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Torture Individual Documents Title:   Attacks, killings and the food crisis in Toungoo District Date of publication:   01 August 2008 Description/subject:   "SPDC troops have continued to target internally displaced persons (IDPs) within Toungoo District. Civilians continue be killed or injured by the attacks while many of the survivors flee their homes and take shelter in forest hiding sites. Some who have moved into SPDC forced relocation sites continue to secretly return to their villages to cultivate their crops, constantly risking punishment or execution by troops patrolling the areas. The SPDC's repeated disruption of regular planting cycles has created a food crisis in Toungoo, further endangering the IDPs living there. This report examines the abuses in Toungoo District from April to June 2008..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Reports (KHRG #2008-F9) Format/size:   pdf (880 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2008/khrg08f9.html Date of entry/update:   01 November 2009 Title:   Forced Relocation, Restrictions and Abuses in Nyaunglebin District Date of publication:   10 July 2006 Description/subject:   "This report presents information on ongoing abuses in Nyaunglebin (Kler Lweh Htoo) District, Karen State committed by SPDC forces during the period of March to May 2006. Attacks on hill villagers have continued as SPDC units seek to depopulate the hills and force all villagers to relocate to military-controlled villages in the plains and along roadways. However, those villagers living in SPDC-controlled areas are subject as well to continued abuses including arbitrary arrest and detention, extortion, restricted movement and forced labour..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Report (KHRG #2006-F6) Format/size:   pdf (645 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2006/khrg06f6.html Date of entry/update:   09 November 2009 Title:   Operation Than L'Yet: Forced Displacement, Massacres and Forced Labour in Dooplaya District Date of publication:   25 September 2002 Description/subject:   "In January 2002 it appeared that the SPDC considered most of Dooplaya district of southern Karen State to be pacified and under their control. But then Light Infantry Division 88 was sent in and commenced Operation Than L'Yet, forcibly relocating as many as 60 villages by July. Villagers were rounded up and detained without food for days, or force-marched to Army-controlled relocation sites after their houses were burned. Village heads, women and children were tortured. People who tried to flee into the forests were shot on sight, including one brutal massacre of ten people, six of them children under 15. Over a thousand people fled into Thailand, and several thousand more are still trying. Another five thousand are in Army relocation camps, where they have been provided with nothing and are struggling to survive on rice gruel and whatever roots they can forage. Their movements are tightly controlled and they are being used as forced labour to build roads, bridges and Army camps which will help Division 88 to clamp down further on the district. They are also forced to work as porters for the Army columns which go out to loot and destroy even more villages. KHRG researchers expect a renewed onslaught after the rains end in October, when Division 88 will probably set out to hunt down those still in hiding and may extend the forced relocations to more areas." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Information Update #2002-U5 Format/size:   html (34K) Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Torture, freedom from: standards and mechanisms Websites/Multiple Documents Title:   Special Rapporteur on Torture (UNHCHR page) Description/subject:   Mandate, model questionnaire, documents, news etc. Links to standards and other mechanisms. Language:   English, Francais, French, Espanol, Spanish Source/publisher:   United Nations Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Torture and Inhuman Treatment (UNHCHR Page) Language:   English Source/publisher:   United Nations Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Individual Documents Title:   Convention Against Torture Date of publication:   26 June 1987 Description/subject:   entry into force 26 June 1987 Language:   English Source/publisher:   United Nations Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Torture, freedom from: specialist NGOs Websites/Multiple Documents Title:   Amnesty International Language:   English Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Association for the Prevention of Torture Language:   English Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Human Rights Watch Description/subject:   "Human Rights Watch is one of the world’s leading independent organizations dedicated to defending and protecting human rights. By focusing international attention where human rights are violated, we give voice to the oppressed and hold oppressors accountable for their crimes. Our rigorous, objective investigations and strategic, targeted advocacy build intense pressure for action and raise the cost of human rights abuse. For 30 years, Human Rights Watch has worked tenaciously to lay the legal and moral groundwork for deep-rooted change and has fought to bring greater justice and security to people around the world.... Mission Statement: Human Rights Watch is dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world. We stand with victims and activists to prevent discrimination, to uphold political freedom, to protect people from inhumane conduct in wartime, and to bring offenders to justice. We investigate and expose human rights violations and hold abusers accountable. We challenge governments and those who hold power to end abusive practices and respect international human rights law. We enlist the public and the international community to support the cause of human rights for all..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Human Rights Watch Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   SOS Torture/OMCT Language:   English Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Reporting torture: resources Individual Documents Title:   The Torture Reporting Handbook Date of publication:   February 2000 Description/subject:   "The Torture Reporting Handbook is a reference guide for anyone who wishes to know how to take action in response to allegations of torture or ill-treatment. It explains simply and clearly how the process of reporting and submitting complaints to international bodies and mechanisms actually works, and how to make the most of it: how you might go about documenting allegations, what you can do with the information once it has been collected, how to choose between the various mechanisms according to your particular objectives, and how to present your information in a way which makes it most likely that you will obtain a response..." Language:   Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish Source/publisher:   The Human Rights Centre, University of Essex Format/size:   Various formats, e.g. English pdf (790K) Date of entry/update:   02 February 2010 Campaigns against torture Individual Documents Title:   Myanmar: Time for Change Date of publication:   26 April 2001 Description/subject:   "Violence and repression have characterized the past decade in Myanmar. AI says it is time for change. Thirteen years ago, millions of demonstrators took to the streets calling for an end to decades of military rule. They wanted greater freedom, democracy and human rights. Instead, their peaceful protest – during which thousands of people were killed by the army and police – sparked a new era of increased repression and human rights violations. Such abuses carry on to this day. Freedom of expression and association is now non-existent. The media is completely state-controlled and censorship rigidly imposed. Opposition groups are severely restricted and independent non-governmental organizations are banned. Almost 2,000 political prisoners are being forced to live in harsh and inhumane conditions. Some have been incarcerated since 1989, some of them are elderly and in poor health. One of those is 70-year-old journalist U Win Tin who has been a prisoner of conscience since July 1989. At one point, he was forced to spend several months in a dog kennel, sleeping on a cold concrete floor without bedding, adequate food or medical care..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Amnesty International Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Amnesty International Medical Letter Writing Action Date of publication:   05 May 2000 Description/subject:   Lack of medical care in Myanmar prisons. Amnesty International is concerned about the poor health of many prisoners of conscience in Myanmar, resulting from torture and conditions amounting to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. These include lack of proper medical care and sanitation, extremely poor diet, and prolonged solitary confinement or overcrowding. In the last ten years dozens of political prisoners have died in custody as a consequence. Amnesty International is in particular concerned for the health of political prisoners U Tin Htun, U Ohn Kyaw, U Tun Aung Kyaw alias Thakhin Mipwar, Zaw Maung Maung Win and Nay Tinn Myint who all require urgent medical attention. Keywords: lack of medical care / prisoners of conscience Source/publisher:   Amnesty Internattional Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Burma Letter Campaign 2000 Burma-Brief-Aktion 2000 Description/subject:   Lists of prisoners, maps, delinquant companies etc. Liste von Gefangenen, Karten, Firmen, Briefaktionen, Vordrucke für Briefaktionen Language:   German, Deutsch, English Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Torture: reports of use in Burma Not a comprehensive list. For more, including updates, go to the publishers' home pages and search. Also use the OBL search function. Websites/Multiple Documents Title:   AAPPB - Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) Description/subject:   Along with the Online Burma Library's Human Rights > Detention section, this is the most comprehensive Internet collection of documents on political prisoners in Burma. This site contains regularly updated lists of: all political prisoners; imprisoned MPs; women prisoners; imprisoned writers and journalists; prisoners held under Article 10(A) though their sentences have been completed; political prisoners who have died while in custody; Members of Parliament elected in 1990. Map of prisons; list of prisons; list of labour camps. It also houses more