Detained Activists Protest against Trial Conditions

By MIN LWIN

Detained members of the 88 Generation Students Group will refuse to cooperate with the court at their trial unless family members are allowed to attend, their lawyers have announced.

Aung Tun, brother of activist Ko Ko Gyi, said the authorities had informed families of the accused on Friday that they would not be allowed to attend court hearings in Insein Prison.

Family members were admitted to a previous hearing in early September. Aung Tun said it wasn’t known why they were being excluded from the next sessions of the Rangoon East district court.

The authorities have also changed the days for family visits, and refused Htay Htay Kyi, the sister of detained political and labor activist Su Su Nway, permission to visit her.

Tate Naing, secretary of the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma (AAPP)—said family members of detained political activists have the right to attend court hearings.

Prominent leaders of the 88 Generation Students group were arrested in August 2007, at the start of demonstrations leading up to September’s uprising. They included Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi, Htay Win Aung, Min Zeya, Kyaw Min Yu (also known as Jimmy) and Mya Aye. They had led a march on August 19 protesting against sharp increases in the prices of fuel and other commodities.

Many former student leaders are serving long prison terms—some have been in prison for more than 15 years.

On Monday, activist Soe Myint Hein was sentenced to four years and six months imprisonment. A woman activist, Khin Aye, and other two others received sentences of two years and six months.

Two Burmese human rights groups released a report on Monday saying the number of political prisoners in Burma had nearly doubled in little more than one year.

A UN report in June 2007 gave the number of political prisoners as 1,192 political prisoners in Burma. The number now was at least 2,123, said a report issued jointly by the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) and the United States Campaign for Burma, based in Washington, DC.

The report accused the Burmese military government of defying a UN Security Council demand in October 2007 for the release of all political prisoners, including the world’s only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi.

“By nearly doubling the number of political prisoners, the Burmese regime is directly defying the UN, including the UN Security Council,” said Bo Kyi, a former political prisoner and co-founder of the AAPP.

The AAPP and USCB sent an open letter to the UN Secretary-General calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, including Suu Kyi.