Tawlawi and Nai Jorn : A letter, drafted by political prisoners in Insein Prison, calling for improvements to their rights, has been released during the politically sensitive visit of United Nations human rights envoy, Tomas Ojea Quintana’s 5 day tour of Burma.
The letter, which was released on Wednesday, February 17th, calls for improvements to their basic rights for those imprisoned at Insein prison, located in Burma’s old capital, Rangoon. The letter was written on behalf of all prisoners at Insein and signed by the “leader of the political prisoner community”.
The letter was released as Mr.Quintana, who is visiting Burma to discuss human rights issues in advance of the proposed 2010 election, spent Thursday days meeting with senior opposition leaders. Having already met with judges and oppositions layers, he has not received an answer to requests to meet with detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Specifically the letter calls for 5 improvements in basic prisoner rights. These include prisoners requesting the chance to read current books and newspapers, to receive full medical treatment, meals of a greater quantity and quality for all prisoners, full movement around the prison campus, except when the prison is closed, and the opportunity to practice and improve literacy.
The demands were made as conditions for prisoners have deteriorated. According to the letter reading material arrives out dated and often damaged; there is insufficient medicine, access to doctors, or sanitary bathroom facilities; rice given to prisoners is often stale, contains small stones, and curries are often of un-nutritious leaves or beans that often contain bugs. The letter also reported that prisoners only allowed to leave their cells for two separate one-hour periods each day, and were denied access to pens and paper.
Ko Tate Naing, the secretary of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) told IMNA, “Eventually, not only the political prisoners, but also other prisoners were calling for these … They called for these rights to the authorities repeatedly but didn’t get them. The letter was directly [targeted] at the UN human rights envoy to find out during his visit, and will report to the UN human rights conference to fully get those rights.”
According to Ko Tate Naing, the judicial system of Burma is routinely circumvented as it is directly administered under the Burmese military government. He explained that often Burmese and ethnic minorities are accused, and then arrested and tortured without getting permission form the court. Often these prisoners are sent to interrogations centers without notice to families.
In one such case Burmese government police arrested a Mon monk, Ashin Uk Kan Tha, on January 7. He was subsequently torture and hospitalized before being transferred to prison. The AAPP has reported this case, with many others, to the United Nations Human Rights Council.
The secretary explained that as Mr. Quintana will be able to encourage the Burmese regime directly when he meets with them and having received the letter, it would directly effect what he reports to the UN human rights conference.
