Advocacy Papers
- AAPP Objectives and Mission Pamphlet
This informative pamphlet outlines AAPP’s objectives and mission as an organization.
- AAPP History Pamphlet
This informative pamphlet provides an introduction to AAPP and its history, as well as its activities.
- The Use of Section 18 to Continue Human Rights Abuses in Burma (2013)
Section 18 of the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Law is being frequently utilized to arrest and imprison political activists for undertaking human rights activism in Burma. This paper will highlight the way in which other countries permit and regulate public freedoms and how they manage public assemblies. It will show the huge divide between the way the government of Burma controls these situations and the way in which the majority of democratic countries do so. The use of section 18 as a tool to punish and restrict activists highlights the lack of rule of law in Burma, reiterating the urgent need for judicial reform.
- The Role of Civil Society in Burma’s Transition (2013)
This paper discusses the important role of civil society in Burma’s democratic transition. The rapid changes that officially dismantled decades of brutal dictatorial rule, resulting in the restoration of Parliament, would not have been possible without popular social movements. The supportive contribution of civil society has provided much-needed legitimacy and popular weight to the democratic transition. A true democratic transition in Burma will require civil society members to play an active role. When a country like Burma is emerging from absolute military rule it becomes vital that civil society is free to perform its most basic role: to monitor and check state powers. Civil society movements in Burma are a clear reminder that democracy is about more than elections. Democracy is about strong institutions such as an independent and transparent judiciary and respect for the rule of law.
- The Release of Political Prisoners in Burma (2011)
This paper provides a detailed account of the release of political prisoners over time in Burma. At the time of this report, there were approximately 475 political prisoners currently in prison in Burma. The nominally civilian government denies that there even are political prisoners in Burma. In its response to questions about political prisoners made as part of the UN’s Universal Periodic Review on Burma’s human rights record, published 2nd February 2011, it was said that ‘Those referred to as “political prisoners” and “prisoners of conscience” are in prison because they had breached the prevailing laws and not because of their political belief.’
- Torture, Political Prisoners and the Un-Rule of Law (by AAPP and Hannah Scott, 2011)
Despite the fact that torture constitutes one of the most brutal attacks on human dignity, and not withstanding the absolute prohibition of torture under any circumstances, almost no society is immune from torture. In many societies, it is practiced systematically. Burma is one such country. In addition, conditions of detention, in Burma, are appalling and arguably qualify as cruel, inhuman and degrading, amounting to torture. This paper explores the nature of torture in Burma’s interrogation centres and prisons.
- The Situation of Prisons in Burma (2007)
People in Burma have to live their lives without any security as a result of lawlessness. They have to live in a situation under which they can be arrested at any time and jailed for a long sentence, or even die during interrogation in police stations and interrogation camps. We at the AAPP believe that there will be no law and order as long as the SPDC is manipulating the most important power pillars of the country—the legislative, judicial and administrative power—and issuing directives and orders that to be approved as law. This paper examines the deplorable prison conditions in Burma, drawing attention to a wide range of issues including torture, extrajudicial killings, and health conditions in Burma’s prisons.
- Report on Myaungmya Prison (2004)
State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) officials’ overhaul of staff at a prison on the Irrawaddy delta in Burma following a demonstration there last year has perpetuated the abuse of prisoners that first occurred following the initial crackdown on protesters. Demanding basic rights, prisoners demonstrated outside their cells at Myaung Mya Prison on the evening of August 18, 2003.This report documents the events leading to the overhaul, and the ongoing abuse of prisoners at the prison.
- Report on Forced Labour (2002)
In Burma, the use of prisoners’ labor began in June 1962, when prisoners were forced to work at the Pale-Gangaw road construction project. Since the 1962 military coup, Burma has been ruled by dictators who have oppressed the people and repeatedly violated their fundamental rights and freedoms. Prisoners have suffered greatly under the military regime, from arbitrary arrest, detention and incarceration, to brutal torture and appalling prison conditions. Human rights groups have documented that prisoners in Burma are forced to labor in prisons, prison labor camps, and at the battlefront under inhuman conditions, and with cruel torture. The following report highlights the situation of these prisoners.
- Report on Torture (2002)
This report discloses the real situation of the use of torture and ill-treatment by successive military regimes throughout the years. In the 2001 report by Amnesty International, the situation of political prisoners in Burma prisons was stated clearly: “torture and ill-treatment of political prisoners continued to be reported. Methods of torture included severe beatings and kicks with boots; an iron bar being rolled repeatedly up and down the shins until the skin peeled off; near-suffocation; and “the airplane,” where prisoners are suspended from the ceiling, spun around and beaten. This Amnesty report reflects the current situation in Burma, as is further explained in this report.
- Confidence Building and Political Prisoners (2002)
In Burma, talks between the military government known as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), and the opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), have been ongoing for the past one and a half years. However, as of yet neither the junta nor the NLD has released any statements regarding these negotiations. This paper will analyze the degree to which progress has been made in improving human rights conditions in Burma, specifically in the context of confidence building efforts between the NLD and the SPDC, who have yet to transfer power to the elected Members of Parliament. This paper will focus mainly on the progress of the talks as they pertain to the condition of political prisoners.
- Burmese Political Prisoners (AAPP and the Burma Lower Council, 2001)
Over the course of 40 years, successive military rulers have ruled with different legal frameworks are seizing power. This report examines the historical development of law in Burma, into the current legal system. It highlights the ways in which commonly used laws today violate international human rights standards in their suppression of freedom of expression and maltreatment of prisoners.
- A Glimpse to Political Prisoners and Prisoner Conditions in Burma (2001)
We, Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), have been reporting the situation of political prisoners of the prisons around Burma. Many democracy and human rights activists have been arrested, tortured and imprisoned for their peaceful activities since the 1988 military coup. Most of them were given long prison terms and have faced violation of their human rights by the Military Intelligence (MI) and prison authorities in their everyday life. In this paper, we, former political prisoners, present a summary of their horrible condition in prisons.
- The Use of Prisoners as Forced Porters and Labor by the Military Junta in Burma (2000)
Despite being a member of the International Labor Organization (ILO), and having ratified the organizations convention, the use of forced porters by the military junta in Burma is well documented. This paper provides an overview and assessment of the use of forced labor in Burma.
- Can the Outside World See the Darkness We See? (2000)
As Burma is a member of the United Nations, the military junta, who call themselves the Government, must respect the UN Declaration of Human Rights. Moreover, they must follow the convention against torture and other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishments adopted by the General Assembly on 10 December 1984. Although the junta declared that they are still adhering to the rules set down in the ‘Jail manual’, drawn up by the British Government in 1891, all political prisoners have been denied the rights of prisoners which appear in that manual. The political prisoners are often subjected to prohibit one and severe punishments in repressive degrees that are not mentioned in the jail manual.This is a report on the conditions of political prisoners from May 1, 2000.
