Dear Friends,

Today, Aung San Suu Kyi turns 64 years old. She will spend this birthday in Insein prison, as a prisoner of Than Shwe’s military regime — simply because she has called for democracy and human rights for the people of Burma.

We and our colleagues throughout the world have been doing a ton of work to make sure that she remains in the spotlight.  Over 560 people signed up to host events in their homes through our “Arrest Yourself” campaign!

If you were not able to host an event, we are asking you to make a special donation of $64, $640 or $6,400 today to the U.S. Campaign for Burma in honor of Aung San Suu Kyi, so that we can continue our work to advocate for her freedom, and human rights for everyone in Burma.

Your money will be put to good use.  Here are only a few things we have organized lately:

• This year, through our annual “Arrest Yourself” campaign, over 560 people in every state and 46 countries around the world have pledged to put themselves under self-imposed “house arrest” and to host educational events in solidarity with Aung San Suu Kyi.
• On Moday, U.S. Campaign for Burma Executive Director Aung Din joined other prominent democracy advocates from Burma to personally deliver a petition of over 680,000 signatures calling for the release of all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, to Ibrahim Gambari, the UN Secretary-General’s special envoy to Buurma at UN headquarters in New York.
• We helped recruit 112 former Presidents and Prime Ministers from throughout the world  to urge the UN Secretary  General to travel to Burma to seek Suu Kyi’s release.  While he initially resisted, in early May he changed his mind and said he will go in the near future.
• We are currently campaigning for the renewal of the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act, which includes targeted sanctions on Burma’s ruthless leaders that Aung San Suu Kyi has called for. We hope you will join this effort and take a moment to call your Senators.
• Our work has been covered in thousands of news articles, helping to keep Burma on the agenda of world leaders

You can read more about what else we’ve done lately here and, at the bottom of this email you can read about some of the events taking place around the world to honor Aung San Suu Kyi.

Please help us to continue our vital work by making a contribution to our campaign today.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Woodrum
Director
U.S. Campaign for Burma

People around the world are rallying behind Aung San Suu Kyi.  However, we need to do more. Burma and Aung San Suu Kyi are now the feature of one of the world’s leading news stories.  It looks like the Burmese military regime will try and sentence Aung San Suu Kyi this coming Monday.

To make matters more difficult, the regime just “disbarred” one of her attorneys, effectively revoking his law license.

Yet, with your support, we and many allied organizations around the world have pressed governments to speak up and form a united call for change in Burma.   We are starting to see many activities come together to press for change:

1) There is a worldwide effort to collect 888,888 signatures on a petition to UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon calling for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisonsers in Burma. If you haven’t signed already, please do so today.

2) On Monday, May 18th, demonstrations will be held in support of Aung San Suu Kyi around the world including in Singapore, Thailand, Spain, and the United States. Below is a list of locations in the U.S.

3) Many of you, as well as some great members of Congress, have weighed in with the Obama administration urging him to keep sanctions on Burma. Great news – yesterday President Obama announced that he will continue U.S. sanctions on Burma.

4) We now have over 460 people throughout the country signed up to “arrest themselves” in solidarity with Aung San Suu Kyi in the coming months. If you haven’t signed up yet, be sure to do so today.   It is a simple yet very effective way to contribute to the movement to free Burma.

5) Leaders throughout the world, including some from Asia, are demanding the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. See a very brief list below. We are glad that Singpaore, Thailand, Indonesia, and Japan are all calling for Aung San Suu Kyi’s release.  Yet, China has remained silent. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said she will raise the issue with China. We will need to make sure she keeps her promise. As a world leader, China must to more for international justice.

6) Many countries are criticizing the arrest, but not proposing specific action. Yesterday, we started to bring some focus to next steps, calling for a global arms embargo on Burma and the creation of a commission of inquiry at the United Nations to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity in Burma.

We are going to be calling on you for a great deal of help this coming week, so please stay tuned…

Best regards,
Jeremy Woodrum

US EMBASSY DEMONSTRATIONS:

Friday, May 15th (concluded):
New York

Monday, May 18th:

Boston
4:30pm, Harvard Sq. Kiosk
Contact: samantha.allen93@gmail.com

Washington, DC
12:30pm, Military Attache Office of Burmese Embassy, 2300 California St, NW
Contact: mike@uscampaignforburma.org

San Fransisco
11:30pm-1:30pm, United Nations Plaza, Civic Center, San Francisco. Market St @ 7th St
Contact: nyuntthan@gmail.com,  http://www.badasf.org/

NEWS ARTICLES

United Nations

United Nations and International Community UN rights chief calls for Aung San Suu Kyi’s immediate release

Myanmar: UN Security Council should demand Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s

Pressure on Yangon to Free Suu Kyi

Intl community irate over Suu Kyi’s legal plight

United States

United States Top US senators warn Myanmar over Aung San Suu Kyi

Senators alarmed by treatment of Nobel recipient

Advocacy group, celebrities urge release of Myanmar’s Suu Kyi

Clinton ‘deeply troubled’ by Aung San Suu Kyi charges

Europe

Europe Sakharov Network calls for immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi, Sakharov Prize laureate 1990

Aung San Suu Kyi Should Be Released And Treated Properly

Aung San Suu Kyi detention infuriates EU ahead of ministers’ talks

Asia

ASEAN and Asian Countries Asian leaders call for release of Aung San Suu Kyi

Asian nations under fire for Suu Kyi inaction

Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone of Japan, one of Myanmar’s major international donors, voiced “deep concern”

USCB’s new “We Can Do It” t-shirts, featuring Aung San Suu Kyi, have just arrived in our freedom store – check them out today and wear one with pride.

