Message For All Human Rights Defenders - Nld La

trsKd;om;'Drdkua&pDtzGJ@csKyf (vGwfajrmufe,fajr) NATIONAL LEAGUE FOR DEMOCRACY ( LIBERATED AREA )

Message for Human Rights Defenders around the world It is said that each and every article in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has been violated by military authorities in Burma over the past 50 years. Military authorities in Burma systematically deny basic rights and freedoms of Burmese citizens, including freedom of expression, association, and assembly. Burmese authorities named themselves as 'State Peace and Development Council' still detain or imprison more than 2,000 political prisoners including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, General Secretary of the National League for Democracy, who has been seeking national reconciliation using peaceful means. They have also violated the rights of ethnic nationalities especially living in eastern part of Burma by continuing extrajudicial killings, forced labor, land confiscation without due process and other violation such as sexual violence against women in the conflict areas. In the article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it describes that everyone has the right to take part in the government of their country, directly or through freely chosen representatives. However, Burmese citizens are deprived of the right of any representation in the previous process of 'National Convention' or 'Constitution drafting'. In the previous 'sham' referendum, they used threats, coercion, misinformation, deception, and violence to sway or force voters to approve the draft constitution to get the result of 92.4 % approval. And also in this article, it described 'the will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures. In Burma, the new elections which will legitimate the 2008 constitution totally unacceptable to all stakeholders including ethnic nationalities will be held in 2010. These elections will not totally represent the will of people given the circumstances of general human rights violation happening in Burma. We, members of the National League for Democracy (Liberated Area) call on all human rights defenders of the world not to recognize the 2008 constitution and elections to be held in 2010 elections unless they release all political prisoners, make a genuine dialogue for national reconciliation and review the 2008 constitution in advance of the elections. Central Committee National League for Democracy (Liberated Area) Date: December 7, 2009