RELEASED
23 September 2008
FREEDOM for U Win Tin
journalist, writer, promoter of human rights
more info on AI IS web site
U Win Tin
Myanmar Prisoner of Conscience
Background Facts:
U Win Tin is a 78-year-old (12 March is his birthdate) journalist and writer, suffering from heart disease, dental problems and inflammation of the vertebrae. This elderly, sick man has been in the notorious Insein Prison for nearly 16 years. He has been especially cruelly treated and subjected to solitary confinement.
He was arrested July 4, 1989 in Yangon, Myanmar, along with hundreds of other members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), the main opposition party. The ruling military junta has sentenced him to a total of 20 years imprisonment; if he lives to serve out his current sentence, he will be about 79 years old when released.
Sequential sentence record:
- Three years of hard labor for harboring a criminal; (an NLDer who companion had an illegal abortion);
- Ten years for political offenses, imposed just months before due to be released from three-year sentence;
- Five to seven years for writing a letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar about poor prison conditions and torture; this sentence began with two months special punishment: confined with four to five other prisoners in an 8' x 10' "military dog" cell, no bed, no blankets, concrete floor, allowed out for ten minutes a day to shower, no family visits; later transferred to solitary confinement.
Original and subsequent charges:
- Guiding and influencing Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, founder of the the NLD;
- Being a ?leftist? politician who urged the NLD to adopt civil disobedience tactics against martial law, citing works of Henry David Thoreau and the example of Mahatma Gandhi;
- "....giving seditious talks, organizing "- While in prison, publishing anti-government propaganda to create riots in jail, hiding three radios and writing poetry for a prison magazine.
Amnesty International accuses the military junta of imprisoning U Win Tin solely for peacefully exercising his rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association and, for promoting human rights.
Amnesty believes that all sentences followed on trials that failed to meet international standards. The last known trial in 1996 was secret, without legal counsel. Amnesty claims that the authorities have repeatedly used vaguely-worded security legislation to criminalize his peaceful political activities and opinions. Amnesty calls for his immediate and unconditional release.
Before his arrest U Win Tin was a prominent journalist and writer and a member of the original Central Executive Committee of the NLD. This party won the May, 1990, elections with a clear majority, but the junta forbade it to convene a parliament. He is the only senior NLD member still in detention - all others have been released during periodic amnesties.
U Win Tin has received three awards of recognition:
UNESCO - World Press Freedom Award, March 2001
World Association of Newspapers - Golden Pen of Freedom, November 2000
Human Rights Award, December 1998
U WIN TIN AI Prisoner of Conscience since March 2001 (Myanmar)
U Win Tin:
- 75-year-old journalist and writer
- Suffers heart disease, dental problems and inflammation of the vertebrae
- Has served 15 years in Insein Prison, and endured especially cruel treatment
- Has 5 more years to serve; will be 78 or 79 when released
Arrest and sentencing record:
- Arrested July 4, 1989, in Yangon, Myanmar
- Accused of guiding and influencing NLD founder Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
- Accused of being a ?leftist? and urging the NLD to adopt civil disobedience tactics
- Sentenced to 3years hard labor for ?harboring? man whose companion had an illegal abortion
- Sentenced to 10 additional years for political offenses
- Sentenced to 5 to 7 additional years for writing the UN Special Rapporteur about torture and poor conditions in prison
Amnesty International's position:
- U Win Tin is in prison for the peaceful exercise of his rights to freedom of expression,
assembly and association
- He is in prison for promoting human rights
- The authorities have repeatedly used vaguely-worded security legislation to criminalize his peaceful political activities and opinions
- The authorities should immediately and unconditionally release U Win Tin
Background:
- U Win Tin was a prominent journalist and writer
- He was a member of the original Central Executive Committee of the NLD
- The NLD won the May 1990 elections, but not allowed to convene a parliament.