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As Burma gets ready for its first election in a generation, we're creating a powerful act of solidarity to demand freedom for the Burmese people. Add your photo now!
It is a country where the 1960s marked the start of military rule. Where criticising your government is still grounds for arrest, torture and a decades-long prison sentence handed down without judge or jury. Where there hasn’t been an election in over 20 years, and the last time they held one, the results were ignored and the winner locked away.
This is life inside modern-day Burma, where more than 2,200 prisoners of conscience languish behind bars, and peaceful protests are met with lethal force. So as Burma plans to hold its first election in a generation, we’re creating a powerful act of solidarity. Upload your photo and see yourself behind bars. The message: as long as Burma isn’t free, I am not free.
This week marks the anniversary of the 2007 "Saffron Revolution", named for the saffron-coloured robes of the courageous barefoot monks who led 100,000 people in peaceful demonstrations through the city streets. The military used bullets and brutal beatings to disperse the crowds - including monks, women, children and students. They killed over 100 people - yet a year later, authorities passed a law granting full immunity to perpetrators of human rights violations, including government officials and security forces.
It’s hard to imagine that conditions inside Burma before, during and after the elections will remain calm in the face of such barefaced oppression. And we fear they could get much worse, with the junta already cracking down on independent journalism, ethnic minorities and other potential activists.
Between now and Burma’s election day there are nine people who hold special opportunity to influence the junta: the nine foreign ministers of countries comprising the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), which includes Burma itself. So when you create your act of solidarity, you’ll also automatically send a message to the governments of ASEAN - some of Burma’s closest neighbours - urging them to speak out.
By holding the first election in 20 years, Burma’s military regime is seeking legitimacy in the eyes of the world. So now we stand again with the Burmese people, and ask that they be guaranteed three basic freedoms: freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and freedom of association.
Thank you for creating your act of solidarity.
Together - may we stand one step closer to freedom in Burma,
Jenny Leong
Campaign Coordinator
Amnesty International Australia