than 100 documents related to political prisoners in Burma -- articles, books, reports, letters, statements by AAPPB, NLD, Aung San Suu Kyi and others. News items and updates on particular prisoners. Statement on the establishment of the Free Political Prisoners Campaign Committee (FPPCC) and more. Language:   English Alternate URLs:   http://aappb.org Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   AAPPB Photo Gallery Description/subject:   "In this section you will find photographs of political prisoners currently serving sentences in Burmese prisons, photographs of prisons and prisoners working in Labour Camps or on constuction projects throughout Burma. We have also included illustrations of poun-zan, which are the positions used by the Burmese prison system to de-humanize prisoners... Learning Behind Bars: Political prisoners are not allowed to read or write while in prison. Despite their jailers' efforts to shackle their minds, Burmese political prisoners remain determined to learn even under the worst of circumstances. View Photographs - Read Article 1 - Read Article 2... There are 38 major prisons currently in Burma. Over 20 house political prisoners, even a number of Monks included. View Photos... If you are a photographer with images that you may think will be of value to AAPP, please send them as jpeg attachments to AAPP... Language:   English Source/publisher:   Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) - AAPPB Format/size:   JPEG Alternate URLs:   http://www.aappb.org/photo.html Date of entry/update:   07 July 2003 Individual Documents Title:   Burma Human Rights Yearbook 2008 - Chapter 2: Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Date of publication:   23 November 2009 Description/subject:   "...Throughout 2008, acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, continued to be regularly reported across Burma. Reported acts of torture were not confined merely to those in prisons or detention centres but were reportedly perpetrated against regular citizens; men, women and children who live in a country oppressed by a powerful few. The year saw the continuation of human rights abuses against those involved in the Saffron Revolution of September 2007, with trials held in prisons and closed courtrooms. Many activists and members of the opposition were sentenced to long periods of time in prison and relocations of political prisoners to remote prison locations were common throughout the year as the regime made it even more difficult for relatives to visit those imprisoned. Over the course of 2008 the prison population also increased due to the spike in arrests from the end of 2007. With conditions in prisons deteriorating, the human rights situation for those in detention continued to worsen. Conflict and discrimination against ethnic minorities also continued, with reports of torture used against minority groups including the Karen, the Chin, the Shan and the ethnic Rohingya..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Human Rights Docmentation Unit (HRDU) Format/size:   pdf (562K) Date of entry/update:   05 December 2009 Title:   Burma Human Rights Yearbook 2007: Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, and Degrading Treatment or Punishment Date of publication:   September 2008 Description/subject:   "...the use of torture throughout Burma remains widespread. Reports from 2007 reveal almost daily incidents of torture or other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment against the Burmese population by various branches of the SPDC military regime. Torture is particularly being inflicted on persons who have been detained on suspicion of anti-government activities, including political prisoners and villagers living in areas where there is ongoing armed conflict. As such, the pro-democracy ‘Saffron revolution’ of 2007 brought a brutal response from the junta, and in the wake of the demonstrations many more incidents of torture were reported. These gross human rights violations were inflicted on all types of supporters of the pro-democracy movement, even on Buddhist monks. Despite their revered status in Burmese society, monks were subject to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment both on the streets and in detention..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Human Rights Documentation Unit of the NCGUB (HRDU) Format/size:   html, pdf Date of entry/update:   11 December 2008 Title:   Oppressed twice over: SPDC and DKBA exploitation and violence against villagers in Thaton District Date of publication:   20 March 2008 Description/subject:   "Throughout Thaton District the SPDC has persistently worked to expand and entrench military control not only by increasing its own troops, but also by heavily relying on the DKBA as a local proxy force. Both groups exploit the civilian population to support their respective military hierarchies and local villagers thus face a double burden on their lives. This report looks at various forms and specific incidents of forced labour, extortion, violence and other abuse against villagers in Thaton District which SPDC and DKBA personnel have perpetrated up to February 2008..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Report (KHRG #2008-F4) Format/size:   pdf (672 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2008/khrg08f4.html Date of entry/update:   07 November 2009 Title:   Militarisation, violence and exploitation in Toungoo District Date of publication:   15 February 2008 Description/subject:   "While the SPDC leadership proposes dates for a constitutional referendum and eventual multiparty elections it nonetheless continues without the slightest hesitation the violent subjugation of villagers in northern Karen State. The area of Toungoo District is now saturated with SPDC troops and the local civilian population living under military control as well as those living in hiding are facing constricting options for their lives. The SPDC has continued to increase the military build-up of the area deploying more troops, building new camps and bases and constructing and upgrading vehicle roads to facilitate troop deployment and the stocking of army camps. In this context attacks on villages, arbitrary detentions, killings, forced labour and extortion have continued consistent with the regime's policy of civilian subjugation and in opposition to its claims of a potential return to civilian rule through the current constitution-vetting process..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Report (KHRG #2008-F2) Format/size:   pdf (1.1 MB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2008/khrg08f2.html Date of entry/update:   07 November 2009 Title:   Attacks, killings and increased militarisation in Nyaunglebin District Date of publication:   11 January 2008 Description/subject:   "With the dry season in northern Karen State well under way, the SPDC continues to intensify its militarisation of the area. In Nyaunglebin District this intensification has come in the form of an increased troop build-up with the regime deploying new military units, establishing new camps and bases and attacking displaced civilian communities in hiding. Maintaining a shoot-on-sight policy SPDC soldiers operating in Nyaunglebin have shot and killed or otherwise severely injured displaced villagers and destroyed rice storage barns and civilian rice supplies across the district. In those areas more firmly under SPDC control, soldiers have ordered villagers to labour building army camps, porter mortar shells and army rations and repair SPDC-controlled vehicle roads in support of the region's growing military presence. This report looks at the human rights situation in Nyaunglebin District from October to December 2007..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Report (KHRG #2008-F1) Format/size:   pdf (788 MB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2008/khrg08f1.html Date of entry/update:   07 November 2009 Title:   Landmines, Killings and Food Destruction: Civilian life in Toungoo District Date of publication:   09 August 2007 Description/subject:   "The attacks against civilians continue as the SPDC increases its military build-up in Toungoo District. Enforcing widespread restrictions on movement backed up by a shoot-on-sight policy, the SPDC has executed at least 38 villagers in Toungoo since January 2007. On top of this, local villagers face the ever present danger of landmines, many of which were manufactured in China, which the Army has deployed around homes, churches and forest paths. Combined with the destruction of covert agricultural hill fields and rice supplies, these attacks seek to undermine food security and make life unbearable in areas outside of consolidated military control. However, as those living under SPDC rule have found, the constant stream of military demands for labour, money and other supplies undermine livelihoods, village economies and community efforts to address health, education and social needs. Civilians in Toungoo must therefore choose between a situation of impoverishment and subjugation under SPDC rule, evasion in forested hiding sites with the constant threat of military attack, or a relatively stable yet uprooted life in refugee camps away from their homeland. This report documents just some of the human rights abuses perpetrated by SPDC forces against villagers in Toungoo District up to July 2007..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Report (KHRG #2007-F6) Format/size:   pdf (1.24 MB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2007/khrg07f6.html Date of entry/update:   08 November 2009 Title:   Oppression by proxy in Thaton District Date of publication:   21 December 2006 Description/subject:   "With the onset of the cold season the State Peace & Development Council (SPDC) has been able to push ahead with military attacks against villages and displaced communities in the northern districts of Karen State. In Thaton District and other areas further south, however, the military is more firmly in control, fewer displaced communities are able to remain in hiding, and SPDC rule is facilitated by the presence of its ally the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA). By increasingly relying on DKBA forces to administer Thaton, the SPDC has been able to free up soldiers and resources which can then be deployed elsewhere. To force the civilian population into submission, the DKBA has scoured villages throughout Thaton - detaining, interrogating and torturing villagers and conscripting them to serve as army porters. Commensurate with its increased control over the civilian population, DKBA soldiers have subjected villagers to regular extortion, arbitrary and excessive 'taxation', forced labour, land confiscation and restrictions on movement, trade and education which all serve to support ongoing military rule in Thaton. By systematising control over local villagers, the SPDC and DKBA have been able to implement 'development' projects that financially benefit and further entrench the military hierarchy. Amongst such initiatives, the construction in Thaton District of the United Nations-supported Asian Highway, connecting Burma with neighbouring countries, has involved uncompensated land confiscation and forced labour..