Campaigners
Organize Global Days of Action to Free World’s
Only Imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize Recipient
On Her 60th Birthday

“As long as she remains under arrest, none of
us is truly free,” says South Africa’s Desmond
Tutu

For Immediate Release: April 20th, 2005
Jointly Issued by the US Campaign for Burma,
Burma Campaign UK, and Alternative ASEAN Network
on Burma

For More Information:
United States (US Campaign for Burma):
Jeremy Woodrum or Aung Din, 202-223-0300
Europe (Burma Campaign UK):
Mark Farmaner, mark.farmaner@burmacampaign.org.uk,

(44) (0) 7941239640
Asia (Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma):
Debbie Stothard, (66) 1 686 1652

EFFORT TO FREE AUNG SAN SUU
KYI MODELED ON “MANDELA AT 70″ CAMPAIGN
IN 1988

(Washington,
DC, London and Bangkok) Sixty days before the
60th birthday of the world’s only imprisoned
Nobel Peace Prize recipient, leading organizations
and individuals working for freedom and democracy
called on individuals, organizations, and leaders
around the world to take action to free Burma’s
Aung San Suu Kyi.

The effort is modeled on global demonstrations
and rallies in 1988 to free former South African
leader Nelson Mandela when he was still imprisoned
on Robben Island.

On her 60th birthday Aung San Suu Kyi will have
spent a total of 2,523 days in detention.

“We need the world to stand tall for Aung San
Suu Kyi on June 19th,” said spokespersons from
the United States, Europe, and Asia. “Just as
the world rallied to free Nelson Mandela, we
must free Aung San Suu Kyi.”

Said Desmond Tutu, 1984 Nobel Peace Prize recipient
from South Africa, “We call on individuals,
and governments, to support publicly Aung San
Suu Kyi, on her birthday, June 19th. I support
activities that call for her immediate and unconditional
release; I applaud all human rights campaigners
who are working on her behalf, and that of her
countrymen and women. As long as she remains
under arrest, none of us is truly free.”

The actions include scores of events around
the world, from the USA to European, South Africa,
the Middle East, and Asia, including coordinated
demonstrations at over one dozen embassies of
Burma’s ruling dictator Than Shwe on Friday,
June 17th–two days before Suu Kyi’s 60th birthday.
In the United States, the US Congress will host
an event dedicated to Aung San Suu Kyi on June
16th, while organizers have planned 60 events
in 25 US states on June 19th. Organizers of
these events will “arrest” themselves for 24
hours in their homes, to show support for Aung
San Suu Kyi, who has been held under arrest
for nearly 10 of the past 15 years.

Added the organizers, “We call on current and
former world leaders–including heads of governments
and the United Nations–to issue public demands
for Aung San Suu Kyi’s freedom on her 60th birthday.
Use your liberty to free her.”

Since 1988, Aung San Suu Kyi has led an international
campaign to end over 40 years of brutal military
rule in the Southeast Asian country of Burma.
After a nationwide uprising was crushed in 1988,
she led her political party the National League
for Democracy to an 82% victory in a national
election in 1990. The ruling dictatorship refused
to recognize the results and has kept her locked
for ten of the past 15 years.

In the meantime, Burma’s regime has recruited
up to 70,000 child soldiers (far more than any
other country in the world), instituted a nationwide
system of modern-day slavery, and imprisoned
over 1,400 political activists.

“We also call on the United Nations Security
Council to end its deafening silence. While
the Security Council dithers, Burmese people
are dying. Kofi Annan should immediately call
for Burma to be placed on the Security Council
agenda.”

Annan has refused numerous requests to bring
Burma before the UN Security Council. His envoy
to Burma Razali Ismail claims that Annan does
not have the power to do so, even though such
authority is clearly spelled out in Article
99 of the UN charter, which states: “The Secretary-General
may bring to the attention of the Security Council
any matter which in his opinion may threaten
the maintenance of international peace and security.”

Last year, MTV organized a campaign in which
100,000 individuals emailed Annan calling for
action, while the US Senate, Australian Senate,
and The Netherlands Senate all passed resolutions
and motions calling for the Security Council
to act. Meanwhile, leading governments in the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations have
been threatening to revoke Burma’s scheduled
chairmanship of the organization in 2006 unless
it carries out concrete reforms.

####