"OUR HEADS ARE BLOODY BUT UNBOWED ... - Article 19

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RECOMMENDATIONSThe right to seek, receive and impart ideas and information is a fundamental humanright and includes the right to academic freedom. The right imposes importantobligations on governments in their conduct and in their protection of the right to freeexpression for all citizens. There can be no justification for the blatant and severeviolation of these rights and freedoms by the Burmese government over the past fiveyears.ARTICLE 19 recognizes that both before and after the 1988 democracy uprising therehave been groups in armed opposition to the central government. While thepreservation of public order in a democratic society is undoubtedly a legitimate aim,restrictions may not be imposed simply to suppress dissent, silence those who expressdifferent political, cultural or ethnic views, or enforce a particular political behaviouron students, academics or administrators in the education sector.ARTICLE 19 therefore calls on the Burmese government to take immediate steps torestore academic freedom and, in particular:• immediately cease torture and release unconditionally allstudents and academics detained for the peaceful expression of theirpolitical opinions and allow them to pursue their studies andprofessions without further threat of arrest or harassment;• reinstate all teachers and academics who have been sacked orremoved from their jobs for the expression of their views or beliefs;• reinstate all students dismissed from college since 1988 fortheir role in the democracy movement;• repeal all laws and martial law decrees which restrict freedomof expression and the right of association;• respect academic autonomy and freedom and, in particular,allow uncensored studies which address the severity of Burma'seducational, ethnic, health, environmental and narcotics crises;• restore the right of academics to unrestricted travel both insideBurma and abroad;• allow unrestricted study and publication in ethnic minoritylanguages and guarantee equality in education;• cease harassment in their educational work of religiousinstitutions, including those of the Buddhist, Christian and Muslim
communities, and allow the free study and dissemination of religiousliterature.In addition, ARTICLE 19 calls on the United Nations to ensure that all educationalprogrammes being supported or undertaken by UN agencies such as UNESCO,UNICEF and the UNDP in Burma are:• undertaken with the advice, consent and participation of thelocal community and for their benefit;• free from the SLORC's political control and do not serve toenhance military authority over the education sector;• in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rightsand support the right to academic freedom, including the study orexpression of ethnic minority religions, languages and cultures.APPENDIX: ACADEMICS AND STUDENTS IMPRISONED FOR THEPEACEFUL EXPRESSION OF OPINIONSSince April 1992 over 700 prisoners have been released from prison but only some400 names have officially been announced. Following is a short list of prisoners stillbelieved to be in detention, whose cases reflect the severe and wide-rangingrepression of academic freedom in Burma.Aung Din, 29-year-old engineering student and general secretary of ABFSU, arrestedon 24 April 1989 in Rangoon and reportedly sentenced by military tribunal to 15years' imprisonment.Aung Soe, 15-year-old pupil at Mayagon Township State High School, reportedlyarrested in August 1990 for taking part in a student protest and sentenced to sevenyears' imprisonment.Kyaw Soe Aung, 24-year-old leader of the predominately Muslim Mayu StudentDevelopment Party, arrested in May 1990 in the Rakhine State and believed to havebeen sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment for expressing anti-government views.Kyaw Thiha, Mandalay University history lecturer, arrested in July 1989 andbelieved to have received a seven-year jail sentence for alleged illegal association.Ma Tin Tin Yu, 25-year-old botany student and secretary of Rangoon UniversityStudents Union, reportedly arrested in July 1990 and sentenced to seven years'imprisonment under section 5J of the 1950 Emergency Provisions Act for giving aspeech commemorating student deaths; she is believed to be in poor health.
Page 1: "OUR HEADS ARE BLOODY BUT UNBOWED":
Page 5 and 6: Military control is absolute over a
Page 7 and 8: After the violent ending of the "de
Page 9 and 10: Many students and academics who hav
Page 11 and 12: years are now affected by the closu
Page 13 and 14: Like the SLORC's "cultural revoluti
Page 15 and 16: 10. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SYSTEM O
Page 17: 11. PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTUREIn Sept
Page 21 and 22: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThis report was wri

"OUR HEADS ARE BLOODY BUT UNBOWED ... - Article 19

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