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Report (KHRG #2006-F11) Format/size:   pdf (619 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2006/khrg06f11.html Date of entry/update:   08 November 2009 Title:   The Darkness We See: Torture in Burma's Interrogation Centers and Prisons Date of publication:   01 December 2005 Description/subject:   "Midnight. You hear many people pounding away at your door, demanding you open up. You make one last-ditch effort to hide the incriminating evidence, though you know they are only documents calling for democracy in your country. They pose no threat to anyone, except the brutal minds of your captors. You tell your family to remain calm; everything will be OK. Your heart is pounding, your mind racing. You open the door slightly and the authorities push their way into your home, overturning everything and demanding you come with them. They show no warrant; there is no need for legal matters when the authorities decide to take you away. You are hooded and handcuffed; now you must rely entirely on your captors. You are made to lie down in the back of a van, a gun held at your back. As the van moves along, you pray the gun will not accidentally go off. You are not told where you are going, and there is no point in asking. Suddenly, the van stops and you hear the cruel voices of your captors ordering you to get out, to jump, to duck, to twist, to turn, all for their amusement. You are taken to a small room where the torture begins. You are stripped naked and are beaten until you lose consciousness. You are awakened when your captors drench you with a bucket of water. The beatings begin again. This time a rod is run up and down your shins until you scream out in agony as your flesh peals off. Your captors are laughing and threatening to kill you and your family. You remain hooded and handcuffed, unable to defend yourself or move away. You are humiliated, made to pretend you are riding motorcycles and airplanes. You sit and stand continuously until you are exhausted, all the while being beaten. You are forced to hold unnatural positions for extended periods of time until you collapse. You are denied food, water, sleep and must beg to use the toilet. You are degraded, bruised and battered. Your entire existence is reduced to the struggle to survive. Finally, the torture stops and again you are hooded and taken to prison, which will be your home for the next seven years or more. So far, you have not been allowed to see your family or a lawyer, and you have no idea when you will be sentenced. You are placed in a cell with five of your colleagues, two criminals and several rats. You are given undercooked and dirty food to eat. You sleep on the cold concrete. Your toilet is a small pot which overflows, creating maggots and a foul, nauseating smell. You are allowed seven plates of water to wash your self. You have nothing to read, no mental stimulation. Your cell is so dark and damp that reading materials would not much matter. You are finally brought to court where you have a five minute trial. Your sentence is read out; you have no opportunity to defend yourself. You are taken back to prison; the conditions are the same. You become ill, but are not allowed to see a doctor. Your condition worsens; still, no doctor, no medication. You must wait until your next family visit to receive medication. You have been placed in a prison hundreds of miles away from your family’s home. By the time they visit, you are no longer ill. You have managed to ride out your illness. Your other colleagues are not so lucky. The years pass. One day you are told you will be released. You are prepared to go, standing at the gate, in site of your family, when the authorities re-arrest you. You will be held five more years, though they do not charge you or put you on trial. You want to complain, but fear the torture that would ensue. You are finally released. You arrive home to find your mother has died while you were imprisoned. Your spouse has married another person. Your children struggle to remember you. You try to find work or restart your education, anything to regain the identity that was stolen from you when you were tortured and imprisoned. You cannot find employment, the universities turn you away. The Military Intelligence follows you and your family. You fear being re-arrested. You become depressed and feel marginalized. Your old friends no longer want to associate with you. You are misunderstood, but how can you explain yourself? You decide there is no future for you in your own country. You flee in the dark of night to an uncertain future. You are a political prisoner from Burma..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) Format/size:   pdf (662K) Date of entry/update:   01 December 2005 Title:   MYANMAR 22 political prisoners (all male) Date of publication:   13 May 2005 Description/subject:   "Twenty-two political prisoners are at risk of torture and ill-treatment, after at least nine of the group began a hunger strike at Insein Prison in the capital Yangon on 28 April. Four people have been transferred to other prisons where they may face torture in connection with the hunger strike. Nine political prisoners who are not known to have taken part in the hunger strike have been denied access to their families, and it is feared that they may also be at risk of torture and ill-treatment. Political prisoners Aye Lwin, Han Win Aung, Kyaw Kyaw, Kyaw Moe, Kyaw Naing, Lwin Ko Latt, Myo Khin, Myo Win, and a monk whose name is not known are reported to have initiated a hunger strike. They were protesting at the decision of the authorities at Insein Prison to make political prisoners share cells with prisoners convicted of criminal offences, who reportedly ill-treated them. At least two hunger strikers were confined to special punishment cells originally built as kennels for army dogs and severely beaten by authorities. Myint Ye, Ne Kyaw, Myint Naing and lawyer Soe Han, who is a prisoner of conscience, have reportedly been transferred to other prisons in Myanmar, including Thayet Prison, 340 miles from Yangon and a journey of more than 10 hours by road, in connection with the hunger strike. All those named above are being denied contact with their families. Some hunger strikers are thought to be in poor health, exacerbated by their poor treatment in detention..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Amnesty International (ASA 16/018/2005) Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   25 May 2005 Title:   From Prison to Frontline: Portering for SPDC Troops during the Offensive in Eastern Karen State, Burma, September-October 2003. Date of publication:   January 2005 Description/subject:   "...In November 2003, in the wake of the joint military offensive by the SPDC (State Peace and Development Council) and the DKBA (Democratic Karen Buddhist Army), Burma Issues set about documenting the systematic use of prisoners as porters for military purposes. This practice constitutes an egregious human rights abuse. Research for the project began with interviews with twenty-two escapees who had taken refuge near the Thai-Burma border. We dealt with issues such as their prison lives, their journey to the conflict area, their treatment at the hands of the soldiers, their experiences in battle, and also their experiences relating to landmines. We then proceeded to conduct more in-depth research to supplement this invaluable first hand information. We have compiled the analysis and present our findings in this report..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Burma Issues Format/size:   pdf (709K) Alternate URLs:   http://www.burmaissues.org/En/reports/porters.html Date of entry/update:   27 June 2005 Title:   Burma Human Rights Yearbook 2003-2004: Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment Date of publication:   November 2004 Description/subject:   Cruel, Inhuman, and Degrading Treatment during the Depayin Massacre... Torture during Detention: Methods of Torture in Detention and Prison; Beatings; Solitary Confinement...Torture During Forced Portering and Forced Labor...Torture of Villagers in Areas of Ethnic Armed Conflict...Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment – Partial List of Incidents for 2003. Language:   English Source/publisher:   Human Rights Documenbtation Unit of the NCGUB Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2005 Title:   Burma Human Rights Yearbook 2002-03: Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment Date of publication:   October 2003 Description/subject:   "Torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in Burma has been used by the military government in Burma for more than 40 years and has been particularly documented since the 1988 pro-democracy uprising when the use of torture increased. Although articles 330 and 331 of the Burmese Penal Code (1957) prohibit torture and ill-treatment during interrogation it is personnel associated with the regime that are given the power to torture during interrogation with impunity. Members of the army, Military Intelligence (MI), police, Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) and armed groups aligned with the SPDC such as the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) routinely use torture to punish and degrade (break) those who have been detained on suspicion of anti-government activities, including political prisoners and villagers living in areas where there is ongoing armed conflict. Torture has the dual purpose of being a method used to obtain information on anti-government and rebel activities, as well as a way of putting terror in the hearts of the population to thwart participation in anti-government activities. In addition, torture is used to extort money, as well as to give punishment for failure to obey orders, failure to pay fees and taxes, as a result of prejudice or a combination of these factors..