Burma Marks Crackdown Anniversary as One of World's Worst Regimes

The actions of Burma's junta in the year since it lethally suppressed mass pro-democracy demonstrations have further cemented its standing as one of the world's most repressive regimes. The fact that it released seven political prisoners this week- only to rearrest a former aide of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi less than 24 hours later-is little consolation to average Burmese who struggle daily against the regime's entrenched corruption and brutality.

"Burma is one of only eight countries in the world that earns Freedom House's absolute worst rating for political rights and civil liberties," said Jennifer Windsor, Freedom House executive director. "This past year, the situation in Burma has only worsened with the regime preventing humanitarian aid from reaching hundreds of thousands of cyclone victims and the violent repression of pro-democracy advocates."

The junta employed heightened security to ensure that there would be no public ceremonies marking the one-year anniversary of the crackdown on thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators led by Buddhist monks. The United Nations says at least 31 people were killed in the crackdown and thousands more were arrested.

Earlier this week, Burma's military leaders released seven political prisoners as part of a mass amnesty, a welcome but token gesture in a country with some 2,000 prisoners of conscience. The junta claimed these prisoners were released "to participate in the fair elections to be held in 2010." Less than 24 hours later, the regime rearrested Win Htein, a member of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Prize winner, remains under house arrest and is ineligible to stand for election.

"Burma's so-called roadmap to democracy appears to be more of a roadmap to distraction from its egregious human rights record," said Windsor.

Burma is ranked Not Free in the 2008 edition of Freedom in the World, Freedom House's survey of political rights and civil liberties, and in the 2008 version of Freedom of the Press.

For more information on Burma, visit:
Worst of the Worst 2008: Burma (Myanmar) <http://www.freedomhouse.org/uploads/special_report/62.pdf>
Freedom of the Press 2008: Burma (Myanmar) <http://www.freedomhouse.org/uploads/fop08/FOP_Burma.pdf>

Freedom House, an independent nongovernmental organization that supports the expansion of freedom in the world, has been monitoring political rights and civil liberties in Burma since 1972.

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