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

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.

Posted in The Huffington Post

“Sixty years ago, the best document ever written came together in Paris under the leadership of Eleanor Roosevelt. It is called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. That’s the good news. The bad news is less than 5% of the world even knows about this document. Worse yet, many governments do not properly adhere to its tenants. This Declaration was written against the horrific backdrop of WWII, when human rights violations reached immense proportion. Although similar levels of human rights violations have remained consistent throughout the world in places like Darfur, Burma, and the Central Congo, the principles discussed in this document still remain ideals, rather than realities.

By the year 2010, 42% of the world will be under the age of 21. As was seen in the recent American election, there is a clamoring for change amongst this demographic. This exists not only for young people at home, but all over the world. When injustice occurs in far corners of the globe, this document empowers the innocent against the oppressor. Just as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. pointed to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights as an example of justice and equality, so to will this new generation need a rulebook to combat oppression.

Such a rulebook already exists in this Declaration. For 60 years, governments have let this document gather dust in a closet. This anniversary reminds us that this Declaration is living and belongs to every citizen of the world, no matter what nationality, race, gender or creed. It is time to put this Declaration in the hands of the people, for there is an awful lot of suffering in the world.

This document is for, as Bob Dylan wrote, “the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones and worse.” If you are in a far-away land being tortured, raped, censored or held captive, this document is the “the chimes of freedom flashing.”

This is not just idealism. There are practical things you can do right now to honor Eleanor Roosevelt’s greatest achievement, and more importantly, protect the fabric of decency that should exist between governments and their citizens.

Below is a video of artists, activists and children reading the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — send it to everyone you know.

Sign the petition at www.humanrightsactioncenter.org to get this Declaration printed in every passport.

Write your representatives and encourage them to take the necessary steps to free Aung San Suu Kyi, the present, living-day symbol of Human Rights and the rightful leader of Burma.

Lastly, print a copy of the Declaration of Human Rights and put it in your wallet. Take it from a guy who has met his share of innocent people being abused: you never know when you just might need it.”

SIGN THE PETITION at www.humanrightsactioncenter.org to get this Declaration printed in every passport.

Write your representatives and encourage them to take the necessary steps to free Aung San Suu Kyi, the present, living-day symbol of Human Rights and the rightful leader of Burma. Lastly, print a copy of the Declaration of Human Rights and put it in your wallet.