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/181/11(a)-R.1), and to the resolution adopted at its 180th session (May 2007),

Taking into account the extensive and regular information provided by the sources since its last session,

Recalling its long-standing concerns about:

• 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;

• The continuous elimination from the political process of many 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; as a result, 13 parliamentarians-elect remain imprisoned, whose detention in some instances has been continuously extended without their ever having been presented in court, such as in the case of Dr. May Win Myint, Dr. Than Nyein, both of whose health, together with that of U Kyaw San, remains highly precarious;

• The reconvening of the National Convention on the basis of the same blueprint for a unitary, military-dominated State which had guided the Convention when it was first set up in 1993,

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; recalling also the developments to ensure a strengthened and continuous involvement of the United Nations Security Council in the question of Myanmar,

Considering that in August and September 2007 widespread protests were held in Myanmar against the military regime; that, however, by the beginning of October 2007, the regime's increased use of force, multiple arrests, heavy military presence and an information blackout put an effective stop to the protests; that parliamentarians-elect Fu Cin Shing Thang, Mr. Htaung Kho Htan, Mr. Myint Thein, Mr. Hla Pe, Mr. Kyaw Khaing, Mr. Tin Aung Aung, Mr. Bala, Mr. Hla Thein, Mr. Maung Maung Than, Mr. Myat Hla, Mr. Han Zaw, Mr. Than Lwin and Dr. Hla Aung were all arrested in the context of the government's crackdown along with, according to Myanmar State media, some 2,000 other people; that some 700 persons have reportedly been released after signing a pledge not to take part in any future rallies,

Considering that, on 2 October 2007, at the end of a specially convened session for this purpose, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution expressing deep concern at the latest events in Myanmar, and requested the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar to assess the current human rights situation and to monitor the implementation of its resolution, inter alia by seeking an urgent visit to Myanmar; that in their statement of 28 September 2007 the Foreign Ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) urged Myanmar to desist from the use of violence and to seek a political solution; that the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki‑moon, stated on 5 October 2007 on the occasion of a briefing to the United Nations Security Council by his Special Envoy, Mr. Ibrahim Gambari, on the results of his official visit to Myanmar that "Myanmar needs to take major steps towards democratizing, protecting human rights and accelerating its national reconciliation process", calling the authorities' use of force against peaceful demonstrators "abhorrent and unacceptable",

Considering that Myanmar State media reported on 4 October 2007 that the Myanmar leadership had agreed to meet Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi if she fulfilled certain conditions,

Acknowledging lastly that in response to the violent crackdown on peaceful dissent, the 117th Assembly approved an emergency item regarding this situation,

1. Condemns the authorities' violent and wide-scale repression of peaceful protests in Myanmar through killings, ill-treatment, and scores of arbitrary arrests of protesters, including those of 13 parliamentarians-elect, whose whereabouts in many cases remain unknown;

2. Strongly urges the authorities to release unconditionally those arrested forthwith, to refrain from further repressing dissent, to lift restrictions on human rights, and to end the harassment of political activism;

3. Affirms that as a result of the crackdown the people of Myanmar are deprived of their only peaceful means to promote change in the country, given that their basic right to be represented by persons of their choosing, which they exercised more than 17 years ago, has never been respected;

4. Considers in this regard that, in outright defiance of the democratic aspirations of the people of Myanmar, the outcome of the National Convention only serves to prolong and legitimize military rule; 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; urges the authorities to engage in a genuine dialogue with those elected in the 1990 elections and to release forthwith the 13 parliamentarians-elect who continue to languish in prison;

5. Remains convinced that strong action by the international community is crucial to helping bring about their release and to respect of democratic principles in Myanmar; is heartened by the international outcry and response to recent events in Myanmar, and encourages the Member Parliaments of the IPU, in particular China and India as neighbouring countries, to pursue and, given the seriousness of the current situation in Myanmar, to strengthen their national, regional and international initiatives in support of these objectives; would greatly appreciate being kept informed in this regard;

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

7. Requests the Committee to continue examining this case and report to it at its next session, to be held on the occasion of the 118th Assembly of the IPU (Cape Town, April 2008).

Note: you can download a complete electronic version of the brochure "Results of the 117th IPU Assembly and related meetings" in PDF format (file size 480K approximately). This version requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you can download free of charge.

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