This morning Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Aung San Suu Kyi was moved from her Rangoon home to Burma’s notorious Insein Prison, where she will face trial on Monday for supposedly violating the terms of her house arrest by hosting an unauthorized visitor after an American man swam uninvited to her compound and refused to leave.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest continuously since 2003 and for a total of over 13 of the past 19 years.  According to the State Protection Law, under which she has been held, she can be detained for a maximum of six years.  This period was due to expire in less than two weeks, on May 27th, 2009.  Now, the military junta is using trumped up charges stemming from the incident of the American swimmer to extend her detention.  Suu Kyi was the victim, not the perpetrator, of this crime. For more information, please read USCB’s press release from earlier today.

The crime for which Aung San Suu Kyi is now being tried carries a minimum prison sentence of three years.  This is a critical time for the military regime in Burma, which has faced great difficulty in gaining support for its plan to host elections based on a sham constitution in 2010.  We must take action to ensure that the regime continues to feel pressure from the international community.

Take Action Now:

1.) Email UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and urge him to send his envoy to Burma and to take a stand for Aung San Suu Kyi’s security and freedom.  Click here to send an email to the Secretary General.

2.) Plan a Demonstration
Burma groups around the world have called for demonstrations in support of Aung San Suu Kyi to be held at Burmese embassies on Monday, May 18th.

US Campaign for Burma has organized a demonstration in Washington, DC at 12:30pm on Monday, May 18th, in front of the Burmese military attache (2300 California St. NW, near Dupont Circle). For more information contact Mike Haack at mike@uscampaignforburma.org.  If you are interested in organizing one in your home town, email Mike with the details and he will notify Burma supporters in your area.

3.) “Arrest Yourself” for Aung San Suu Kyi and Host a House Arrest Party to Educate Your Friends
Participate in Arrest Yourself 2009 and show your solidarity with Aung San Suu Kyi: uscampaignforburma.org/arrestyourself2009.

Learn More:

The world is giving more and more attention to Aung San Suu Kyi’s cause.  You can learn more about the regime’s detention of Aung San Suu Kyi on the news section of our website, or by reading these articles from CNN International, BBC, Al Jazeera, Agence France Presse, and Straight Times.

Thank you for taking action for Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma,

Jeremy Woodrum
Director
U.S. Campaign for Burma Support 1991 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi and the struggle for freedom and democracy in Burma:

Become a member of the U.S. Campaign for Burma.

      MythBusters:
      Water Torture

It was recently revealed to the American public that the waterboarding method had been used 266 times on two separate individuals at Guantanamo Bay. This is a hotly debated method of “harsh interrogation techniques” solely because it is unclear whether or not it falls into the rubric of what we consider torture to be, and whether or not we gain any useful information in the process.

Many in the government, and citizens as well for that matter, refer to many similar methods as “harsh interrogation techniques” since we as Americans are afraid to use the word torture as that is simply something that we do not do. However, according to the rules of the Geneva Convention, almost every technique used by the C.I.A. fell into the umbrella of torture; not to say that this wasn’t a good method or a suitable retaliation against many Al Qaeda members, simply that we remain afraid to call it as such. Waterboarding comes into that “iffy” category, and has emerged as a political issue recently because of the confessions of many CIA operatives over the quantity of times these two Al Qaeda inmates had been subjected to it. This in turn adds to the question of waterboarding’s effectiveness: why would the procedure have been performed so many times if it was found to work the first few times?

This method also brings into play the basic human rights which are awarded to every citizen of the world, as stated by the Geneva Convention. During times of international war, prisoners of war are to be treated with the same respect as they would have been treated otherwise. This may not always be the case for many nondemocratic, developing nations, but states such as the U.S. should be one of the forerunners of this charter. As we come out of the twentieth century, the lone superpower, other developing nations look toward us for guidance, and what message are we relaying by shunning international charters? It is true that our citizens are not treated with the same respect in other nations across the world, but by succumbing to these harsh interrogation methods, we are harming our respectability on an international level, especially when these practices do not yield positive results.

It is understandable that waterboarding is a method that always teeters on the edge of harsh interrogation and torture; it is much less invasive and painful than many other methods that have been used across the board. This has become a topic of national interest because there are limits to the amount of water to be used in waterboarding, according to C.I.A. guidelines. Additionally, the fact that these documents were released internationally has allowed our enemies to read about the methods we have used on their countrymen, probably further infuriating them. While some methods may have proven effective, it has yet to be confirmed whether or not waterboarding has yielded any positive information in relation to impending terrorist attacks.

