AN APPEAL TO PROMOTE FREEDOM OF POLITICAL PRISONERS AND DIALOGUE IN BURMA
Dear President Obama,
Congratulations on receiving the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. I agree with the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s statement that “[o]nly very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future.” (The Nobel Peace Prize for 2009).
For this reason, I am calling upon you to take action regarding the situation in Burma. As you are aware, the current military junta led by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) is planning to hold elections in Burma in 2010. Your administration has recognized that the SPDC should start a dialogue with the political opposition and address human rights obligations, “otherwise the elections they have scheduled for next year will have absolutely no legitimacy.” (Statement by Secretary of State Mrs. Clinton, reporting in Myanmar Sentence Draws Criticism, August 11, 2009, New York Times).
It is difficult to envision that, under the current condition of political repression, the SPDC will sponsor elections in 2010 that are both free and fair. For this reason, I am asking you to please take immediate action to urge the SPDC to take the following steps:
(1) the immediate and unconditional release of the more than 2,000 political prisoners in Burma, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, your fellow Nobel Peace Prize laureate; and
(2) the establishment of a meaningful dialogue between the SPDC and the political opposition groups, led by the NLD.
At a minimum, such meaningful dialogue must include:
- a comprehensive review of the 2008 SPDC Constitution, including that Constitution’s prohibition on political participation by former political prisoners, thereby disqualifying Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and many members of the leadership of the National League for Democracy (NLD), and the provisions for a “State of an Emergency”, which essentially provide the military with unfettered control over the government;
- guaranteeing the members of political parties and the citizens of Burma their basic rights, such as freedom of movement without fear of being arrested and persecuted; freedom of assembly, which would allow for the re-opening and operation of political offices; and freedom of the press.
If the SPDC does not comply with these requests listed above before the planned 2010 elections take place, as your Secretary of State Mrs. Clinton has previously emphasized, these elections will have no legitimacy. In this event, we urge you to refuse to recognize the election results.
In order to ensure that the 2010 elections have even a chance at being truly free and fair, I ask that you please take action and insist on the release of all political prisoners and the establishment of a meaningful dialogue between the SPDC and the political opposition without delay. If immediate action is not taken, Burma runs the risk of remaining a military state that continues to violate the human rights of the Burmese people and pose a significant threat to regional and global peace.
Sincerely,
Do Something 