March 31, 2004

Two organizations based on the Thai-Burma border have released a report on women political prisoners in Burma.

Burmese Women's Union (BWU) and Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) (AAPP) jointly worked on the report in Burmese. The English version will be released soon.

The report, Women Political Prisoners in Burma, illustrates the common experience of women in prisons and military intelligence detention centers.

The report includes photos and data of women who are current and former political prisoners.

The experiences of and interviews with 11 women are attached as an appendix. It describes not only the details of their arrest and detention, but also how they struggled with the difficulties of prison life.

The report is now available at www.aappb.net. BWU and AAPP plan to distribute a hardcopy edition of the report in the near future. In May, the English version will be released in print and on line editions.

Over 1,500 political prisoners are behind bars because of their connections to democracy movements in Burma. Over one hundred, including Aung San Suu Kyi, are women.

Burmese Women Union
Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma)