Political Prisoners Reports

The Myanmar Women Journalists Society (MWJS) conducted a survey to study the situations of Myanmar women journalists during the military coup, from February 1 to December 31, 2021. Women journalists were arrested while reporting news and by house raids. They…

Over eleven months since an illegitimate coup, the armed wing of the junta is systematically stealing civilian properties, carrying out violent military operations, and committing widespread murder. In December, 127 civilians across the country were killed in the junta’s targeted…

More than 300 days after the coup d’état, the civilian population is still suffering even more by the armed wing of the junta. Arbitrary arrests continue to increase, arbitrary killings continue unabated, and prisoners of war are being tortured and…

In 2020, freedom of speech and expression in Burma has declined month on month. 601 individuals are now oppressed due to political activity. 42 political prisoners are serving sentences, 196 are awaiting trial inside prison and 363 are awaiting trial…

After a landslide majority for the National League for Democracy (NLD) in the 8 November multi-party general elections, 590 individuals are still oppressed due to political activity. 35 political prisoners are serving sentences, 199 are awaiting trial inside prison and…

584 individuals are oppressed in Burma due to political activity: 36 political prisoners are serving sentences, 193 are awaiting trial inside prison, 355 are awaiting trial outside prison. In October, 142 people were arrested and 25 were charged. 12 people…

571 individuals are oppressed in Burma due to political activity: 32 political prisoners are serving sentences, 180 are awaiting trial inside prison, 359 are awaiting trial outside prison. In September, 105 people were arrested and 41 were charged. 7 people…

537 individuals are oppressed in Burma due to political activity: 33 political prisoners are serving sentences, 163 are awaiting trial inside prison, 341 are awaiting trial outside prison. In August, 54 people were arrested and 9 were charged. 49 people…

507 individuals are oppressed in Burma due to political activity: 35 political prisoners are serving sentences, 155 are awaiting trial inside prison, 317 are awaiting trial outside prison. In July, 52 people were arrested and 22 charged. 45 people were…

641 individuals are oppressed in Burma due to political activity: 35 political prisoners are serving sentences, 146 are awaiting trial inside prison, 460 are awaiting trial outside prison. In June, 66 people were arrested, 71 were charged, 49 were released…

592 individuals are oppressed in Burma due to political activity: 41 political prisoners are serving sentences, 142 are awaiting trial inside prison, 409 are awaiting trial outside prison. In May, armed clashes between the military and the Arakan Army continued…

587 individuals are oppressed in Burma due to political activity: 50 political prisoners are serving sentences, 137 are awaiting trial inside prison, 400 are awaiting trial outside prison. During April, 24,896 prisoners, including 26 political prisoners were released in the…

615 individuals are oppressed in Burma due to political activity: 92 political prisoners are serving sentences, 124 are awaiting trial inside prison, 399 are awaiting trial outside prison. The report concludes that the prevalence of human rights violations in Burma…

642 individuals are oppressed in Burma due to political activity: 74 political prisoners are serving sentences, 139 are awaiting trial inside prison, 429 are awaiting trial outside prison. In February, 12 students were sued for exercising their freedom of speech…

There are 647 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activity. 73 are currently serving prison sentences, 141 are awaiting trial inside prison, 433 are awaiting trial outside prison. In January, 37 people were sentenced, 2 people were arrested, 8…

There are 631 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activity. 74 are currently serving prison sentences, 171 are awaiting trial inside prison, 386 are awaiting trial outside prison. In December, 8 people were sentenced, 16 arrested, 18 charged and…

There are 633 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activity. 80 are currently serving prison sentences, 180 are awaiting trial inside prison, 373 are awaiting trial outside prison. In November, 38 people were sentenced, 41 arrested, 35 charged and…

Freedom of speech and expression in Burma has continued to regress. There are 612 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activity. 59 are currently serving prison sentences, 181 are awaiting trial inside prison, 372 are awaiting trial outside prison….

There are 606 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activity. 56 are currently serving prison sentences, 187 are awaiting trial inside prison, 363 are awaiting trial outside prison. September 15 is the International Day of Democracy. However, Burma has…

There are 630 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activity. 50 are currently serving prison sentences, 179 are awaiting trial inside prison, 401 are awaiting trial outside prison. Since the beginning of increased clashes between the military and the…

There are 513 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activity. 41 are currently serving prison sentences, 175 are awaiting trial inside prison, 297 are awaiting trial outside prison. In July, 25 people were sentenced, 46 arrested, 57 charged and…

There are 466 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activity. 34 are currently serving prison sentences, 161 are awaiting trial inside prison, 271 are awaiting trial outside prison. This month, 8 people were sentenced, 86 arrested, 76 charged and 7…

There are 388 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activity. 28 are currently serving prison sentences, 142 are awaiting trial inside prison, 218 are awaiting trial outside prison. In May, 6 people were sentenced, 299 arrested, 90 charged and 284 released….

There are 331 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activity. 48 are currently serving prison sentences, 90 are awaiting trial inside prison, 193 are awaiting trial outside prison. For Burmese New Year, on April 17 and April 26, 9535 and 6948 local…

Victims of human rights violations outline their desires for justice in this report, compiled by the Network for Human Rights Documentation Burma (ND-Burma), whose members include a range of ethnic nationalities, women, and former political prisoners. ND-Burma and its Reparations Working Group…

There are 364 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activity. 45 are currently serving prison sentences, 94 are awaiting trial inside prison, 225 are awaiting trial outside prison. This month, 15 people were sentenced, 32 were arrested, 16 people were charged and 25 were…

There are 354 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activity. 43 are currently serving prison sentences, 86 are awaiting trial inside prison, 225 are awaiting trial outside prison. This month, 71 people were sentenced, 44 were arrested, 83 people were charged and…

There are 345 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activity. 33 are currently serving prison sentences, 78 are awaiting trial inside prison, 234 are awaiting trial outside prison. This month, 27 people were sentenced, 12 were arrested, 14 people were charged and 15…

There are 327 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activity. 35 are currently serving prison sentences, 56 are awaiting trial inside prison, 236 are awaiting trial outside prison. This month 9 people were sentenced, including the three Kachin activists…

There are 305 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activity. 36 are currently serving prison sentences, 53 are awaiting trial inside prison, 216 are awaiting trial outside prison. This month 16 people were sentenced, 20 were arrested, 63 were…

There are 290 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activity. 28 are currently serving prison sentences, 54 are awaiting trial inside prison, 208 are awaiting trial outside prison. This month 8 people have been sentenced, 10 arrested, 17 charged and 5…

There are 277 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activity. 27 are currently serving prison sentences, 51 are awaiting trial inside prison, 199 are awaiting trial outside prison. This month 11 people have been sentenced, including the two Reuters reporters,…

There are 273 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activity. 19 are currently serving prison sentences, 51 are awaiting trial inside prison, 201 are awaiting trial outside prison. This month’s report highlights the trial and sentencing of the two Reuters…

There are 275 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activity. 33 are currently serving prison sentences, 53 are awaiting trial inside prison, 189 are awaiting trial outside prison. In July, seven people were arrested, 37 were charged, 7 people were sentenced and 5 were released.

There are 245 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activity. 39 are currently serving prison sentences, 48 are awaiting trial inside prison, 158 are awaiting trial outside prison. In June, 5 people were arrested, 6 were charged, 4 people were sentenced and 14 were released.

There are 262 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activity. 36 are currently serving prison sentences, 57 are awaiting trial inside prison, 169 are awaiting trial outside prison. 38 anti-war protesters were arrested this month. Six land rights activists were also arrested….

215 individuals are oppressed in Burma due to political activity: 35 political prisoners are serving sentences, 56 are awaiting trial inside prison, 124 are awaiting trial outside prison. One person was arrested and five people were charged this month. 19…

There are 248 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activities. 54 political prisoners are serving prison sentences, 74 are awaiting trial inside prison, 120 are awaiting trial outside prison. In March, 39 people were arrested. Of these, 37 were…

Ahead of Blue Shirt Day, this briefing looks at the situation of political prisoners in Burma. Two years since the NLD-led government took power, there are still political prisoners in jail and people are still being arrested because of their…

There are 240 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activities. 44 are currently serving prison sentences, 75 are awaiting trial inside prison, 121 are awaiting trial outside prison. In February 36 people were arrested, 28 by the Kachin Independence…

There are 229 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activities. 45 are currently serving prison sentences, 51 are awaiting trial inside prison, 133 are awaiting trial outside prison. In January, 11 people were arrested. Five were charged, carried out…

There are 236 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activities. 46 are currently serving prison sentences, 52 are awaiting trial inside prison, 138 are awaiting trial outside prison. In December, eight people were arrested, two of whom were subsequently…

