Media Release from The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) and the Former Political Prisoner Society (FPPS)
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) and the Former Political Prisoner Society (FPPS) are calling on supporters from across the world to take photographs of their participation in our 2015 Palm Campaign. The campaign aims to show the Government of Burma, in the run up the 2015 elections, that the international community stands in solidarity with political prisoners, and demands lasting reform in Burma.
The steady rise in the number of political prisoners in the last year makes clear that the government is increasingly cracking down on fundamental freedoms. There is a widespread belief that progress in
Burma has now stalled, and the alarming political prisoner situation is demonstrative of the government’s backsliding on reforms. At this pivotal time, it is crucial that the international community puts renewed pressure on the government to ensure they remain committed to a democratic future.
The 2015 Palm Campaign calls for an end to the use of oppressive laws to harass, arrest and imprison political activists; the unconditional release of current political prisoners; and real lasting judicial and legislative reform in Burma.
March 13, 2015, informally signifies Burma’s Human Rights Day, which commemorates Phone Maw – the student shot dead at Rangoon Institute of Technology by government security troops during protests on this day in 1988 – a critical moment in the ’88 pro-democracy uprisings. The campaign will culminate on Burma’s Human Rights Day by showcasing photographs of the support and solidarity from across the world, at an exhibition in Rangoon. This event will display the international community’s widespread call that the Government of Burma must demonstrate the political will to meet the demands of this campaign.
To find out more about the campaign and how to take your photograph, please visit: www.aappb.org/2015-political-prisoners-campaign
Contact details:
Tate Naing, AAPP Secretary: +66 (0) 81-2878751
Bo Kyi, AAPP Joint Secretary: +95 (0) 9-425308840
Ye Aung, FPPS: +95 (0) 9-49590495
Email: campaigns@aappb.org