Free all human rights defenders and stop ongoing arbitrary arrests

“President Thein Sein’s promise to release allpolitical prisoners by the end of the year is not enough”, said KarimLahidji, President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).“He should ensure an immediate halt to the judicial harassment and detention of activists andhuman rights defenders in the country”, he added.

On November 15, 2013, Burma’s President Thein Seinordered the release of 69 political prisoners in his latest amnesty. Amongthose freed were high profile human rights defenders such as Ms. Naw Ohn Hla,leading member of the Democracy and Peace Women Network, but also U Aung Soe,a member of Yangon People’s Support Network, which campaigns for the respect ofrule of law and democracy in Burma and has been involved in the campaignagainst the Letpadaung project, along with Ko Soe Thu and U Maung San,two villagers, for their participation in peaceful protests against theLetpadaung copper mining project in Salingyi Township, Sagaing Region, a jointventure between the Burmese military's Union of Myanmar Economic HoldingsLimited (UMEHL) and Wan Bao Company which led to the displacement of farmingfamilies in 26 villages from their land, with more than 7,000 acres confiscatedin 2010.

“It is vital to repeal the whole legal arsenal that has been abused againsthuman rights defenders and rehabilitate those who unduly suffered”, said Gerald Staberock, Secretary General of theWorld Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). “The international community,too, has a card to play to ensurean enabling environment for civil society allowing the full strength of Burmesesociety to contribute to the process of transition”, he added.

At least 60 political prisoners remain behind bars and265 people, mostly farmers who protested against land confiscation, areawaiting trial. In addition, the Government continues to use oppressive laws tojail activists as well as villagers in ethnic nationality areas. The amnestyindeed fell on the same day that a Yangon court sentenced Ko Htin Kyaw,leader of the Movement for Democracy Current Force (MDCF), a community-basedorganisation which represents grass-roots communities and struggles againstland-grabbing and other human rights violations, to six months in prison underthe Peaceful Gathering and Demonstration Law, in relation to a protest againstland grabbing. In addition, on the same day that President Thein Sein orderedthe release of the 69 political prisoners, a court in Myitkyina sentenced fourKachin men to two years in prison under the Unlawful Association Act for theiralleged ties to the Kachin Independence Army (KIA). The jail term contradictsthe much-heralded October-10 agreement between the Burmese Government and theKIA to reduce hostilities, signed in the presence of United Nations and Chineseofficials.

The amnesty also failed to address the dire situationof Tun Aung and Kyaw Hla Aung, two defenders of the rights of theRohingyas in Arakan/Rakhine State who remain detained along with hundreds ofRohingya following sectarian violence in 2012. In August and October 2013,various courts in Northern Arakan State sentenced a total of 115 Rohingya tolengthy prison terms for their alleged involvement in last year’s communalunrest.

As with previous releases of political prisoners, theNovember 15 amnesty was strategically timed to coincide with an importantinternational event. In this instance, it was a three-day visit to Burma by ahigh-level EU delegation.

The Observatory urges the Burmese authorities toimmediately and unconditionally release all human rights defenders who remaindetained as of today, to put an end to any kind of harassment - including atjudicial and administrative levels - against all human rights defenders in thecountry, and to conform more generally with the provisions of the 1998 UNDeclaration on Human Rights Defenders.

For more information, please contact:

· FIDH:Audrey Couprie/Arthur Manet: +33 1 43 55 25 18

· OMCT: Delphine Reculeau: +41 22 809 49 39