The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has published its opinion on the case of the detention of Dr Linn Htut, Chief Minister of Shan State and a member of the National League for Democracy, who was arrested and detained by the Burmese military following the 2021 coup.
It has ruled that his detention is illegal and a violation of international law, stating:
“The deprivation of liberty of Linn Htut, being in contravention of articles 2, 7, 9, 10, 11, 19, 20 and 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is arbitrary and falls within categories I, II, III and V.”
“…the appropriate remedy would be to release Mr. Htut immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law.”
The opinion is available here.
Dr Linn Htut’s son has issued a statement in response to the ruling. He states:
“Since the first day of the coup in 2021 the junta has tried to erase him. They abducted him, locked him away, denied him medical care, and left his body to weaken in a cell. The man who once stood tall now limps. His voice has grown thin. His weight has dropped. In four years our family was allowed only 15 minutes of visitation. In that brief moment we saw the quiet violence of slow destruction. They punish him not for any crime but because he refuses to bow his head to tyranny. I demand his release.
I demand the release of all political prisoners. I demand that governments cut the weapons, the money, the recognition that keeps this junta alive. Stop pretending they are a government. They are hostage-takers in uniform. And yet the generals of Myanmar survive because the world allows it. Every delay, every diplomatic calculation, every neutral statement is read by them as permission. The crime is not only theirs. It spreads to those who watch and wait.”
The full statement is available here.
Amnesty International has issued an urgent action request regarding Dr Linn Htut, aged 65, who has been tortured and has serious health conditions exacerbated by harsh prison conditions. It is available here.
More than 22,000 political prisoners are being detained by the Burmese military, and almost 30,000 arrested in total since the latest military coup in 2021.
“The number of political prisoners in Burma has increased by 1,000% compared to the previous military dictatorship under Than Shwe before 2010,” said Mark Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK. “All political prisoners must be released and all repressive laws repealed. With another sham election later this year, the international community must not repeat the mistake of allowing the Burmese military to use political prisoner releases as bargaining chips for lifting sanctions and gaining recognition. There should be no rewards for releasing people who should never have been detained in the first place. The revolving door of political prisoners in and out of jail can only be stopped when the Burmese military are stopped.”