What can you do?

Human Rights Watch will never forget the thousands of political activists in Burma’s prisons and neither should you. People around the world can do their bit to secure the release of these brave and principled individuals by keeping them in the spotlight. Through spreading information in your community you can help reach policymakers and influence them to do the right thing. Some of the ways to do this is to:

• Give a face and name to people inside Burma’s prisons by making a prisoner’s case your cause. Some examples:
  • Call on trade unions to use their influence to publicize the plight of Burmese activists, especially labor activists like Su Su Nway.
  • Ask comedians to develop jokes and sketches honoring Burma’s imprisoned comedian, Zargana.
  • Ask religious orders to raise the plight of monks like U Gambira and nuns imprisoned in Burma during religious ceremonies and events.
  • Ask high school and university student groups on campus to organize events to raise awareness about Burma’s political prisoners, especially former student leaders like Min Ko Naing.
• Make local and national politicians aware of the fate of political prisoners. Write letters, emails, and petitions to government officials and leaders of countries that support the Burmese military such as China, Russia, and India. Urge them to seek the release of all the political prisoners in Burma.
• Write to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, asking him to pressure Burma’s military government on the release of all Burmese political prisoners.
• Write opinion pieces for your local newspaper on the plight of political prisoners in Burma and call up radio stations raising the plight of individual prisoners like Zargana, Su Su Nway, U Gambira, and Min Ko Naing.
• Disseminate information and support human rights in Burma through social networking and online activism via social media such as AVAAZ, Twitter, and Facebook.
• Write to companies working in Burma, urging them to lobby the State Peace and Development Council in order to secure the release of all Burmese political prisoners and an end to secret and unfair trials.
• Publicize the plight of people jailed for their peaceful activities by speaking out at community events on the absence of freedom of expression in Burma.
• Distribute information brochures (like the one you’re reading now).
• Help the families of political prisoners by donating to organizations that support them, such as the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners in Burma (AAPPB). Such organizations keep thousands of people fed, housed, and at school. You can also help fund research on the plight of Burma’s prisoners by donating to Human Rights Watch.
• And best of all, inform yourself and others, even just a few.

These simple but powerful acts are routinely denied the people of Burma. The people profiled in this report were imprisoned for trying to do just that in their own country.

For more information please visit:   http://www.hrw.org/free-burmas-prisoners.