Myanmar is about to hold its first elections in more than 20 years, but more than 2,100 political prisoners are behind bars and any threat of oppos

The last time an election took place in Myanmar (also known as Burma), the results were ignored and the winner, Aung San Suu Kyi, was locked up.

Twenty years later – on November 7 – the country will hold another much-anticipated and highly controversial election. However Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party won the elections 20 years ago by a landslide, will likely not be released from prison until after the election has concluded – if she is released at all.

Aung San Suu Kyi is one of more than 2,100 political prisoners detained in Myanmar today.

Silencing opposition voices violates three fundamental freedoms that all member countries of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – including Myanmar – must adhere to: freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.

Demand that ASEAN call for the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience in Myanmar.


When the countries forming ASEAN speak with one voice, then even repressive and guarded countries like Myanmar are hard-pressed not to respond.

We've seen it before when Myanmar's security forces violently beat back peaceful protestors during the 2007 Saffron Revolution. ASEAN certainly didn’t sit quietly then1. And as Myanmar sets itself on another collision course with human rights and basic freedoms, ASEAN can't afford to sit quietly now.

Over the past few months, the foreign ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand – all ASEAN member countries – have gone on the record, stressing the need for credible elections.

But without the full weight of ASEAN backing this message, these words will not be transformed into action.

The pressure's already been building around the world. Fellow Amnesty International activists have rallied to send an overwhelming 50,000 messages to the foreign ministers of ASEAN nations. Now it's our turn!

Call on ASEAN to reign in its member state Myanmar before the election in November.

Don't allow political dissent in Myanmar to be silenced for another 20 years.

In Solidarity,

Michael O'Reilly
Senior Director, Campaign for Individuals at Risk
Amnesty International USA

P.S. Thanks to the 1,675 supporters who already 'Stand with Suu Kyi'! Help us reach our goal of gathering 2,100 images on behalf of the political prisoners in Myanmar by adding your picture to the 'Stand with Suu Kyi' photo action. We'll share the photos with key officials and other likely advocates to help build support for human rights in Myanmar.

(Complementary :Amnesty USA)

'Regulatory body for private TV channels soon'

'Regulatory body for private TV channels soon'
nformation Minister Abul Kalam AzadStar Online Report
All private television channels are set to come under a regulatory framework soon, Information Minister Abul Kalam Azad hinted on Tuesday.
"The government has already finalised a broadcast policy in line with the ethics commonly practice in global journalism," Azad told journalists after a programme in Dhaka Sheraton Hotel.
The minister said local television channels must follow some norms and regulation that the international media follows to ensure objectivity.
Citing an example, Azad said international media did not broadcast violence of US-Iraq war. But local television channels had broadcast the February 25-26 mutiny inside the Bangladesh Rifles Pilkhana headquarters in a way, which does not match with the ethics of journalism.
"So, we have to do something to ensure a minimum standard of TV channels," he said.
There are 11 private TV channels in the country and recently the government approved 10 more channels to come.

BNP Plans Month-long Agitation-Muhammed Sohul HussainStar Online Report

BNP Plans Month-long Agitation



The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Friday last announced a month-long agitation programme against the 'misrule' of the Awami League-led government.
According to the programmes, the party would organise rallies at all upazila headquarters from Friday. The programmes would centrally be coordinated by a committee formed for the purpose.
Announcing the programme at a briefing at the party's central office, BNP's joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed said the party had chalked out the programmes to register its protest against 'oppression' and 'misrule'.
'Brazen interference in the judiciary, price hike of essentials, deteriorating law and order, harassment of the opposition activists by indicting them in "false" cases have prompted the opposition to announce the action programme,' he said.
The decision on the month-long programme was taken in a meeting of the standing committee held recently.
In response to a question Rizvi denied there was infighting in the party. 'There is no infighting but competition in the party.'
The BNP leader also warned the government against any attempts to obstruct the agitation programme.
Khaleda Zia's adviser AZM Zahid Hossain, party's finance secretary Abdus Salam, religious affairs secretary Masud Ahmed Talukder and Jatiyatabadi Mahila Dal general secretary Shirin Sultana attended the briefing.