There are 228 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activities. 46 are currently serving prison sentences, 49 are awaiting trial inside prison, 133 are awaiting trial outside prison. In November, three people were arrested, three people were charged, and…

There are 221 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activities. 45 are currently serving prison sentences, 49 are awaiting trial inside prison, 127 are awaiting trial outside prison. In October, five people were arrested, four people were charged, and…

There are 220 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activities. 42 are currently serving prison sentences, 51 are awaiting trial inside prison, 127 are awaiting trial outside prison. In September, three individuals were arrested, five people were charged, three…

There are 229 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activities. 42 are currently serving prison sentences, 56 are awaiting trial inside prison, 131 are awaiting trial outside prison. In August, there were 38 arrests, four people were charged, 11…

There are 225 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activities. 39 are currently serving prison sentences, 50 are awaiting trial inside prison, 136 are awaiting trial outside prison. In July, 31 individuals were arrested, 42 were charged, 19 were…

There are 212 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activities. 41 are currently serving prison sentences, 49 are awaiting trial inside prison, and 122 are awaiting trial outside prison. This month, 33 people were arrested, 27 people were charged,…

The second amnesty of 2017 on May 24 saw the release of 89 political prisoners, leaving 40 still serving prison sentences, 87 people awaiting trial inside prison, and 122 awaiting trial outside prison – a total of 249 individuals oppressed…

There are 305 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activities. 99 are currently serving prison sentences, 91 are awaiting trial inside prison, 115 are awaiting trial outside prison. This month, 23 people were arrested, seven people were charged, and…

There are 299 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activities. 93 are currently serving prison sentences, 85 are awaiting trial inside prison, 121 are awaiting trial outside prison. This month, 420 people were arrested, and 80 people were charged….

There are 292 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activities. 86 are currently serving prison sentences, 85 are awaiting trial inside prison, 121 are awaiting trial outside prison. This month, 92 people were arrested, 90 of whom are from…

There are 250 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activities, 86 political prisoners are serving prison sentences, 90 are awaiting trial inside prison, 74 are awaiting trial outside prison. This month, 30 people were arrested, 25 of whom are…

There are 194 individuals oppressed in Burma due to political activities. 86 political prisoners are serving prison sentences. 40 are awaiting trial inside prison. 68 are awaiting trial outside prison. This month, 12 people were arrested, 9 of whom are…

There are 195 political prisoners in Burma. 87 are currently serving prison sentences, 24 are awaiting trial inside prison, 84 are awaiting trial outside prison. This month, 85 people were arrested, 84 of whom are from ethnic areas. 18 people…

There are 206 political prisoners in Burma. 98 are currently serving prison sentences, 24 are awaiting trial inside prison, 84 are awaiting trial outside prison. This month, 63 people were arrested, 51 of whom are from ethnic areas, 18 people…

Summary of the Current Situation: There are 205 political prisoners in Burma. 86 are currently serving prison sentences, 35 are awaiting trial inside prison, 84 are awaiting trial outside prison. MONTH IN REVIEW This month, one person was arrested and…

A report by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) As Burma emerges from decades of authoritarian rule and international isolation, the issue of humanrights and human rights abuses has been of large concern to many actors involved. Holding those…

Summary of the Current Situation: There are 206 political prisoners in Burma. 86 are currently serving prison sentences, 35 are awaiting trial inside prison, 85 are awaiting trial outside prison. MONTH IN REVIEW This month, seven local people from ethnic…

Summary of the Current Situation: There are 285 political prisoners incarcerated in Burma. 83 are currently serving prison sentences. 35 are awaiting trial inside of prison, and 167 are awaiting trial outside of prison. Month in Review This month 129…

A report by Amnesty International “In 2012 and 2013 the situation seemed better and more flexible but in 2014 and 2015 people started being charged and jailed again, for example the students, the farmers, the unions, media… This keeps people…

Summary of the Current Situation: There are 285 political prisoners in Burma. 82 are currently serving prison sentences, 34 are awaiting trial inside prison and, 169 are awaiting trial outside prison. This month 112 political activists were arrested in total,…

Summary of the Current Situation: There are 64 political prisoners incarcerated in Burma. 138 activists are currently awaiting trial for political actions, 43 of whom are incarcerated. MONTH IN REVIEW This month, 235 political activists were released following a series …

