For Immediate Release:

July 18, 2005

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma (AAPP) today filed the case of prisoner of conscience, U Win Tin, with the UN, asking for a ruling regarding his continued arbitrary detention.

On July 6, 2005, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) announced the release of several prisoners, many of whom were political prisoners. U Win Tin was believed to be among those to be released. According to U Soe Myint, an elected MP just released from Insein prison, where U Win Tin is detained, the authorities told U Win Tin of his imminent release and took him through the standard procedures prior to release. He was told that he and nine other prisoners would need to meet with the Minister of Home Affairs prior to their release. However, while waiting for this meeting, U Win Tin was asked to come to the prison office only to be then taken back to his cell. No explanation was given for this decision.

This was not the first time that U Win Tin was forced to participate in such a charade. In November 2004, the SPDC also released several political prisoners, again in an effort to deflect international pressure. At the time, the Foreign Minister, Kyaw Thu, stated "Win Tin is already on the list" of those to be released. However, U Win Tin was not released and again no explanation was given.

"These two incidents with U Win Tin are examples of the use of psychological torture by the SPDC to demoralize political prisoners." said Tate Naing, Secretary of the AAPP, "By informing U Win Tin that he was to be released and then continuing to detain him, the regime clearly intended to break his spirit."

Torture is endemic in Burma's prisons. While the regime's methods of physical torture are well known, it's use of psychological torture is less known, but just as prevalent. Psychological torture is the worse form of torture, as it can leave prisoners with mental anguish that lasts their whole lifetimes, long after their release.

Informing prisoners they are to be released and bringing them to the prison gate only to take them right back to their cell is one common form of psychological torture. Other methods include deprivation of food, water, sleep, showers and use of the toilet. Political prisoners also are frequently isolated from their fellow political prisoners, kept in solitary confinement and denied human contact. This denial of human necessities makes the prisoner begin to feel they are loosing touch with their normal senses, and creates a situation where all track of time is lost.

Further, political prisoners are subject to witnessing the torture of others and to hearing tortured screams coming from the cells of their colleagues. Frequently, the lives or well-being of the prisoner's family and colleagues are threatened, leaving the prisoner to feel helpless and ashamed that their actions may have caused hurt to those they love.

In addition to threats to those closest to them, political prisoners face threats of physical abuse and even death. Under these threats, they are forced to denounce their participation in the struggle for democracy and human rights, and are made to sign documents saying they will never again participate in such activities. They are often also made to sign documents stating that the have not been tortured. The intention is to breakdown the identity of activists, leaving them without self-respect or confidence in their actions.

The SPDC uses torture as a "weapon against democracy," seeking to break the most valiant advocates of democracy and human rights and instill fear and complicity in the hearts and minds of the Burmese population.

U Win Tin will likely continue to face such torture as he remains confined to his cell to serve out the rest of his unjust sentence. He has been detained in Insein prison for sixteen years, and has received three consecutive sentences totaling 20 years. His detention was politically motivated as prior to his arrest he was a founding member of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and one of the most strident opponents of the regime. He has never received a fair trial nor been allowed legal representation as documented in the publication Pleading Not Guilty in Insein. In 1996, he was again sentenced for his attempt to send a report detailing the ill-treatment and inhumane prison conditions in Insein prison to the UN Special Rapporteur on Burma.

The AAPP has submitted his case to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, a UN body, which typically issues a ruling within ninety days of receiving a petition.

"Despite the psychological torture that he has been made to endure, and his continuing arbitrary detention, U Win Tin's spirit will remain strong." continued Tate Naing, "The SPDC cannot continue its arbitrary detention and torture indefinitely, as activists for democracy and human rights will continue to speak out on behalf of the imprisoned. The torturers feel safe to torture when their actions are hidden in the dark; we will light this darkness and expose the SPDC for the torturers that they in fact are."