classes since their release. They said they were denied entry by their respective heads of universities, who they believe are closely linked to the government-run Ministry of Education. University officials told the students that their prolonged absence from classes rendered them unable to attend classes again as full-time students. On March 16, the 15 students sent letters to President Thein Sein seeking his intervention to allow them to re-enter university to complete their studies. The letters have gone unanswered. “We are not criminals, we were political prisoners. We were released by presidential amnesty. We feel we have a right to re-attend the class,” said former political prisoner Nyein Linn. “We think this is discrimination against the political prisoners. If we were in the university then we would be working for the student union, and the government doesn’t want that.”
The Burmese government has also failed to address significant psychosocial and economic needs of former political prisoners when they attempt to reintegrate into society, Human Rights Watch said. Several former prisoners told Human Rights Watch that they face great difficulties reintegrating into their families and society after years or decades in prison. Many are suffering from severe physical and psychological health problems resulting from years of torture and detention in dismal conditions, often in isolation from other prisoners or in prisons far from their families. After release, social support structures to assist them with services are largely non-existent, meaning the ex-political prisoners need support from often ill-prepared family members. Several nongovernmental organizations have sought to fill gaps in services and support.
The government of Burma should immediately release all remaining political prisoners and lift travel and other restrictions on those freed, Human Rights Watch said. Independent international monitors should be permitted unhindered access to Burma’s prisons to provide a public accounting of all remaining political prisoners.
2012.09.17 Human Rights Watch Burma-former-political-prisoners-persecuted