Exiled: Burma's Defenders

Burma is one of the most repressive and closed societies in the world, run by generals since 1962. Longstanding human rights abuses by the government include silencing of most of civil society, torture in prison, use of child soldiers, forced labor, trafficking of women, and attacks targeting civilians in ethnic minority areas. In May 2010, Human Rights Watch took leading portrait photographer Platon to the Thai-Burma border to photograph former political prisoners, civil society leaders, ethnic minority group members, journalists and other people in exile from their country, Burma.