November 2011 AAPP Monthly Chronology

Summary of the current situation

AAPP can confirm 1,638 political prisoners have been arrested and are believed to still be in prison. There is an ongoing verification process to confirm as much information surrounding the political prisoner as possible, such as prison terms, sentencing history, and current whereabouts. Most importantly, AAPP is verifying whether a political prisoner is still in prison, has been released, or has been sent to a forced labor camp or to the front line, for example. If still in prison, AAPP is confirming the location of their prisons.

Trends

November 2011 has been a significant month in many areas. The Special Rapporteur, Quintana has called for prison transparency and an independent body, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to investigate prison conditions. This is in light of a second hunger strike by Insein prisoners currently in prison hospital who are demanding a much-needed overhaul of the prison healthcare system. Meanwhile a law has been passed by the regime in which public protest is permitted. The specific conditions under which a protest can occur are many, restricting any true sense of freedom to protest. The breaking up of a recent farmer‟s protest highlights the constraints that potential demonstrators endure. The actions of the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC) have also been put to the test. Although the call for the release of prisoners, including those who committed political acts, was publicly made by the MNHRC, this has not been heeded by the regime in the month of November, and there has yet to be any indication whether the commission is truly and independently committed to investigating the continuing human rights abuses of the regime.

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11-Monthly Chronology of Burma Political Prisoners for November 2011