Aung San Suu Kyi Reaches 14 Years in Detention – 24th October

The Burma Campaign UK today called on the United Nations and international community to renew efforts to secure the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners in Burma.

On 24th October Aung San Suu Kyi reaches a total of 14 years in detention, most of it under house arrest. On 11th August 2009, after a sham trial, Aung San Suu Kyi was given a further 18 months under house arrest. Her current period of detention is not due to expire until February 2011. Despite an international outcry, no concrete action was taken to secure her release.

“UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon needs to mobilise the international community to secure the release of all political prisoners,” said Mark Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK. “Aung San Suu Kyi has managed to use sanctions as leverage to persuade the Generals to resume dialogue, but so far all we have is low level officials talking about talks. Aung San Suu Kyi needs our support in pressuring the generals to start real dialogue.”

Burma’s generals are pressing ahead with fake elections in 2010, which will bring in a rubber stamp parliament and a new constitution designed to legalise dictatorship. Ahead of the elections the dictatorship has increased arrests and harassment of democracy activists, and ensured that Aung San Suu Kyi remains detained during the period of the elections. It is also escalating attacks on ethnic people, creating a human rights and humanitarian crisis which has already spread to its neighbours.

Despite the slaughter and increasing instability taking place in ethnic areas, and the continued detention of Aung San Suu Kyi and more than 2,100 political prisoners, much of the international community seems prepared to sit back and wait and see if any small change comes from ‘elections’ next year.

“There needs to be a sense of urgency about what is happening in Burma,” said Mark Farmaner. “Aung San Suu Kyi has spent yet another year in detention. The generals are defying the international community and pressing ahead with an election and constitution that could keep them in power for decades to come. It is a myth that they are not vulnerable to pressure, they are vulnerable, but the right pressure has never been applied. Fine words are not enough, we need action.”

The Burma Campaign UK is calling for all possible tools to be used to persuade Burma’s generals to enter into genuine dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic representatives. These should include diplomatic pressure, targeted economic sanctions, legal pressure such as a UN Commission of Inquiry into war crimes and crimes against humanity being committed by the dictatorship, and a global arms embargo.

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