Summary of the Current Situation: There are 90 political prisoners incarcerated in Burma. 418 activists are currently awaiting trial for political actions, 132 of whom are incarcerated. Month in Review: This month, 19 political activists were arrested in total, nine…

Summary of the Current Situation: There are 86 political prisoners incarcerated in Burma. 399 activists are currently awaiting trial for political actions. Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma)

Summary of the Current Situation: There are 129 political prisoners incarcerated in Burma. 408 activists are currently awaiting trial for political actions. Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma)

Summary of the Current Situation: There are 127 political prisoners incarcerated in Burma. 477 activists are currently awaiting trial for political actions. Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma)

As of the end of October, there are 112 political prisoners incarcerated in Burma and 486 activists currently awaiting trial for political actions. Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma)

Summary of the Current Situation As of the end of September, there are 96 political prisoners incarcerated in Burma, with 466 activists currently awaiting trial for political actions. This month, six political activists were arrested in total, one of whom…

Summary of the Current Situation As of the end of August, there are 108 political prisoners incarcerated in Burma, with 459 activists currently awaiting trial for political actions. This month, 16 political activists were arrested in total, two of whom…

Summary of the Current Situation As of the end of July there are 120 political prisoners in Burma, with  448 activists awaiting trial. This month, 16 people were arrested and charged, 15 were indicted, 21 were sentenced, and 17 were…

Summary of the Current Situation As of the end of June, there are 169 political prisoners incarcerated in Burma, with 446 activists currently awaiting trial for political actions. This month, 24 political activists were charged in total. One of the…

Summary of the Current Situation As of the end of May, there are 163 political prisoners incarcerated in Burma, with 442 activists currently awaiting trial for political actions. MONTH IN REVIEW This month, 49 political activists were charged in total,…

Summary of the current situation As of the end of April, there are 157 political prisoners incarcerated in Burma, with 453 activists currently awaiting trial for political actions. The government continues to violate the rights of its citizens, silencing its…

Summary of the Current Situation As of the end of March 173 political prisoners remain incarcerated in Burma, with 316 activists currently awaiting trial for political actions. The government continues to disregard its responsibility to adhere to international human rights…

As of the end of February, there are 170 political prisoners incarcerated in Burma, with 238 activists currently awaiting trial for political actions. The government continues to silence its critics through the use of several laws aimed at preventing activists…

As of the end of January, there are 159 political prisoners incarcerated in Burma, with 213 activists currently awaiting trial for political actions. The Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Act continues to be used in an attempt to silence those…

Summary of the Current Situation As of the end of December, 81 political activists remained in prison, with 78 farmers in jail. 203 people are awaiting trial. As another year passes by the government’s promise to release all political prisoners…

This month, 17 political activists were charged and 7 sentenced, while 8 current political prisoners were released. AAPP also received information regarding one death resulting from police brutality, as well as multiple reports of torture and mistreatment in the country….

At the end of October, 75 political prisoners remain incarcerated in prison, with another 121 awaiting trial. In October, eight activists were charged, 26 were sentenced, and 21 released. Extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, and torture have been sharply brought to…

Report by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, to the United Nations General Assembly. “The important transition and far-reaching reforms in Myanmar must be commended. Yet, possible signs of backtracking should be addressed…

In September, AAPP documented the sentencing of 11 political activists, the indictment of 13 individuals (including 2 detained), and the release of 2 political prisoners. As of end of September, there are 80 activists incarcerated in Burma, with 130 activists…

In August, AAPP recorded the sentencing of 28 individuals for politically related activities, as well as the release of one political prisoner and the torture of five people. By the end of August, 84 political prisoners were incarcerated in Burma,…

Throughout the month of July, AAPP documented the arrest of 11 activists, sentencing of 21 activists, and the release of 2 political prisoners. Of the eleven arrested activists, two were freed. These numbers indicate that the government’s trend of incarcerating…

At end of June, there were sixty-five political prisoners imprisoned in Burma, with 102 activists currently awaiting trial for political actions. Although President Thein Sein promised to release all political prisoners by the end of 2013, the number of political…

AAPP report on Political Prisoners May 2014 Although the Burmese government maintains that no political prisoners remain in Burma, AAPP’s numbers have been steadily increasing since the end of 2013. At the end of May, there was exactly sixty confirmed…

Summary for April 2014 April saw the indictment of 10 political activists, with two imprisoned. Four prisoners were sentenced this month, including one journalist. There were no new releases this month. Celebrated political journalist and political prisoner for almost two…