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Human Rights Documentation Unit of the NCGUB Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   10 November 2003 Title:   Burma Human Rights Yearbook 2001-2002: Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment Date of publication:   September 2002 Description/subject:   "...Torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in Burma has been used by the military government in Burma for more than 40 years and has been particularly documented since the 1988 pro-democracy uprising when the use of torture increased. Although articles 330 and 331 of the Burmese Penal Code (1957) prohibit torture and ill-treatment during interrogation it is personnel associated with the regime that are given the power to torture during interrogation with impunity. According to the 2000 Amnesty International Report, The Institution of Torture, “Torture and ill-treatment have become institutionalized in Myanmar. They are practiced by the army as part of counter-insurgency activities; by prison guards; and by the police.” Members of the army, MIS, police, USDA, and armed groups aligned with the SPDC such as the DKBA use torture to punish and degrade (break) those who have been detained on suspicion of anti-government activities, including political prisoners and villagers living in areas where there is ongoing armed conflict. Torture has the dual effect of both being a method used to obtain information on anti-government and rebel activities, as well as a way of putting terror in the hearts of the population to keep them from participating in anti-government activities. Torture is used to extort money, also to give punishment for failure to obey orders, failure to pay fees and taxes or is result of prejudice..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Human Rights Documentation Unit of the NCGUB Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Burma Human Rights Yearbook 2000: Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment Date of publication:   October 2001 Description/subject:   "...Members of the SPDC army, the MIS, the police, the USDA, and armed groups aligned with the SPDC such as the DKBA and the village people’s militias ("pyi thu sit") use torture to punish and degrade (break) those who have been detained on allegations of suspected of "anti-government" activities, including political prisoners and villagers in ethnic areas of armed insurgency. Torture is also a method of obtaining information concerning anti-government or rebel activities and a way of putting terror into the hearts of others to keep them away from association with anything deemed anti-government..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   NCGUB Human Rights Documentation Unit: "Human Rights Yearbook Burma (Myanmar) 2000" Format/size:   html Alternate URLs:   Main page of the Yearbook: http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs/yearbooks/Main.htm Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Spirit for Survival Date of publication:   September 2001 Description/subject:   * Misrule of Law. Burma's Government leaps Over Legal Process by Aung San Suu Kyi. * What Is Torture? by Bo Kyi. * The Unknown Story of the Twenty Four. Freedom of Press Movement in Insein Prison 1992-1996. By Zin Linn. * Behind the Iron Door. By Ko Myo. * A Star Falls Down Before Sunrise. By Naing Kyaw. * Exile from Rangoon. Burmese Academic and Dissident. By Doug Blackburn. * 10-D. By Kyaw Zwa Moe. Few people outside the country of Burma can understand the images and memories that are rolled into the simple expression '10-D'. * Taking Exams in Prison. By Sai Win Kyaw. * The Underground Revolution. By Khin Maung Soe. Insein Prison November 1975. * The Biggest Forced Labour Camp in the World. By Zin Linn. * Tin Maung Oo. A Rose in December '74. By Maung Maung Taik. * Insein Prison. Could Mandela Survive Here? By Moe Aye. * From Darkness to Light. By Thet Hmu. * Let's Fight Against the Unjust. By Ko Tate. * Learning Behind Bars. By Kyaw Zwa Moe. * Prison Without Bars. The Daily Life of a Former Political Prisoner. By Bo Kyi. * Record of the Red Rose. By Htain Linn. * Young Birds, Outside Cages. Prison Walls Affect those on the Outside Too. By Aung San Suu Kyi. * Touch, a Poem by Hugh Lewin Author/creator:   Aung San Suu Kyi, Bo Kyi, Zin Linn, Ko Myo, Naing Kyaw, Doug Blackburn, Kyaw Zwa Moe, Sai Win Kyaw, Khin Maung Soe, Maung Maung Taik, Moe Aye, Thet Hmu, Ko Tate, Htain Linn, Hugh Lewin Language:   English Source/publisher:   Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) - AAPPB Format/size:   html Alternate URLs:   http://www.aappb.org/spirit%20for%20survival.html Date of entry/update:   07 July 2003 Title:   Myanmar: Torture of Ethnic Minority Women Date of publication:   17 July 2001 Description/subject:   Torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of men, women and children, both in ethnic minority areas and in central Myanmar, has taken place for decades. This report examines the torture and ill-treatment of women from ethnic minorities in particular by the tatmadaw (armed forces). Ethnic minorities, who make up a third of the country's population, mainly live in seven states in the country . . . Amnesty International has documented serious human rights violations by the tatmadaw: extra-judicial executions, "disappearances," torture and cruel treatment of ethnic minority civilians, including the rape and sexual abuse of women. Torture in ethnic minority areas generally takes place in the context of forced labour and portering; forced relocation, and in detention at army camps, military intelligence centres, in people's homes, fields and villages. Many individuals have died as a result of torture or been killed after being tortured. Force and the threat of force is regularly used to compel members of ethnic minorities to comply with military directives - which may range from orders for villages to relocate; to provide unpaid labourers to military forces; to not harvesting their crops. Torture, including rape, is particularly widespread in those states where armed resistance continues and the army is engaged in counter-insurgency operations against armed groups. ... ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: forced resettlement, forced relocation, forced movement, forced displacement, forced migration, forced to move, displaced Language:   English Source/publisher:   Amnesty International Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Myanmar: Prisoners of Political Repression Date of publication:   14 April 2001 Description/subject:   "Thousands of political prisoners have been held in detention since large scale public unrest erupted in Myanmar in March 1988...The following lists give details of 458 prisoners known to Amnesty International of the 1,850 political prisoners currently detained in Myanmar: the result of more than a decade of continuous official repression of peaceful dissent in the country. They include students, politicians, doctors, farmers, teachers, journalists, writers, lawyers, comedians and housewives, who have been penalized for peacefully demonstrating; distributing or possessing uncensored leaflets or videos; seeking redress for human rights violations; telling jokes; wearing yellow; or talking to foreign journalists. Amnesty International is concerned that the majority of these prisoners are being held solely on account of their peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of assembly association and expression...." Contains tabular lists with details of 485 political prisoners Language:   English Source/publisher:   Amnesty International Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Myanmar: U Win Tin, Journalist and Prisoner of Conscience Date of publication:   01 March 2001 Description/subject:   U Win Tin spent his 71st birthday in March 2001 in Insein Prison, where he has been detained as a prisoner of conscience for almost 12 years. He is a prominent journalist and writer and Central Executive Committee member of the National League for Democracy (NLD)(1). He was arrested on 4 July 1989 during a nationwide crackdown by the authorities on the opposition, and has been sentenced to a total of 20 years' imprisonment. U Win Tin is the only senior member of the NLD arrested in June and July 1989 to remain in detention; other senior NLD members who were detained at that time were subsequently released under amnesties. Language:   English Source/publisher:   Amnesty International Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Myanmar: Min Ko Naing, Student Leader and Prisoner of Conscience Date of publication:   01 January 2001 Description/subject:   Paw U Tun alias Min Ko Naing, Chairman of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions ABFSU, was arrested on 24 March 1989. He was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment later commuted to 10 years under a general amnesty for his anti-government activities Language:   English Source/publisher:   Amnesty International Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Convict Porters: The Brutal Abuse of Prisoners on Burma’s Frontlines Date of publication:   20 December 2000 Description/subject:   The Brutal Abuse of Prisoners on Burma's Frontlines. Based on KHRG interviews with prison convicts from all over Burma who have escaped forced labour for SPDC troops, this report tells the story of their arrest, sentencing, life in the prisons and the increasing use of convicts as porters by Burma's military junta. Documents the arbitrary arrest and sentencing of people to long jail terms for petty offences, the brutal and inhuman conditions in the prisons, and the even more brutal abuse and killings of convicts who are forced to go into combat situations with the military - in many cases after their sentences should have expired. This report also includes an Annex of Interviews. Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Regional & Thematic Reports (KHRG #2000-060) Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Myanmar, the Institution of Torture Date of publication:   13 December 2000 Description/subject:   Torture and ill-treatment have become institutionalized in Myanmar. They are practised by the army as part of counter-insurgency activities; by Military Intelligence (MI) personnel when they interrogate political detainees; by prison guards; and by the police. Patterns of torture have remained the same, although the time and place vary. Torture occurs throughout the country and has been reported for over four decades. Members of the security forces continue to use torture as a means of extracting information; to punish political prisoners and members of ethnic minorities; and as a means of instilling fear in anyone critical of the military government. KEYWORDS: Torture, ill-treatment, political prisoners, impunity, prison conditions, penal institutions, forced labour, incommunicado detention, death in custody, torture techniques, freedom of expression, freedom of association, minorities, police. Language:   English Source/publisher:   Amnesty International Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Human Rights Violations in Burma/Myanmar in 1999 Date of publication:   14 March 2000 Description/subject:   Report of an expert fact-finding mission in December 1999. Particularly strong on methodology and the clinical description of torture. Includes high-quality photos. Most interviewed were Karenni or Mon... TOC: Summary; Preface; Introduction; Methods; Ethics; Results; Forced labour; Porter service; Forced relocation; Arrests; Other incidents; Looting; Killings; Rape; Disappearances; Torture; Landmine accidents; Army units; Discussion; Conclusion; Appendix, cases; References; Tables; Figures... "We interviewed and examined 129 persons who had fled Burma / Myanmar from December 1998 to December 1999, and compared the degree of reported human rights violations with that from the previously examined persons who fled November 1996 to November 1997. Of the interviewed persons, 88% reported forced labour and 77% porter service, 54% had been forcibly relocated from their villages, 87% had had their possessions looted, and 46% had lost at least one relative through killing, disappearance, or landmine accident. 20% reported that they or a near relative had been tortured. Of the former, four had remarkable scars that strongly corroborated their histories." Author/creator:   Hans Draminsky Petersen, Lise Worm, Mette Zander, Ole Hartling and Bjarne Ussing Language:   English, Danish Source/publisher:   Amnesty International, Denmark, Danish Medical Group, Danchurchaid. Format/size:   html (1913K), Word (3MB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.amnesty.dk (For a Word version to download, click on bibilotek left frame Click on Burma rapport Click on download rapporten Click on rapport po engelsk Word or Text - the Word file is more than 2MB, but the Text version does not have the photos, and the tables are not shown. Danish version also available for download) Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   What is Torture? Date of publication:   March 2000 Description/subject:   Bo Kyi recalls and explains his experiences in Burma's prison. "One of the greatest obstacles to assisting victims of torture and ending this abhorrent practice is public ignorance about the nature of the problem. Few people really understand what torture is. Since a greater awareness is essential for the prevention of future torture, I would like to explain what torture is, as well as its aims, methods and effects, drawing in particular upon the experiences of torture victims in Burma..." Author/creator:   Bo Kyi Language:   English Source/publisher:   "The Irrawaddy", Vol. 8 No.3 Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   What is torture? (in Japanese) Date of publication:   March 2000 Description/subject:   Bo Kyi recalls and explains his experiences in Burma's prison. "One of the greatest obstacles to assisting victims of torture and ending this abhorrent practice is public ignorance about the nature of the problem. Few people really understand what torture is. Since a greater awareness is essential for the prevention of future torture, I would like to explain what torture is, as well as its aims, methods and effects, drawing in particular upon the experiences of torture victims in Burma..." Author/creator:   Bo Kyi Language:   Japanese Source/publisher:   "The Irrawaddy", Vol. 8 No.3 Format/size:   PDF and HTML Alternate URLs:   http://www.jca.apc.org/burmainfo/irrawaddy/200003_jp.html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Karen Human Rights Group Commentary #99-C1 Date of publication:   25 May 1999 Description/subject:   "...The rainy season appears to be beginning early this year, and as the rains begin many people look back and evaluate the past dry season. Though the period since October/November 1998 has not featured a major military offensive, the situation for rural villagers in eastern Burma has continued to deteriorate and there have been some extremely worrying new developments. In general, the State Peace & Development Council (SPDC) regime has continued to use increased militarisation, forced relocations and tighter controls on villagers as a means of consolidating its control over remote regions, and as a result more and more villagers are becoming internally displaced each month while life becomes even more desperate for those who are already displaced and hiding in the forests. This dry season the SPDC has also added a new weapon to its arsenal which is now terrorising villagers and driving many of them to flight: the ‘Sa Thon Lon Guerrilla Retaliation’ execution squads..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Commentaries (KHRG #99-C1) Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   21 November 2009 Title:   Ten Years On Date of publication:   March 1999 Description/subject:   The life and views of a Burmese Student political prisoner Published by , March 1999 Produced with the generous support of the Open Society Institute(OSI). Foreign Affairs Office of the All Burma Students' Democratic Front for the use of its facilities in the production of the book. For political prisoners and the people of Burma who have suffered and continue to struggle for democracy * Introduction. Read * My Guiding Star. Read * Dialogue with the devil. Read * The defendant as a deaf mute. Read * My prison university student life. Read * Meeting with U Win Tin. Read * U Sein Hla Oo. Read * Too late to learn. Read * Could Mandela survive here?. Read * About Leo Nichols. Read * The last days of Mr Leo Nichols. Read * Uphill battle for the NLD. Read * Forced examinations. Read * Walking for freedom. Read * Conqueror of the king. Read * Denying the anti-fascist revolution. Read * Hostages, scapegoats for how long?. Read * Red tape as a psychological tactic. Read Author/creator:   Moe Aye Language:   English Source/publisher:   Louise Southalan via AAPPB Format/size:   html Alternate URLs:   http://www.aappb.org/ten%20years%20on.html Date of entry/update:   07 July 2003 Title:   The Last Days of Mr Leo Nichols Date of publication:   December 1998 Description/subject:   The death in prison of Leo Nichols Language:   English Source/publisher:   "Burma Debate" Vol. V, No. 1 Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Tortured Voices (extracts) Date of publication:   July 1998 Description/subject:   Tortured Voices: Personal Accounts of Burma's Interrogation Centers Language:   English Source/publisher:   ABSDF Alternate URLs:   http://www.geocities.com/absdf_au/public/abbook3.html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Tortured Voices (full text) Date of publication:   July 1998 Description/subject:   Personal Accounts of Burma's Interrogation Centres * No Escape by Phone Myint Tun. * At the Mercy of the Beast by Ma Su Su Mon. * In the Flames of Evil by Win Naing Oo. * Two Times Too Many by Cho Cho Htun Nyein. * Into theDarkness by Tin Win Aung.Read * A Dialogue With the Devil by Moe Aye.Read * My Interrogation by Ma Tin Tin Maw. * Like Water in Their Hands by Naing Kyaw. * The Storm by Ye Teiza. * The Last Days of Mr. Leo Nichols by Moe Aye. Language:   English Source/publisher:   All Burma Students' Democratic Front via AAPPB Format/size:   html Alternate URLs:   http://www.aappb.org/tortured%20voices.html Date of entry/update:   07 July 2003 Title:   Myanmar 1988 to 1998 Happy 10th Anniversary? Death in Custody Date of publication:   28 May 1998 Description/subject:   In the ten years since the violent suppression of the pro-democracy movement in 1988, Amnesty International is aware of at least 30 political prisoners who have died in custody in Myanmar, thought the true number is believed to be much higher. Information collected during the last 10 years shows that torture and ill-treatment of political prisoners is common, conditions in prisons are poor and insanitary, prisoners are provided an inadequate diet and commonly denied the medical care they need, and some prisoners are made to work under harsh conditions in labour camps. Given this combination of abuses the risk of not surviving imprisonment in Myanmar, particularly for the elderly, is great. Deaths in custody in Myanmar generally fall into two categories. Some prisoners die because they have been tortured and suffer fatal injuries. Other prisoners die from illness -- sometimes induced or worsened by ill-treatment or the conditions under which they are held -- for which they do not receive proper medical care; often prisoners who are ill are not sent to hospital until it is too late. The 10 deaths described below are examples of what can and still does happen to political prisoners in Myanmar. Source/publisher:   Amnesty International Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Deadly Requests Date of publication:   April 1998 Description/subject:   You don't have the right to complain about anyone but yourself. If you do, you could spark a political movement in prison." This is the warning jail authorities in Burma give all political prisoners. Prison medical officers also follow the stern warnings of jail authorities. Nor could we request a doctor on someone else's behalf. I will give you some examples of the dangers of trying to help political prisoners in need of medical attention. Former political prisoner Moe Aye, Author/creator:   By Moe Aye Language:   English Source/publisher:   "The Irrawaddy", Vol. 6. No. 2 Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Violations of human rights in Burma: Report of a fact-finding mission, November 1997 Date of publication:   November 1997 Description/subject:   "In November 1997, Physicians for Human Rights / Denmark and DanChurchAid visited Thailand to describe violations of human rights committed against Burmese refugees in their home country. We interviewed and examined people mainly from rural areas in the Shan, Karenni and Karen regions of Burma. We asked about exposure of family members to forced labour, porter service, forced relocation, arrests, physical ill-treatment incl. torture, and about killing, rape and disappearances of family members or persons from the village of the examined person. Furthermore, we asked about landmine incidents among the examinees, family members or persons from their village. If the examinee confirmed such exposure, we asked about details according to interview forms. In case the interviewed person alleged exposure to physical assaults, a physical examination was performed to assess whether there was aggreement between the reported exposure and the presence or absence of scars or other physical sequels. In total, 188 persons were examined and interviewed. 