[hr-education] Human rights educators on trial in Burma

Dear Colleagues,

Human rights educators in Burma/Myanmar are in mortal danger and in
urgent need of international support. 

On December 10, 2006, human rights activists in Burma celebrated the
58th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in
their first annual meeting of Human Rights Defenders and Promoters.
The autocratic military junta - the Union Solidarity Development
Association (USDA) refers to the country as "Myanmar", but human
rights groups use the country’s historic name of Burma. The
Burmese founding members of the new human rights group recognize the
hazards of even talking about the Universal Declaration. On Human
Rights Day, they stated: 

"We are hoping for the best and prepare for the worst. We dare to
face everything for Human Rights. So we need the recognition of the
International Community, especially the United Nations." At their
2006 inaugural meeting, the Human Rights Day proclamation of Louise
Arbour, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights was
enthusiastically received by the group. 

Human Rights Defenders and Promoters have engaged in peaceful
programs of popular education for human rights. The
government’s response has been brutal. On April 18, 2007, a
group of about 100 USDA supporters carrying clubs and sharpened
bamboo sticks attacked the activists after which two human rights
educators were arrested. Four other activists not involved in the
attacks were also arrested. Myint Naing and Maung Maung Lay sustained
serious injuries and were admitted to Rangoon General Hospital
following the attack. 

On Friday, May 4, 2007, the human rights educators faced trial in a
local court in Hinthada Township, Irrawaddy Division. Teaching the
provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is evidently
considered so dangerous by the government that members of Human
Rights Defenders and Promoters were denied bail. The on-line Burmese
news service, <Irrawaddy.org> reported that six human rights
activists and teachers "were jailed in Hinthada for causing public
mischief". Noting Burma&rsquo;s 
responsibilities under the UN Charter (Articles 55 and 56) to promote
universal human rights, the defendants said they were "operating
within the law during their rights campaign in Hinthada when they
were attacked and beaten by a group of people who operate outside the
law." 

Professor Richard Pierre Claude, whose training manual, Popular
Education for Human Rights 
(http://www.hrea.org/pubs/claude00.html ) is used by Human Rights
Defenders and Promoters urged human rights educators worldwide to
draw the plight of their Burmese colleagues to the attention of the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
<urgent-action@ohchr.org>, to contact Mr. Paolo Sergio Pinheiro,
Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, and
to register their concern with the Myanmar Embassy in their
respective countries. 

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