Amnesty International Thailand Activists Call on the Myanmar Authority to Release Prisoners of Conscience
6 November 2016
Today (6th November 2015) at 10.30 hour, 20 Amnesty International Thailand activists gathered in front of the Embassy of Myanmar in Bangkok, South Sathorn Road, Bangkok in order to submit the letter and the report on “going back to the old ways: a new generation of prisoners of conscience in Myanmar”, as well as calling on the Myanmar authority to release the prisoners of conscience without any condition.
Ms. Pornpen Kongkajornkiat, Vice President of Amnesty International Thailand, who was a representative to submit the letter, revealed that Amnesty International wished to submit the summary report on “going back to the old ways: a new generation of prisoners of conscience in Myanmar”. The content in the report indicated that even though President Thein Sein had authorized the release of prisoners many times and promised to release the prisoners of conscience from the confinement, there were human rights defenders, correspondents, political activists, university students and farmers who have been captured and threatened. They were detained only because they exercised their right peacefully. Up until today, we believe that there are at least 94 prisoners of conscience and hundreds of people who have been charged in Myanmar.
“Amnesty International would like to call on the Myanmar authority to release all prisoners of conscience without any condition and dismiss all the charges pressed against the detainees who exercise their rights peacefully, as well as repealing all the laws that infringe the freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, especially the Peaceful Assembly and Marching Act.”
The Embassy of Myanmar in Bangkok sent Mr. Toon De, First Secretary, as the representative to receive the letter and submit it to the ambassador.
Prisoners of conscience under the definition of Amnesty International mean persons being imprisoned or restricted movement for holding and having political belief, religion or belief or other common senses, ethnicity, gender, skin color, language, national or social background, economic status, origin, sexual orientation or other statuses that are not tolerated by their own government or for exercising their freedom of expression or other human rights without using violence or supporting violence or hatred. Therefore, all prisoners of conscience have to be set free without any condition and the charges or prosecutions against them have to be dismissed.
