Call your Senators and ask them to sign on to the Dear Colleague Letter to support a UN Commission of Inquiry into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Burma. The Senators only have one week to sign the letter do please CALL NOW!

Below are easy, detailed instructions about how to make sure your voice is heard by BOTH of your Senators. You may want to print this page, since it is a little long!

5 Quick Easy Steps for Calling Your Senators

1. Background on the issue
2. Who to call
   
3. What to say
4. What the receptionist will say
5. After your call

1. Background on the issue

The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burma, Tomas Ojea Quintana, recently released a groundbreaking report to the UN Human Rights Council calling for an investigation into Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes in Burma, after nearly a year of being bombarded by our demands. This is the first time an acting UN official has called for such strong action. The ball is rolling now and we must ensure that it does not slow down!

For years, Burma’s military regime has carried out brutal crimes against humanity and war crimes against its own civilians. Their abuses include the conscription of tens of thousands of child soldiers, the destruction and forced displacement of over 3,500 ethnic minority villages, widespread rape of Burmese women, the killing of civilians, and forcing hundreds of thousands of Burmese people into forced labor, what some call modern-day slavery.

These are not simply human rights abuses — they are mass atrocities called “crimes against humanity” and “war crimes,” meaning that they are illegal under international law such as the Geneva Conventions and Rome Statute.

In the past, the United Nations Security Council has voted to create a “Commission of Inquiry” to investigate abuses of a major magnitude — such as in the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and the Darfur region of Sudan. The Commission of Inquiry then makes recommendations to the U.N. Security Council for action. However, no such Commission of Inquiry been created for Burma.

Democratic governments such as the United Kingdom, Australia, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia already support the call for a UN-led Commission of Inquiry on Burma. Now, we need the United States government to get on board and be a strong voice supporting the establishment of an investigation into crimes against humanity in Burma.

Without the backing of the United States, the Special Rapporteur’s call will go ignored! Tell your Senators that the U.S. must support a UN Commission of Inquiry into the regime’s war crimes and crimes against humanity. Do not let this opportunity pass by!

Read more about war crimes and crimes against humanity in Burma here.

2. Who to call

Telephone the staff members who handle foreign affairs for your Senators:

Kami Capener handles foreign affairs for Senator Bennett at: (202) 224-5444
Ryika Hooshangi handles foreign affairs for Senator Hatch at: (202) 224-5251

3. What to say

When a receptionist answers the phone, ask to speak to the foreign policy staffer by name.

• “Hi my name is [your name] from [name of your state], may I speak to [name of the foreign policy staffer]?”Tell the receptionist that you live in the Senator’s state and that you want to speak to the staffer about the letter regarding crimes against humanity in the country of Burma that is being circulated by Senators Feinstein and Gregg. Be sure to be polite, and say something like:
• “I’m calling because I would like to ask [staff person's name] if Senator [Senator's name] will sign onto a dear colleague letter about crimes against humanity in the country of Burma that is being circulated by Senators Feinstein and Gregg.”

4. What the receptionist will say

At this point the receptionist will either:

A) Transfer you to the telephone of the staff member. If this happens see section “A” below. or

B) Transfer you to the voice-mail of the staff member. If this happens see section “B” below. or

C) Say that the staff member is busy, and ask to take a message. If this happens see section “C” below.

WHAT TO DO ONCE YOU ARE TRANSFERRED / LEAVE A MESSAGE

A) If you speak directly to the staffer

Thank them for speaking with you and tell them why YOU think they should co-sponsor.

Tell them why you called. Here is a suggestion of what to say:

* “Hi my name is _______ I am from [your State]. I am very concerned about the human rights abuses and crimes against humanity that Burma’s military dictatorship continues to commit against innocent civilians in Burma. I am calling because I would like to urge Senator __________ to sign the dear colleague letter regarding crimes against humanity in the country of Burma that is being circulated by Senators Feinstein and Gregg. The crimes against humanity in Burma should not continue with impunity.”

* Give them some facts about Burma. “Burma’s regime has destroyed over 3,500 villages in their campaign against ethnic minorities, their use of rape as a weapon of war has been well documented and so is their use of child soldiers.”

*Your senator represents YOU and they want to know why YOU care. If you have traveled to refugee camps on the Thailand-Burma border, know Burmese people, grew up in Burma, or care about human rights, be sure to let the staff member know.

* You may also want to tell them that UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma, Tomas Ojea Quintana, the leading expert, urged the United Nations and its member countries to set up an investigation into crimes against humanity in Burma, known as a Commission of Inquiry. So far the United Kingdom, Australia, Czech Republic and Slovakia have all pledged their public support for establishing this investigation. The US government has yet to support the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry into crimes against humanity in Burma.

Finally: Ask if your senator will sign the dear colleague letter.

It is likely that they will not give you an immediate answer because they need to ask your Senator. If that is the case, ask them politely when you will know about the final decision and how you can be informed.

To sign on to the Letter:

Ask them to contact the following staffer, based on their party affiliation:

For Democrats: Richard Harper in Senator Feinstein’s (D-CA) office
For Republicans: Brian Miller in Senator Gregg’s (R-NH) office

VI.) Ask them when you can call back to follow-up.

B) If you leave a voicemail

Hi, my name is______, I am a constituent of Senator______. I am very concerned about human rights abuses and crimes against humanity that Burma’s military regime commits against innocent civilians. I would like ask the Senator to sign on to a dear colleague letter calling for a UN investigation into crimes against humanity in Burma that is being circulated by Senators Feinstein and Gregg. As you may know, Burma’s regime has destroyed over 3,500 villages in their campaign against ethnic minorities, their use of rape as a weapon of war has been well documented and so is their use of child soldiers. I hope you take this action to help.

Be sure to leave your phone number so they can follow-up.

C) If you leave a message with the receptionist

Follow the instructions for the voice mail. Call back the next day to follow-up.

5. After you call

After you call, please send us a quick email at mikejen@uscampaignforburma.org and let us know how your call went. It often only takes a few persistent calls to bring this issue to your Senators’ attention.

Thank you taking action on Burma with us. We truly appreciate your commitment and care for human rights and justice in Burma.