Urgent Call for Action!
International women’s and human rights networks call for the immediate release of leading Burma Women Human Rights Defender, Nilar Thein

We, the undersigned international women’s and human rights networks urgently call for the release of Nilar Thein and demand that Burma’s military regime immediately stop all unlawful arrests of pro-democracy activists in Burma.

Nilar Thein, a human rights defender and pro-democracy activist leader was arrested on 10 September 2008 and is currently being held at the Aung Tha Pyay Detention Centre in Rangoon, where she is at risk of torture and ill-treatment.

Nilar Thein is one of the leading woman activists involved in the early protest marches in August 2007; along with other women members of the 88 Generation Students group as well as women activists from the NLD she led a peace march which mobilized about 2,000 people.

As a result, she was forced into hiding because of the junta's brutal crackdown on peaceful protestors in Rangoon and other cities last August and September 2007.    

She was on the regime’s list of top five alleged “terrorists” in Burma, where activism has been equated to terrorism. Photographs of 88 generation student leaders, including hers, have been circulated and arrest warrants issued by the authorities.

Nilar Thein has been imprisoned twice before; she was detained for two months in 1991 and then spent nine years in jail from 1996-2005 for her political activities. Her husband, Kyaw Min Yu (or Jimmy) has spent the past 16 years in prison after participating in the 1988 pro-democracy uprising and is currently being held in the notorious Insein Prison. He has been a prominent activist since 1988 and was a leading member of the 1988 generation students group; he played a major role in the initial street demonstrations in Rangoon in August 2007. Following Jimmy’s arrest, and Nilar’s fleeing the junta’s crackdown, their 4-month-old baby was placed in the care of family members.

Whilst in hiding, Nilar Thein continued to issue public appeals calling for the international community to take action in resolving the grave human rights abuses that women suffer under the military regime in Burma. We are gravely concerned for Nilar Thein’s safety given the regime’s notoriously vindictive treatment of prominent activists. Nilar Thein is likely to receive another long prison sentence.  On September 12, 2008 Amnesty International issued an Urgent Appeal, on Nilar Thein, expressing concern that she may “face torture and ill treatment.”                  

We, the undersigned organisations, condemn the SPDC and call for the immediate release of all women human rights defenders and other political prisoners in Burma, and a lifting of all restrictions on freedom of expression, association and movement.

We call upon the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Human Rights Council and its human rights mechanisms, in particular the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar, and the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights defenders to investigate abuses against women in Burma.

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Contact persons:

Tin Tin Nyo for WLB: + 66 81 0322 882 for WLB

Mae-anne Llanza for APWLD (endorsements):  + 66 53 284527, 284856

Signed:
Women’s League of Burma (WLB)
WLB is an umbrella organization comprising 12 women's organizations of different ethnic backgrounds from Burma.

Asia Pacific Forum on Women Law and Development (APWLD)
APWLD is a regional women’s human rights network of 150 members in 23 countries of the Asia Pacific region.

Endorsing organisations:

1. International Women's Rights Action Watch Asia-Pacific(IWRAW Asia Pacific)
2. Human Security Alliance (HSA)
3. WiLDAF-WA/FeDDAF- AO, Lomé, Togo
4. Centre for Citizens' Alliance/former CEDAW Watch, Zanaa Jurmed, Director
5. Committee for Asian Women (CAW)
6. Gender Studies and Human Rights Documentation Centre, Accra, Ghana
7. CLADEM, the Latin American and Caribbean Committee for the Defense of Women´s Rights
8. Ruangmei Lu Phuam (RLP) is a mass based women’s organisation of the Rongmei (one of the Naga tribes) in North East India.
9. National Center Against Violence (NCAV) Mongolia
10. Center for Human Rights Development (CHRD) Mongolia
11. Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM)
12. Foundation for Women, Law and Rural Development (FORWARD)
13. Vois Blong Mere, Solomon Islands
14. Indonesian Women's Coalition (national secretariat + all provincial offices), Indonesia
15. Mission for Migrant Workers Hong Kong
16. MONFEMNET/National Network of Mongolian Women's NGOs
17. Forum for Protection of Public Interest- Pro Public, Nepal
18. Gabriela Women's Party, Philippines Ahmed Swapan
19. VOICE, Bangladesh
20. Bangladesh Krishok Federation