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MYANMAR
Parliamentarians reportedly still serving their sentences:
CASE No. MYN/04 - KHIN MAUNG SWE
CASE No. MYN/13 - SAW NAING NAING
CASE No. MYN/35 - SAW HLAING
CASE No. MYN/60 - ZAW MYINT MAUNG
CASE No. MYN/104 - KYAW KHIN
CASE No. MYN/118 - THAN NYEIN
CASE No. MYN/119 - MAY WIN MYINT
CASE No. MYN/215 - AUNG SOE MYINT
CASE No. MYN/236 - KHUN TUN OO
CASE No. MYN/237 - KYAW SAN
CASE No. MYN/238 - KYAW MIN
CASE No. MYN/241 - KHIN MAUNG WIN
Parliamentarians who died in custody:
CASE No. MYN/53 - HLA THAN
CASE No. MYN/55 - TIN MAUNG WIN
CASE No. MYN/72 - SAW WIN
CASE No. MYN/83 - KYAW MIN
CASE No. MYN/131 - HLA KHIN
CASE NO. MYN/132 - AUN MIN
Parliamentarians who were assassinated:
CASE No. MYN/66 - WIN KO
CASE No. MYN/67 - HLA PE

Resolution adopted unanimously by the IPU Governing Council at its 180th session
(Nusa Dua, Bali, 4 May 2007)


The Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,

Referring to the case of the above-mentioned members-elect of the Pyithu Hluttaw (People's Assembly) of the Union of Myanmar, as outlined in the report of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians (CL/180/12(b)-R.1), and to the resolution adopted at its 179th session (October 2006),

Taking account of the extensive information provided by the sources,

Recalling its long-standing concerns regarding (i) the complete disregard of the results of the election of 27 May 1990, in which the National League for Democracy (NLD) won 392 of the 485 seats, (ii) the continuous elimination from the political process of a large number of parliamentarians-elect by various means, including arbitrary arrest, detention and sentencing under laws infringing basic international human rights standards, and pressure to resign from the NLD and so relinquish their status as elected members of parliament, and (iii) the reconvening of the National Convention on the basis of the same detailed blueprint for a unitary, military-dominated State which had guided the Convention when it was first set up in 1993, and considering in this respect that the government intends to have the National Convention complete its work in 2007, which, should this be the case, would mean the constitutional perpetuation of the leading role of the Myanmar Armed Forces,

Considering that the health of parliamentarians-elect Dr. May Win Myint, Dr. Than Nyein and U Kyaw San remains highly precarious and will deteriorate further if they do not receive urgent medical care; that in November 2006 the authorities ordered the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to close its five field offices; that while the Government was reconsidering its decision, in March 2007 the ICRC indeed closed two of its offices owing to severe restrictions imposed by the authorities and was considering whether to keep the remaining offices open,

Considering that the detention of Dr. Than Nyein and Dr. May Win Myint was again extended for a year, under the 1975 State Protection Law, whereby political prisoners can be detained, without ever being presented in court, without the right to know why they are being detained or to contest their detention,

Recalling that in February 2006, the NLD called for the authorities to convene parliament on the basis of the 1990 election results in order that, in turn, it might declare the current authorities to be the legitimate transitional government pending new elections and the establishment of a democratic government; the appeal includes a call for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and her inclusion in the negotiations and suggests that a prominent leader from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) act as mediator; the appeal has remained unanswered by the authorities,

Considering that, according to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, in his report (A/HRC/4/14) dated 12 February 2007, "The current administration has not yet demonstrated any willingness to concede any space for the promised move towards democratization. Any voice questioning the existing policies and practices has been harshly suppressed.",

Recalling the many parliamentary initiatives throughout the world in favour of the parliamentarians-elect and the promotion of democracy in Myanmar, in particular the work of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Caucus on Myanmar; noting the meeting it co-organized on 29 April 2007 in Nusa Dua during the 116th IPU Assembly, under the joint sponsorship of the Indonesian and Norwegian delegations,

Noting also that at the 116th IPU Assembly the Committee staged an exhibition giving a face to and telling the story of each of the 12 parliamentarians-elect,

Recalling that the United Nations Security Council was informally briefed on the situation in Myanmar for the first time in December 2005 and that this question was placed on the agenda of the Security Council meeting of 29 September 2006; considering that, on 12 January 2007, the Security Council considered a draft resolution calling on Myanmar to release all political prisoners, begin widespread dialogue and end its military attacks and human rights abuses against ethnic minorities, that the draft was put to the vote on 12 January 2007 and received nine votes in favour, and that China and the Russian Federation prevented its adoption by issuing vetoes, though not without emphasizing that serious problems existed in Myanmar,

  1. Condemns the continuation of the deliberate policy of the authorities of Myanmar to deprive its people of their right to be represented by persons of their own choosing, as guaranteed under Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

  2. Reaffirms that the National Convention, in its present form, has no other purpose than to prolong and legitimize military rule and that any document adopted by it will be illegitimate, contemptuous as it will be of the democratic values to which the people of Myanmar aspire;

  3. Is alarmed that the detention of Dr. Than Nyein and Dr. May Win Myint has again been extended on the basis of iniquitous legal provisions, and at the continuing failure of the authorities to provide or allow Dr. Than Nyein, Dr. May Win Myint and U Kyaw San the medical treatment they require, thus putting their health at risk; urges the authorities to release them forthwith;

  4. Stresses once again that any transition towards democracy will fail so long as it is not genuinely free, transparent and reflective of the people's will, and preceded by the unconditional release of all political prisoners and the lifting of all restrictions on human rights and political activity;

  5. Deplores the lack of any willingness on the part of the authorities to address these long-standing concerns; urges them once again to release the 12 parliamentarians-elect still imprisoned forthwith, and to engage in a genuine dialogue with those elected in the 1990 elections and with the ethnic leaders, and to give serious consideration to the proposal made by the NLD;

  6. Appreciates the efforts made by parliaments and their members to help bring about respect for democratic principles in Myanmar, takes note of the latest developments at the Security Council, and appeals to the parliaments of the countries which are members of the Security Council to press their governments to ensure full and continuing consideration of the situation in Myanmar by the Security Council;

  7. Calls once again on the Member Parliaments of the IPU, in particular those of China and India as neighbouring countries, of ASEAN and of the European Union to pursue and strengthen their national, regional and joint initiatives in favour of the parliamentarians-elect and in support of respect for democratic principles in Myanmar;

  8. Requests the Secretary General to convey this resolution to the authorities and to all other parties concerned;

  9. Requests the Committee to continue examining this case and report to it at its next session, to be held on the occasion of the 117 th Assembly (October 2007).
Note: you can download a complete electronic version of the brochure "Results of the 116th IPU Assembly and related meetings" in PDF format (file size 511K approximately ). This version requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you can download free of charge.Get Acrobat Reader

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