Burma Campaign UK today delivered a petition with 4,000 signatures to the Burmese Embassy in London, calling on President Thein Sein to ensure the release of all political prisoners in Burma.
The Burmese Embassy refused to accept the petition, but Burma Campaign UK left it in the Embassy anyway.
It has been two years since Thein Sein was appointed President and there are still hundreds of political prisoners in Burma’s jails. Many have been tortured and kept in inhumane conditions. The unconditional release of all political prisoners is a first step towards peace and national reconciliation.
United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for Burma Tomas Ojea Quintana said in his last visit to the country that, “Despite the fact that the Government has released a large number of prisoners of conscience, there still remains a significant number. I continue to be concerned about the practice of torture happening in places of detention in Myanmar.”
Burma Campaign UK has welcomed Thein Sein’s announcement to establish a review Committee, but has raised concerns about 10 key issues, which if not addressed could undermine its credibility, and prevent it from genuinely addressing the issue of political prisoners in Burma. These ten issues are highlighted in our media release here.
“If President Thein Sein genuinely wants to solve the problem of political prisoners, he should start considering these key issues and make the review process credible,” said Wai Hnin, Campaigns Officer at Burma Campaign UK. “There is no doubt that peace and national reconciliation cannot be achieved in Burma until the day we see every single activist walk free from jail.”