92 persons, incl 46 Shans, were examined. 61 (66%) reported exposure to two or more of the mentioned violations of human rights. 34 (37%) had fled within the last year (median 5 months) before our examination. There was no difference between the exposure to human rights violations committed against the Shans compared to the others. Those who had fled recently were as heavily exposed as the rest of the examinees. Of the 92 persons examined, it was among other things reported that 65% had done porter service, that 51% had been relocated from their villages, that 14% had been tortured, that 36% had experienced killing of family members (not from landmine explosions) and that 25% (themselves or family members) had been traumatized or killed by landmines. In all cases of reported exposure to ill-treatmen t / torture or landmine incidents we found agreement between the history and the result of the clinical examination. Furthermore, 96 persons were interviewed. Of this group, 40% had fled within the last 12 months before our examination. Those who had fled most recently had been more heavily exposed to human rights violation than the others who had fled earlier. We conclude that the 188 persons examined and interviewed represent various ethnic groups, mainly from rural areas in Burma, which have been heavily exposed to human rights violations. Our results do not indicate that the Shan people has been less exposed than other groups. We find no signs of amelioration of the human rights situation in Burma within the last year. Apart from the landmine problem, in which local guerilla groups are involved, troops from the Burmese army are responsible for all the described violations of human rights..." Author/creator:   Hans Draminsky Petersen, Jakob Lykke, Hans Petter Hougen, Maiken Mannstaedt & Bjarne Ussing Language:   English Source/publisher:   Physicians for Human Rights/Denmark and Danchurchaid Format/size:   pdf (351K) Date of entry/update:   03 June 2005 Title:   From Darkness to Light Date of publication:   October 1997 Description/subject:   . . . The word 'poun-zan' is prison terminology, which literally means to assume the squatting position with fisted hands on one's knees. It is an order to be followed strictly by each and every inmate at the designated time everyday, whenever a prison official walks in, similar to the military command 'attention.' But I find it extremely degrading to hear a loud mechanical voice shout 'poun-zan.' I also believe this system was introduced at every prison in our country with the objective of mentally torturing andeventually, dehumanizing the prisoners. This command is usually followed by beatings with rubber-clad iron pipes, bamboo sticks and the sounds of ankle chains and the 'daut' -- an iron rod fitted on ankle chains that keeps legs constantly stretched apart, thus preventing normal walking. In addition to these, tear gas bombs and other types of weapons are waiting on the sidelines that will crush those who try to move. . . Author/creator:   Thet Hmu Language:   English Source/publisher:   "Burma Debate" Vol. IV, No. 4 Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Myanmar: a Challenge for the International Community Date of publication:   October 1997 Description/subject:   The State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC, Myanmar's military government) has shown a cynical contempt for the basic human rights of the Burmese people and for calls by the international community to improve its human rights record. Since the first United Nations (UN) General Assembly resolution was adopted on Myanmar in 1992, the SLORC has made almost no progress in implementing any of the recommendations made by the UN. Although some prisoners of conscience have been released since 1992, scores more have taken their place in prisons throughout the country. Repression of ethnic minorities continues unabated by the SLORC, in spite of 15 cease-fire agreements with armed ethnic minority groups. Radical restrictions on the rights to freedom of speech, assembly and movement remain in place for all citizens in Myanmar. In 1997 the SLORC continued to use short term arrests as a tactic to intimidate political activists, a tactic employed since their seizure of power in 1988. Hundreds of political activists, most of them members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), the largest legal opposition political party, were arrested in the first six months of 1997. Although the majority of these people were held for brief periods, at least 57 others were sentenced to long terms of imprisonment. Renewed NLD activity since the release of party leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in 1995 has been matched by increasing repression of party members by Military Intelligence (MI). Language:   English Source/publisher:   Amnesty International Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Insein Prison: Could Mandela Survive Here? Date of publication:   September 1997 Description/subject:   Whoever you are, leave it at the prison gate. There are no politicians, doctors, teachers, monks, nuns or students. You are all prisoners. You are all the same." Those are the greeting words for every new political prisoner in Burma. The jail authorities subscribe to the junta's official line that there are no political prisoners in the jails. In 1991, I was detained in cell block No.1 of Insein Special Jail formerly called the Attached Jail. Although it is a special jail, the only special privilege provided was "special solitary confinement". Language:   English Source/publisher:   "The Irrawaddy", Vol. 5. No. 6 Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Insein Prison: HIV Headquarters? Date of publication:   August 1997 Description/subject:   A former political prisoner recalls the tale of HIV horror inside the notorious Insein prison. Slorc used to threaten political prisoners with the cancellation of visiting rights, beating, transferal to another prison or an unfamiliar cell-block, solitary confinement and extension of prison-terms. But it was not successful. Now, they use more effective weapons to threaten prisoners. Language:   English Source/publisher:   "The Irrawaddy", Vol. 5. No. 4-5 Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Pleading Not Guilty in Insein (excerpt) Date of publication:   June 1997 Description/subject:   The following excerpt was taken from "Pleading Not Guilty in Insein", the translation of an official SLORC report on the trial of 22 political prisoners in Insein jail. Language:   English Source/publisher:   "Burma Debate", Vol. IV, No. 2 Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Myanmar: September - December 1996 Date of publication:   12 February 1997 Description/subject:   Political tension in Myanmar escalated steadily in 1996, characterized by political brinkmanship between the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC, Myanmar's military government) and the National League for Democracy (NLD, the primary legal opposition party). Each time the NLD attempted to organize large-scale political activities, the SLORC took rapid pre-emptivesteps to prevent such plans from coming to fruition. SLORC repression of the NLD included mass arrests of NLD supporters by the security forces in order to prevent meetings; sentencing dozens of NLD members to long terms of imprisonment; and restrictions on movement and intensified surveillance and intimidation of NLD members and leaders. Long dormant student activism also emerged in the last three months of the year, with protest demonstrations calling for student rights in Yangon, the capital, and in Mandalay, Upper Myanmar. Demonstrations were broken up by the authorities, who arrested hundreds of students during and after the protests. Although most were released, others remain in detention. Language:   English Source/publisher:   Amnesty International Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Pleading Not Guilty in Insein (full text) Date of publication:   February 1997 Description/subject:   " This report is about human courage and dignity. In face of the most stringent deprivation and under the harshest duress, man can stand up and show that there is still one freedom that can't be taken away: the freedom to choose how to respond to the situation. The political prisoners of Insein could have chosen to bow to the use of force. Their spirit could have been broken by torture and solitary confinement. But instead, they have chosen to respond with calmness and nobility. Not only have they pleaded not guilty to the trumped up charges of the SLORC, they spoken out in their defense, defending their basic human rights and dignity and denouncing the unfair trail. The report is an authentic document and in a sense a SLORC official document. It shows the perception and the standard used by the SLORC in as far as human rights are concerned. Writing, reading, drawing pictures, listening to radio programmes, communicating and other basic freedoms of expression are considered an offense liable to long years of imprisonment and hard labor..." The following articles are the translation of an official record of the summary trial of 22 political prisoners serving time in Burma's infamous Insein Prison. * Preface. * Introduction. * The Trial Report Translation. * Evidence. * Testimony of the Accused. * Summary. * Conclusion. Language:   English Source/publisher:   All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF) via AAPPB Format/size:   html Alternate URLs:   http://www.aappb.org/pleading%20not%20guilty%20in%20insein Date of entry/update:   07 July 2003 Title:   Myanmar: Appeal Cases Date of publication:   September 1996 Description/subject:   SAN SAN NWE: JOURNALIST AND WRITER SENTENCED TO 7 YEARS IMPRISONMENT; WIN TIN: JOURNALIST SERVING A 19 YEAR PRISON SENTENCE; MA THIDA: SURGEON AND WRITER SENTENCED TO 20 YEARS IMPRISONMENT; U KAWEINDA: PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE; 75 BUDDHIST MONKS IMPRISONED. Language:   English Source/publisher:   Amnesty International Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Myanmar: Update on Political Arrests and Trials Date of publication:   September 1996 Description/subject:   The human rights situation has deteriorated sharply in Myanmar in the last four months. Amnesty International is gravely concerned by the latest developments in the country, which include widespread