Source:ET)

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Muhammed Sohul HussainStar Online Report
The High Court on Thursday exempted Election Commissioner Muhammed Sohul Hussain from personal appearance to this court in connection with a contempt of court petition against him.
An HC bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and Justice Sheikh Md Zakir Hossain passed the order after Sohul submitted an application through his lawyer in the morning.
The HC however fixed October 10 for hearing the contempt of court rule against him.
Sohul Hussain made the prayer for exemption as the Appellate Division earlier in the morning asked them to settle the petition in the HC filed by him.
Sohul on Tuesday challenged the HC order that had directed him to appear before it on October 7 in connection with the contempt of court petition.
Ruling Awami League lawmaker MK Alamgir on September 28 filed the contempt of court petition against Sohul for his comment regarding the HC order staying the effectiveness of an Election Commission (EC) gazette that had declared the constituency vacant.
(Source:Daily Star)

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In the U.S. everyone has the right to a fair trial, unless it’s taken away first. Protect everyone’s right to a fair trial by giving Omar Khadr his ch

In the U.S. everyone has the right to a fair trial, unless it’s taken away first.
Protect everyone’s right to a fair trial by giving Omar Khadr his chance at justice.



Dear MUKTI ,

The U.S. Constitutional amendment protecting everyone's right to a fair trial is under attack.

On October 18, the desperately flawed trial of Omar Khadr, the young Canadian man who has been in U.S. custody since age 15, is scheduled to resume – lack of transparency, fairness, credibility and all.

The trial is flawed because it is not happening in a real court. Omar Khadr has been tortured, threatened with rape, and denied basic legal rights. Yet despite all that, his fate now hangs outside a traditional judge and jury, but rests with politicians and military personnel.

Stop the military trial of Omar Khadr – give him a fair chance at justice.

But three decision-makers, responsible for guiding policies from three different federal offices – the Department of State, Department of Justice and Department of Defense – have the power to steer this runaway trial back on course.


They can be the ones who rise above the noise and send this powerful reminder:

In this country, when a person is suspected of doing something that violates the law, no matter how heinous the alleged act, they are entitled to a fair trial in a U.S. federal court.

We do not create new systems of justice to match the crime or to secure a conviction.

That's why we're asking you to join us in calling on these three officials to stop this trial before it starts on October 18: Harold Koh - Legal Adviser for Department of State, David Kris - US Assistant Attorney General for National Security and Jeh Johnson - General Counsel in the Department of Defense.

The fight against torture and terrorism can also be won in the courtroom, but it begins right here. Right now.

Please speak up to protect fair trials.

Thank You,

On Behalf of Amnesty USA by Muktidooth Dacca, Bangladesh.

War on Dissent: FBI Agents Raiding Peaceful Anti-War Activists

FBI counter-terrorism agents are offered perverse career incentives that pressure them to conduct actions against groups that pose no danger.
September 26, 2010 | LIKE THIS ARTICLE ?
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The war on dissent, rather than terrorism, continued full steam with FBI SWAT teams breaking down doors at 7 a.m. Friday morning and raiding the homes of several anti-war leaders and activists in Minneapolis, Chicago and possibly a couple other Midwest cities.


Members of the FBI's "Joint Terrorism Task Force" spent a few hours at each Minneapolis residence, seizing personal photographs and papers, computers and cell phones as well as serving Federal Grand Jury subpoenas on the various activists.

Obviously the scathing review of post 9-11 FBI "terrorism investigations" targeting various peace and social justice groups – issued just days earlier by the Justice Department’s Inspector General (IG) – gave no pause to the FBI to reflect before continuing to do more of the same.


Nor did accompanying media revelations about the FBI having improperly conducted surveillances of an antiwar rally in Pittsburgh; the Catholic Worker peace magazine; a Quaker activist; the Thomas Merton Center in Pittsburgh; members of the environmental group Greenpeace and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals; and a small student group of anti-war activists in Iowa City, Iowa, who were targeted for nine months in 2008.

National news stories revealed that in one of the investigations, FBI Director Robert Mueller inadvertently provided a fabricated justification for the surveillance of an antiwar rally.


A Boston Globe article, "Red-Baiting, Circa 2002 - 2006," reported last Wednesday:


“The Justice Department's Inspector General report released this week pulled few punches in admonishing the FBI for targeting anti-war groups and advocacy organizations with no apparent justification, and for placing non-violent activists in those groups on terrorist watch lists.


“The report chastised the bureau for having a ‘weak’' rationale for some of its investigations; investigating where there was ‘little indication of any possible federal crimes’'; and extending ‘the duration of investigations involving advocacy groups or their members without adequate basis.’'The agency was also taken to task for improperly retaining information about the targeted groups in its files and for classifying investigations of peace groups ‘under its “Acts of Terrorism’ classification.’

“These are serious abuses. Using anti-terrorism laws to target domestic protest organizations is redolent of the actions of the Justice Department against law-abiding protesters during World War I and the Vietnam War -- actions that are rightly remembered as disgraceful.

“FBI Director Robert Mueller was misled by subordinates into telling Congress, falsely, that surveillance of a peaceful 2002 anti-war rally was ‘an outgrowth of an FBI investigation.’' In fact, it was the product of an agent receiving a ‘make-work’' assignment on a ‘slow day’.''


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