Presence of "prisoners of conscience" recognized for the first time in the country. The group will be led by an adviser to the president and made up of members of government, civil society and the party. Burmese activist warns that there are still 380 prisoners in the jails and the concept of "political prisoner" can diverge between government and civil society.

Yangon (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Burmese government will form a steering committee, led by the office of President Thein Sein, mandated to "give freedom to political prisoners" still present in the country's prisons. The news, which was reported yesterday by the official newspaper The New Light of Myanmar, is the first "public admission" by an authority that there are people locked up in jail for their political ideas, social activism, the struggle for rights in a nation for decades led by a military junta. The committee will be tasked with evaluating the last remaining cases and return their freedom of speech and movement.

According to reports from the newspaper, the Committee will be asked to "give freedom to the remaining political prisoners" and will be led by Seo Thein, adviser to the president. It will also explain what is meant by "prisoner of conscience", including those in Burmese prisons, and to ensure their release. Committee members will include representatives from the executive, groups from civil society and members of political parties.

Since taking office in March 2011, the Head of State has released hundreds of prisoners of conscience, in the broader context of political and institutional reforms initiated in the country. However, the Burmese leadership has never admitted the presence of prisoners for "political crimes or crimes of opinion" in Myanmar, in fact, this is the first historic admission.

Bo Kyi, leader of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), which is based in Thailand, welcomed the Naypyidaw decision and welcomes the recognition of the concept of "political prisoner," he warns, however, that the meaning may be different than one used by civil society. "There are still 380 political prisoners in our list," added the activist, and in the group there are also the people arrested in the northern state of Kachin, because of their links with ethnic rebel militias for months engaged in a bloody conflict with the Burmese army.

In November 2010, the first elections in two decades marked the first, faint change in the wake of greater democratization of Myanmar. Following the vote, the junta ordered the release of Aung San Suu Kyi on the expiration of the terms of her house arrest. In the following months the transition from military rule to civilian government took place led by "reformist" President Thein Sein, and elected by a Parliament in which the army still remains the absolute master (25% of the seats are reserved for the military) .

The elections of April 2012 marked the entry of the leader of the opposition into the Assembly, along with 42 other members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), meanwhile the Executive on the recommendation of the Head of State, sometimes grants amnesty for hundreds of political prisoners, showing their intention to continue an attempt to change the nation in the wake of democracy. A choice that has led the United States and the European Union to remove most of the economic and trade sanctions on Myanmar, in existence for decades.

 

• myanmar
• democracy
• political
• prisoners
• amnesty
• release