arrests and sentencing of prisoners of conscience. This increase in political imprisonment constitutes the largest wave of repression of peaceful political opposition activities since the mass detentions and political trials of 1990 and 1991. As the Myanmar Government seeks increased acceptance in the region and internationally, Amnesty International urges governments worldwide to maintain pressure for improvements in the human rights situation in Myanmar. Language:   English Source/publisher:   Amnesty International Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Myanmar: Renewed Repression Date of publication:   10 July 1996 Description/subject:   Nothing has changed in Myanmars human rights situation since the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on 10 July 1995. Although her release raised hopes for an improvement in the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) human rights practice and policy, the pace of political arrests has in fact accelerated dramatically since November 1995. Some 1,000 political prisoners remain behind bars throughout the country. In May 1996 the SLORC arrested over 300 National League for Democracy (NLD) activists in the largest crackdown since the mass detentions of 1990, when scores of NLD members of parliament-elect werearrested. Language:   English Source/publisher:   Amnesty International (ASA 16/30/96) Format/size:   html, pdf Alternate URLs:   http://web.amnesty.org/library/pdf/ASA160301996ENGLISH/$File/ASA1603096.pdf Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Myanmar: List of National League for Democracy NLD Members of Parliament-Elect and Activists Arrested Since 20 May 1996 and Believed to be Still Detained Date of publication:   07 June 1996 Description/subject:   Update 2 - 7/6/96 Language:   English Source/publisher:   Amnesty International Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Myanmar: Over 200 Activists Still Held Date of publication:   01 May 1996 Description/subject:   "The State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC, Myanmars military government) continues to detain 258 National League for Democracy (NLD) activists, among them 235 members of parliament-elect, arrested in the nationwide sweep of the NLD since 20 May. It is not known where most of them are being held and they continue to be detained in incommunicado detention.Amnesty International has obtained the names of 142 of those who have been arrested, which are listed on the attached pages..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Amnesty International (ASA 16/23/96) Format/size:   html, pdf Alternate URLs:   http://www.web.amnesty.org/library/print/engasa160231996?open&of=eng-mmr Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Myanmar: Scores of Activists Detained Date of publication:   01 May 1996 Description/subject:   "Amnesty International is gravely concerned at the arrests of some 191 National League for Democracy activists (NLD, the opposition party founded by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi which won the 1990 elections) by the Myanmar authorities. The scale of these arrests is the largest to take place in Myanmar since the mass detentions in 1990.The current wave of arrests began on 20 May and at last report is still continuing throughout the country. Amnesty International has obtained the names of 91 of those who have been arrested, which are listed on the attached pages..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Amnesty International Format/size:   html, pdf Alternate URLs:   http://www.web.amnesty.org/library/print/engasa160171996?open&of=eng-mmr Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Cries from Insein Date of publication:   1996 Description/subject:   A report on the physical and psychological conditions of political prisoners in Burma's infamous Insein Prison. ". . . The following are the usual types of beating: 1. The prisoner has to stand and embrace a post and is beaten while both hands are held firmly by another person; 2. The prisoner is beaten while lying prone on the ground; 3. The prisoner, both legs chained, is made to stand in standard position no. 4 and is beaten; 4. The prisoner is beaten while being forced to crawl along the ground; 5. Prisoners are shackled and a long iron bar is placed so that their legs are splayed. They are then forced to crawl along the ground and are beaten; 6. Prisoners are forced to do squat-jumps (like in the game of leap-frog) and are beaten while doing so. When the authorities beat the prisoners, they do not avoid any part of the body, whether it is the face or chest or back. They routinely kick the chest, abdomen, face and back with military boots. They also jump on the backs of the prisoners who are crawling along the ground . . ." Author/creator:   Win Naing Oo Language:   English Source/publisher:   All Burma Student Democratic Front (ABSDF) Format/size:   html Alternate URLs:   http://danenet.wicip.org/fbc/insein.txt http://www.aappb.net/cries%20from%20insein.html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Karen Human Rights Group Commentary #95-C2 Date of publication:   09 May 1995 Description/subject:   "...SLORC is now directly involved in planning, preparing, coordinating and executing acts of international terrorism. Its role in the attacks on refugee camps in Thailand cannot be denied, despite all its claims that the attacks are only the work of the DKBA ('Democratic Kayin Buddhist Army'). Eyewitnesses have seen SLORC soldiers participating in almost every attack, while letters and orders from SLORC officers have referred to their 'control' over the DKBA. Furthermore, the latest wave of attacks, which employed several hundred men operating on different parts of the border with mortar support from a SLORC-controlled area on the Burma side of the border, simply could not have been planned and coordinated without direct SLORC involvement. If the refugees return, SLORC stands to gain alot of international legitimacy while simultaneously obtaining alot of free labourers for its military 'development' projects. Initially the DKBA tried to use agressive persuasion and threats. Then when that didn't work quickly enough, DKBA and SLORC began attacking the refugee camps, kidnapping or killing camp leaders and religious leaders, shooting refugees and threatening everyone with further attacks (see "SLORC's Northern Karen Offensive", KHRG #95-10, 29/3/95). Since February, these attacks have been happening several times a week and at almost every camp. By April, camp security forces had formed and were beginning to thwart many of the attacks. Some refugees were returning to Burma, but only a small minority. Then on April 25, SLORC and the DKBA launched the apparent 'Third Phase' of the strategy by hitting Mae Ra Ma Luang (which hadn't been attacked before) and Kamaw Lay Ko camps on the same day, then hitting Baw Noh camp on April 28 (see "New Attacks on Karen Refugee Camps", KHRG #95-16, 5/5/95). These attacks were completely different: they attacked brazenly with at least 50 or 100 heavily armed troops, in broad daylight in 2 out of 3 cases, and they showed no hesitation to attack Thai forces even without being provoked. At Baw Noh, they even had Burmese 81 mm. mortar support fired from the Burma side of the border. Furthermore, the attacks were no longer targetted at specific camp leaders or just a few houses, but aimed to destroy the camps wholesale by burning them down. 170 houses were burned in Mae Ra Ma Luang, 300 in Kamaw Lay Ko and over 700 in Baw Noh. During the attacks, DKBA troops made it clear to refugees that they also had orders to capture or kill foreign aid workers in the camps if possible..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Right Group (KHRG #95-C2) Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Current Conditions in Insein Prison Date of publication:   05 December 1993 Description/subject:   "Many times I saw prisoners being beaten and tortured, usually for stealing, gambling or quarrelling. First the guards beat them with a rubber pipe, and then they took them to the gravel path. They've made a gravel path, and they order the victim to crawl along it on his elbows and knees. They follow him with 2 or 3 dogs biting his legs. To escape their biting, the victim tries to crawl back to the cell as fast as he can on the gravel, so he scrapes all the skin off his elbows and legs. I saw them do this at least once or twice a month, especially in hot season, because in hot season it gets very hot and we're all in a very confined area, so there are more quarrels. . . " Oct 89 to Oct 93. Torture; arbitrary detention; summary trials. In prison: little room to sleep, on cement floor; beating; torture; no medicine. Political prisoners in separate category; new political prisoners arrive, as before; description of arrangements when foreign visitors visit; conditions of monks (forcibly disrobed, but kept their vows); list of monks in interviewee's room. Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Regional & Thematic Reports Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Torture of Karen Women by SLORC Date of publication:   16 February 1993 Description/subject:   Story or three women totured by SLORC Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Regional & Thematic Reports Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   14 November 2009 Title:   Report by an Escaped SLORC Munitions Porter Date of publication:   13 November 1992 Description/subject:   Including details on conditions in Mandalay Prison..."The following account was given through an interview in Burmese with a porter recently escaped from the SLORC’s current offensive in the northern Karen area of Saw Hta. He was serving a criminal sentence in Mandalay Prison when he was taken to Saw Hta as a munitions porter, so his description includes details of his arrest and imprisonment, conditions in Mandalay Prison, and his life as a porter. At the time of the interview he was still suffering from an open gash on the back of his head inflicted by a beating with a G3 rifle butt. On arrival, he also had severe bruises on his back caused by other rifle butt beatings..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Regional & Thematic Reports Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Testmonies of Porters Escaped from the SLORC Army Date of publication:   26 February 1992 Description/subject:   "Dec. 91-Feb 92. Burman men, women, children: forced portering; porters used in battle, and as human shields; abandonment of wounded porters; Gang rape (sometimes ending in death) including rape of children; torture (burning); inhuman treatment(beating, incl. beating to death, deprivation of food, sleep, water, medical care; lack of clothes & blankets in freezing conditions); killing (incl. by burning); arbitrary detention; looting; pillaging (burning down of villages)..