The government of Myanmar violates the human rights of ethnic minority political opponents and activists in a myriad of ways, including torture and other illtreatment; discrimination on the basis of religion and ethnicity; unlawful killings; and arbitrary detention for short periods or imprisonment.

All of those detained or imprisoned were or remain among Myanmar’s large population of political prisoners (hovering around 2,100 prisoners) — detained because of their political, religious or other conscientiously held beliefs, ethnic origin, language, national or social origin, birth, or other status. Most are prisoners of conscience; they have expressed their beliefs peacefully.Many such political opponents and activists told Amnesty International that they faced government repression as part of a larger movement, as in Rakhine State during the 2007 Saffron Revolution, while others said that the authorities pursued them for specific actions, such as organizing a small anti-dam signature campaign in Kachin State.

Even relatively innocuous expressions of political dissent, as when Karenni youths were detained for floating small boats on a river with “No” (to the draft constitution) written on them, faced repression.

In view of Amnesty International’s findings, it recommends that the government of Myanmar, among other measures:

• Lift restrictions on freedom of association and assembly in the run-up to the elections, including by refraining from penalizing peaceful political activities.
• Release immediately and unconditionally all political prisoners arrested solely on the basis of their peaceful political activity, ethnicity, or religion.
• Remove restrictions on independent and objective media, including international journalists, to cover the campaigning and election process.

Read the full report here: Amnesty International

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