This post was contributed by Heidi Taylor, who writes about the top online universities. She welcomes your feedback at HeidiLTaylor006 at gmail.com

Yesterday, the UN made a groundbreaking decision on Burma.

For the first time ever, a body of the United Nations — the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD)– declared that the continued imprisonment of Burma’s democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is illegal under Burma’s own domestic laws.

Through this ruling, the UN has shown that not only does Than Shwe’s military junta operate with a thorough disregard for international law, but they have also firmly entrenched a system of impunity for violating their own laws inside Burma.  

After the ruling, the United Nations called on Burma’s military regime to release Aung San Suu Kyi immediately and without conditions.  This is another example of mounting international pressure against Burma’s regime.

Watch this video to learn how you can help Aung San Suu Kyi to regain her freedom by participating in

Arrest Yourself 2009, a global campaign for Aung San Suu Kyi.

The U.S. Campaign for Burma is working hard to ensure that Aung San Suu Kyi’s freedom, and the freedom of all 2,100 courageous political prisoners in Burma, remains a priority for the international community.

Participating in Arrest Yourself 2009 is a unique way for you to spend time with family and friends while spreading awareness about Aung San Suu Kyi and supporting her struggle for freedom. Sign-up today to host an Arrest Yourself 2009 event.

You can learn more about the UNWGAD’s decision on Aung San Suu Kyi’s illegal detention in the following articles:

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7960506.stm

www.irrawaddy.org/highlight.php.

Thank you for all your hard work,

Mike Haack
Campaigns Coordinator
U.S. Campaign for Burma

In this post she wrote just a few for the reasons why human rights actions are needed in her country, and I am honored to post her words here and make her country’s situation known!

My Country: Guatemala

Guatemala is a small country in Central America. It is full with great places and good people. But also it has bad leaders. Everyone here has the same thought: “In this country there are no human rights”. Why? Here are examples why:

Assaults on a Daily Basis

This is what we live everyday. People get assault and most of the times they get killed. All are afraid of being assaulted when they get out of home, in buses (mostly), and even at home. Time passes and there are more thieves. The law supports the thieves. If the police catch a Thief, they spend only the night at jail, even if they kill a person. Some try to make their own justice facing thieves, killing them. And when a person kills a thief, is where the justice and the Office of Human Rights act in truth.

Children Abuse

The children are being abused in different ways. Because the poverty that exists, many living on the streets forcing children to work and ask for money.
Many steal children to sell them later or smuggle their organs. Others force them to work instead of giving education. Education is also limited. In many places there are no schools and the quality of education is low. The government is implementing the free schools but not the supplies or supplements of educational quality.

Solutions and Action Needed

People are loosing respect from each other. And this is what children are learning. They don’t trust most of the people so they are not respectful. I ask friends and family about their opinions of what Guatemala needs to live with Human rights. All of us agree about education, media and action. Education for people (many doesn’t know about the subject). Media and resources to educate people. And take action to enforce our rights. But to make this happen all of us have the same question too: How?

I invite you to give me your opinion. You can contact me via Twitter: http://twitter.com/lagaba

_____________________

Thank you, Gabriela! I know it takes a lot of courage to post publicly about the situation in your country, and I admire yor courage!

Please everyone, contact Gabriela with suggestions and feedback, or leave a comment on this post, so that she can contact you!

Anca

A Burmese blogger has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for posting a cartoon of the military leader Than Shwe.

Nay Phone Latt, 28, was sentenced by a court in Rangoon’s Insein prison, said his mother, Aye Than.

Nay Phone Latt’s colleague Thin July Kyaw was sentenced to two years imprisonment, Aye Than reported.

Another dissident, Saw Wai, was sentenced to two years in jail for publishing a poem mocking Than Shwe in the weekly Love Journal.

The first words of each line of the Burmese language poem spelled out the message “Senior General Than Shwe is foolish with power”.

Nay Phone Latt was arrested in January; the sentence delivered on Monday included 15 years for offences under the Electronics Act, two years for “creating public alarm” and three and a half years for offences under the Video Act, his mother said.

One of his offences was apparently the possession of a banned video.

His blogs during the September 2007 uprising provided invaluable information about events within the locked-down country.

Aye Than said she was not allowed to attend the trial and Nay Phone Latt was not represented by his defence lawyer, Aung Thein, who began serving a four-month prison sentence for contempt of court last Friday.

“My son is a computer expert and he has not violated any criminal law. It is very unfair that he was given 15 years’ imprisonment under the Electronics Law for a crime he did not commit,” said Aye Than.

A spokesman for the opposition National League for Democracy party, Nyan Win, described Nay Phone Latt, a former party member, as “a young and intelligent blogger and computer expert.”

Spreading arrests

“The government is expediting the trials of political prisoners and many have been given lengthy prison sentences,” said Nyan Win.

Read the rest of this article on BBC News