AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PRESS
RELEASE
AI Index: ASA 16/013/2003
(Public)
News Service No: 075
1
April 2003
Myanmar: Limited human rights improvements
-- serious concerns persist
Almost two months after its
first-ever visit to Myanmar, Amnesty International welcomed some limited
improvements in the human rights situation, but at the same time expressed
disappointment that other urgent steps have not yet been taken by the State
Peace and Development Council (SPDC), the military government. The SPDC has told
the organization that political prisoners now have access to reading materials
and social contact, which are positive developments. However over 1200 political
prisoners are still held in prisons throughout the country, and the pace of
releases has decreased considerably in the last four months.
"We welcome
our ongoing dialogue with the SPDC and look forward to future visits to Myanmar,
when we will investigate the human rights situation further. However we are
disappointed that the SPDC has not released prisoners who are ill, elderly, or
are imprisoned with their young children," Amnesty International said
today.
"During our visit, we submitted a number of lists of political
prisoners, whose releases should be a first priority for the SPDC. Yet to our
knowledge none of these people have been released," the organization
added.
People on the lists include imprisoned members of
parliament-elect; people who should be released on humanitarian grounds; and
those held under the administrative detention provisions of the 1975 State
Protection Act.
Among those whom Amnesty International asked to be
released as a matter of urgency is U Htwe Myint, a 73-year-old prisoner of
conscience with multiple health problems; and Ma San San Maw, a prisoner of
conscience held at Insein Prison with her 19 month old child.
At the time
of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's release in May 2002 the SPDC publicly renewed its
commitment to release political prisoners. They had begun to release political
prisoners in January 2001, and hundreds have subsequently been freed, including
a group freed in mid March 2003.
However many of them were not released
unconditionally, and since July 2002 arrests of people for their peaceful
political activities have begun again. Amnesty International has recently
submitted a list of 27 such people to the SPDC, and is seeking further
information about them.
At this time Amnesty International renews its
call for the SPDC to release all prisoners of conscience immediately and
unconditionally.
Background
Amnesty International's first
ever visit to Myanmar took place from 30 January until 8 February 2003. After
the trip, the organization publicly welcomed the SPDC's cooperation in
facilitating the visit, and the open and cordial discussions between government
officials and AI.
The SPDC has taken a number of positive steps in the
last three years. These include permission for an International Labour
Organization (ILO) presence in Myanmar to work with the SPDC on the elimination
of forced labour of civilians by the military. Amnesty International has also
noted an improvement in prison conditions during this period.
The SPDC
has permitted Professor Paulo Pinheiro, the UN Special Rapporteur for Myanmar,
to visit the country five times to investigate the human rights situation. He
has recently concluded a mission there, and addressed the UN Human Rights
Commission on 31 March. Ambassador Ismail Razali, the UN Secretary General's
Special Envoy to Myanmar, has also travelled to the country several times a
year, although he has not visited since November 2002. Amnesty International
hopes to return to the country before the end of 2003.
Source: Public Document
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London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566 .
Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW. web: http://www.amnesty.org/
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