2013 saw the continuing release of political prisoners from jails across Burma. Throughout the year, 380 political prisoners have been freed under conditional releases. However this year will also be recognized as one that demonstrated ongoing problems within the democratic…

Summary for March 2014 March saw the Scrutinizing Committee face continued difficulties when working with the government. Ongoing attempts to gain clear information, access to political prisoners and discuss the remaining political prisoner situation have yet to gain results. There…

Summary for February 2014 February continued to see more political activists arrested and  charged for attempting to carry out peaceful protest. Since the start of the month 8 new political activists were arrested, with 5 people being sentenced under Article…

The end of 2013 saw the cancelation of numerous political activists trials, and the release of  a few from Burma?s prison. According to government statements, this has emptied the jails of political activists. Those trials under the most commonly used laws…

Summary for December 2013 Early December saw the release of 41 political prisoners. The December 30 Presidential Pardon Order Number-51/2013 brought the release of a further 16 political prisoners, bringing the total for December to 59. 3 people were indicted…

Summary for November 2013 66 political prisoners were released on November 15th. This month also saw the sentencing of 30 activists, several of which paid fines rather than face imprisonment. A large number of those imprisoned are farmers sentenced under…

Summary for September 2013 33 incarcerated, 10 released. 232 activists are still facing trial. 3 prisoners are reported as being in poor health, 2 suffering AIDS and one from tuberculosis. While it has been stated that all remaining political prisoners…

The use of Section 18 allows continued human rights abuses in Burma. This briefing by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners shows how Section 18 of the Peaceful Assembly and Peaceful Procession Law is being frequently utilized to arrest and…

Summary 53 are facing trial, 7 were sentenced, and no political prisoners were released this month. A report by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners

Summary 43 activists were facing trial, 10 were sentenced, and 54 political prisoners were released in July.

Burma Briefing No. 26 President Thein Sein has been hailed by the British government and many other world leaders as a reformer. He has even been described as courageous. In their rush to embrace Thein Sein as a democratic reformer,…

Burma Briefing No. 25 The international community is normalising relations, praising reforms and lifting pressure on Burma despite the fact that the military-backed government keeps hundreds of political prisoners in jail. The briefing contains case studies of 6 political prisoners…

This report by The Network for Human Rights Documentation – Burma (ND-Burma) documents the Government of Burma’s use of torture and ill treatment against its own people since the November 2010 elections. “The international community has been applauding the government…

Updated 10 January 2012 Burma Briefing No. 16 As speculation mounts that the government in Burma is about to release some political prisoners, this briefing looks at the history of political prisoner releases in Burma. The mass release of prisoners…

Burma Briefing No. 10 In the past two years there has been an increasing trend to look at Burma through the lens of international law, rather than just as a civil liberties or human rights issue. This approach gained momentum…

This report, released by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners on behalf of 12 groups working inside Burma, details the situation of Burma’s more than 2200 political prisoners languishing behind bars. Not only does the report highlight the political prisoner…

Report by Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) The widespread and unlawful detention of political activists has a significant impact on Burma’s political environment in two main ways. Firstly, most of the prominent activists are removed from public or political…

Report by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Mr. Tomás Ojea Quintana. The Special Rapporteur repeats his call for a UN Commission of Inquiry into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Burma….

Report by The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma). This report sets out the vitally important role of Burma’s political prisoners in a process of national reconciliation, leading to democratic transition. A genuine, inclusive process of national reconciliation is urgently…

A report by Human Rights Watch documenting dozens of prominent political activists, Buddhist monks, labor activists, journalists, and artists arrested since peaceful political protests in 2007 and sentenced to draconian prison terms after unfair trials.

SPDC constitution which enshrines military rule, giving 25 percent of the seats to the military, and also gives the military effective veto power over decisions made by Parliament. Download the constitution in English here.

New report by the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners (Burma) and the US Campaign for Burma documents the huge increase in number of Political Prisoners currently detained in Burma

A report by AAPP which details the deaths of 127 Burmese Democracy Activists in custody.

A report by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), exposing the true scale of torture in Burma’s prisons.

Report commissioned by Vacláv Havel and Archbishop Desmond Tutu and prepared by DLA Piper. It calls on UNSC members to pass a resolution requiring the regime to work with the United Nations in restoring democracy to Burma, and to release…