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Regional & Thematic Reports Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Testimony of Porters Escaped from SLORC Forces Date of publication:   25 January 1992 Description/subject:   "Following are the accounts of four women who were conscripted as munitions porters by the SLORC army, No. 1 Light Infantry Battalion, on or about December 23, 1991. They served for 22 days, experiencing all manners of suffering and atrocities, before escaping into the hands of the Karen National Union on about January 16, 1992. Because of their weakened state after escaping and their understandable shyness about discussing what they’d been through, learning their stories was a slow process. The testimonies included here are actually summaries of what came out over the course of several conversations in Burmese. Many of their experiences were common to all 4 women, so to avoid too much repetition not all the details of every incident have been copied into all four stories. For example, all four women described the looting and ransacking the SLORC soldiers did in villages, but it isn’t detailed in every written summary. The stories of the sick Karen boy and the women’s escape, which are written in Daw Hla Myaing’s testimony, were actually told in detail by all four women..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Regional & Thematic Reports Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   MYANMAR: PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE AND TORTURE Date of publication:   02 May 1990 Description/subject:   "The 26-year rule of General Ne Win's Burma Socialist Programme Party came to an end when Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Saw Maung led a military coup on 18 September 1988. The coup followed months of pro-democracy demonstrations throughout the country - and the deaths of thousands of mostly peaceful demonstrators as a result of shootings by the army. Since the coup, severe human rights violations, including mass arrests of prisoners of conscience and possible prisoners of conscience, widespread torture, summary trials, and extrajudicial executions continued to occur at a very high level. Recent testimonies obtained by Amnesty International describe these human rights abuses and indicate that real or imputed critics of Myanmar's military government run a high risk of being imprisoned, interrogated, and tortured for the peaceful expression of their political views. The new military government pledged political and economic reforms that appeared to go some way towards meeting the demands of pro-democracy protesters. The authorities announced that elections to a new parliament would take place in May 1990, following which a new constitution would be drawn up to lay the foundation for a multi-party, parliamentary democracy. For the first time since 1962 political opposition parties were permitted to organize and were recognized by the government. However, the promised transition to parliamentary democracy was marred by renewed repression even as the new military government established itself. Hundreds of people were shot in the weeks following the coup by troops who fired on demonstrators without warning. Possibly thousands had been detained by the military government by March 1990, many of them prisoners of conscience. Prisoners of conscience included the main opposition leaders, many of whom were arrested in July 1989 and officially disqualified by the SLORC from standing in the elections. Evidence based on interviews conducted in November and December 1989 by Amnesty International from recently released political prisoners and refugees who have fled the country suggests not only that torture and unlawful killings of civilians in ethnic minority areas continue to be widespread but that torture of political suspects occurs in other parts of the country (i.e. non-ethnic minority areas). Several of those interviewed had been prisoners of conscience, arrested, interrogated and tortured for the peaceful exercise of their fundamental human rights. In the light of this new information, Amnesty International is seriously concerned that any person arrested for political reasons in Myanmar must be considered to be at risk of torture by government security forces..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Amnesty International (ASA 16-04-90) Format/size:   pdf (68K) Date of entry/update:   19 August 2005 Title:   BURMA: EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTION, TORTURE AND POLITICAL IMPRISONMENT OF MEMBERS OF THE SHAN AND OTHER ETHNIC MINORITIES Date of publication:   August 1988 Description/subject:   "This document presents new evidence of a consistent pattern of unlawful killing and ill-treatment of members of Burma's ethnic minorities by security forces, including the army and police. It is a follow-up to a document published in May 1988, Burma: Extrajudicial Execution and Torture of Members of Ethnic Minorities. That document presented evidence of unlawful killings and torture of members of the Karen, Kachin and Mon ethnic minorities. This document provides information about allegations of similarly severe violations of the human rights of members of the Shan ethnic minority. It also describes the cases of two or three Shan who may be prisoners of conscience. There is information suggesting they may be imprisoned because of their ethnic background and their non-violent political opinions or peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of expression..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Amnesty International (ASA 16/10/88) Format/size:   pdf (158K) Date of entry/update:   30 April 2006 Title:   BURMA: EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTION AND TORTURE OF MEMBERS OF ETHNIC MINORITIES Date of publication:   May 1988 Description/subject:   "Thousands of ethnic minority people have fled Burma to escape the indiscriminate brutality of the army's counter-insurgency operations. Most of the refugees are from the Karen State, a mountainous area bordering on Thailand. Others come from the Mon and Kachin States and other parts of Burma. Their plight has received little attention from the international community. In this report Amnesty International publishes, for the first time, a detailed account of the widespread extrajudicial executions, and torture and harsh treatment inflicted on these people by soldiers operating in defiance of both Burmese and international law...Since 1984 the Burmese army has waged intensive counter-insurgency campaigns against various armed opposition groups, including minority movements fighting for greater autonomy in the Karen, Kachin and Mon States. The civilian population has suffered heavily in counter-insurgency drives. Most of the people living in these remote and mountainous states are illiterate villagers making a living out of rice farming or petty trading. To deny the insurgents any possible logistical or other support the army has imposed harsh restrictions on the villagers' lives, including controls on their movement, residence and wealth. Whole villages have been regrouped in "strategic hamlets" - fenced settlements - under strict curfew. These restrictions impose intolerable hardships on rice farmers, whose livelihood depends on free movement to tend their crops in often far-off fields, and on itinerant traders who ply their wares between villages. People are forced to risk their lives in order to survive. If they are found in places declared off-limits by the army, or on roads or in fields after curfew, they are suspected of links with the insurgents and may be summarily shot or taken into custody and tortured. Mutilated bodies are sometimes left by roadsides and in the fields...1. SUMMARY 2. INTRODUCTION 2.1 SOURCES AND THE SCALE OF ABUSES 2.2 BACKGROUND 2.2.1 HISTORICAL SKETCH 2.2.2 KAREN INSURGENCY 2.2.3 KACHIN AND MON INSURGENCIES 2.3 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL'S POSITION ON ABUSES BY ARMED OPPOSITION FORCES 12 3. EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTION OF KAREN BY THE ARMY 3.1 CIRCUMSTANCES AND METHODS OF EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTION 3.2 EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTION FOR DISOBEYING RESTRICTIONS ON LIVELIHOOD 3.3 EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTION OF PORTERS AND GUIDES 3.4 EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTION FOR OTHER REASONS 4. TORTURE AND ILL-TREATMENT OF KAREN BY THE ARMY 4.1 CIRCUMSTANCES AND METHODS OF TORTURE AND ILL-TREATMENT 4.2 TORTURE AND ILL-TREATMENT DURING INTERROGATION 4.3 TORTURE AND ILL-TREATMENT AS PUNISHMENT 4.4 TORTURE AND ILL-TREATMENT OF WIVES TAKEN AS HOSTAGES 5. TORTURE AND ILL-TREATMENT OF KACHIN AND MON BY THE ARMY AND POLICE 5.1 KACHIN CASES 5.2 MON CASES 6. BURMESE AND INTERNATIONAL LAW AND AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS 6.1 BURMESE LEGAL SAFEGUARDS AND REMEDIES RELATED TO HUMAN 6.1.1 PROVISIONS AGAINST TORTURE AND UNLAWFUL KILLING 6.1.2 FREEDOM FROM ARBITRARY ARREST AND DETENTION 6.1.3 THE JUDICIARY 6.1.4 POLITICAL OFFENCES INVOLVING VIOLENCE 6.1.5 EMERGENCY ABRIDGEMENT OF RIGHTS 6.1.6 INSPECTION AND COMPLAINTS PROCEDURES 6.2 INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS 6.3 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL'S COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE GOVERNMENT 6.4 GOVERNMENT REJECTION OF ALLEGATIONS OF EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTION 6.5 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL'S RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE GOVERNMENT 6.5.1 HIGH-LEVEL GOVERNMENT STATEMENTS AGAINST HUMAN RIGHTS 6.5.2 FULL GOVERNMENT INQUIRY/PROSECUTION OF RESPONSIBLE AUTHORITIES 6.5.3 LEGISLATIVE REFORM AND ENFORCEMENT 6.5.4 IMPROVED TRAINING OF SECURITY FORCES 6.5.5 COMPENSATION FOR VICTIMS AND THEIR RELATIVES 6.5.6 PROVIDING ACCESS AND INFORMATION TO INTERNATIONAL BODIES 6.5.7 RATIFICATION OF INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTRUMENTS 6.5.8 DIVISION OF DETENTION AND INTERROGATION RESPONSIBILITIES 6 5.9 COMPREHENSIVE PUBLIC RECORDS OF ARREST AND DETENTION... APPENDIX 1: REPORTED VICTIMS OF EXTRAJUDICIAL EXECUTIONS; APPPENDIX 2: REPORTED VICTIMS OF TORTURE OR OTHER SEVERE ILL-TREATMENT. Language:   English Source/publisher:   Amnesty International (ASA 16-05-88) Format/size:   pdf (475K) Date of entry/update:   17 August 2005