Amnesty says more people in prison ahead of Myanmar elections

A leading human rights group claims that almost 100 people are behind bars in Myanmar, in the run-up to the nation’s general elections, Nov. 8.   In a press brief entitled, ‘Back to the old ways’  issued on Oct. 8, Amnesty International noted how repression has ‎drastically picked up pace over the past two years, in stark contrast to official claims that not a single ‎person is imprisoned for peacefully exercising their rights.‎  The London-based rights watchdog believes there are at least 91 prisoners of conscience currently behind bars in Myanmar, ‎although the actual number is likely to be higher. This represents a dramatic increase since a wide-‎ranging presidential pardon at the end of 2013 when Amnesty International was aware of just two ‎prisoners of conscience‎. 

“Authorities have intensified a chilling crackdown on freedom of expression over the past ‎year,” said Laura Haigh, Amnesty International’s Myanmar Researcher. ‎“The numbers speak for themselves – we believe that almost 100 peaceful activists are currently ‎detained, while hundreds more are facing charges,” she said.  “President Thein Sein must immediately free all ‎prisoners of conscience and put an end to the repressive practices that fuel arbitrary arrests,”‎  Haigh demanded.

Amnesty International has also documented a marked surge in repression as Myanmar’s general ‎elections, scheduled for 8 November 2015, have drawn closer. Peaceful activists have been more often ‎charged with offences without bail and kept in pre-trial detention for extended periods, while prison ‎sentences have become longer.‎  (Source: Amnesty International)