UN human rights experts call for fair retrials for Burmese activists

Posted on November 19, 2008
Filed Under Burma news |

Five leading UN experts on human rights are demanding that dozens of Burmese recently sentenced to lengthy prison terms be given fair and open retrials.
Tomas Ojea Quintana the Special Rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar; Leandro Despouy, Special Rapporteur for the independence of judges and lawyers; Frank La Rue, Special Rapporteur for freedom of opinion and expression; Margaret Sekaggya, Special Rapporteur for human rights defenders; and Asma Jahangir, Special Rapporteur for freedom of religion or belief issued their call after Burmese courts last week handed out a raft of severe sentences to activists connected to last year’s peaceful demonstrations (see: Severe sentences handed down to activists).
Among those sentenced were 14 members of the 88 Generation Students group, who were sentenced to 65 years each.
The UN experts noted in particular the unfair way in which the closed-door trials were conducted.  “The closed-door hearings are being held inside prisons by courts which lack independence and impartiality,” they said.
Layers for the defendants have also come in for abuse, with three defence lawyers being sentenced to several months imprisonment on charges of contempt of court, for after they complained of unfair trials. Other defence lawyers have been barred from representing their clients.
In a statement, the UN experts strongly urged the authorities to cease harassing and arresting individuals for peacefully exercising their internationally recognized human rights. They further demand that all detainees be retried in open hearings respecting fair trial standards and the immediate release of their defence counsels.

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