This week I spoke to Aung San Suu Kyi after, for the third time in a year, the junta refused me permission to visit her in Burma. She impressed on me the need for mass mobilization to demand the release of all Burma's political prisoners and asked that I and her millions of supporters around the world sign the global petition here. She has been liberated by our solidarity -- and she asks that we now apply the same pressure on behalf of the silenced thousands who remain in detention.
Ever since I first had contact with her family in the 1990s I knew this was a woman of extraordinary selflessness, courage and resilience. The regime denied her visits from her husband Michael even in the final months of his terminal cancer -- and yet she never wavered when they offered her the chance to return with him to England, and thereby betray the cause of democracy in her country. So it is of no surprise to me that a leader with such incredibly capacity for sacrifice should now be speaking not of her own future but of her country's.
Any moves that we make as an international community should be based on something for something, not something for nothing, and the release of political prisoners must now be the major demand the international community makes of the Burmese government. I would like to see the UN Secretary General galvanize the world community into demanding the liberation of prisoners of conscience, and I believe the UN should also appoint a special representative to monitor this, the major test of the generals' true commitment to democratization. Perhaps a release of 50% of prisoners could be the first sign of goodwill, but it must be accompanied by the regime granting the International Committee of the Red Cross urgent access to prisoners and providing those who need it with medical attention. We should not tolerate the attempts to interfere with the neutrality of the Red Cross and fiercely resist the regime's demands that a member of the ruling party must accompany any Red Cross delegation.
Here in Europe we should be confident of our influence when we stand together. So I would like to see the visit by Cathy Ashton's representatives as the spur for greater European unity behind core principles of human rights and democracy. And we should take heart from the increased unity in the Burmese opposition; The petition Aung San Suu Kyi is endorsing has seen rare common ground established between her National League for Democracy and the other forces of resistance in Burma.
When I spoke with her, she was as ever optimistic about the future and grateful to the international community for their long-time support. She rightly believes that the current talk of economic reform in Burma must be complimented by the reality of political reform. Setting the economy free is of course, important; but, as the Arab Spring proved, setting the people free is even more critical.
Gordon Brown is patron of the Burma Campaign UK.
America was former British colony. No. 1 political prisoner of conscience is PFC Bradley Manning
The whole world is rooting for release of Aung San Suu Kyi. But not many people in the world, in Britain and in United States are aware of political prisoner of conscience young Private Manning. He is locked away in solitary confinement in military prison, a cruel and unusual punishment designed to break his body and spirit, for the alleged crime of revealing secret information through Wikileaks on misdeeds of the US government, Pentagon and American troops in the conduct of war and occupation of Iraq.
Most people who are aware of the situation of political prisoners in Burma regard Aung San Suu Kyi like the famous political prisoner of a defunct regime -- Nelson Mandela. The world celebrates the ultimate triumph of Mandela, and will eventually celebrate the complete triumph of Aung San Suu Kyi.
But Mr. Brown, the mark of a great statesman, humanitarian, or great leader and persuader, is not in pursuit of justice for the famous and celebrity, but in pursuit of justice for lowly insignificant private individuals of conscience opposing great forces caught in the jaws of official state power of persecution of private individuals -- Private Manning. Your intercession for justice for political prisoners would take on a whole new higher meaning if and when you publicly appeal for the release of PFC
The US is the illegitimate child whose mother is Britain and who knows who the father is..... there is no room for the British or the US to lecture anyone on human rights....or doing the right thing, just ask the Irish, and India...
But when did you last speak to Tony? Or, the New King of Europe, as he would like to be known.
"the junta refused me permission"
There you go. Now you know how your erstwhile subjects feel, about your refusal to allow them a referendum on the EU.
"she asks that we now apply the same pressure on behalf of the silenced thousands"
Actually its millions Gordon. But then figures were never your strong suit.
"I would like to see the UN Secretary General galvanize the world community into demanding the liberation of prisoners of conscience"
like Bradley Manning?
"Here in Europe we should be confident of our influence when we stand together."
Or one’s ability to circumvent the democratic process, when it suits one?
"the reality of political reform."
Enjoy yourself, its closer than you think.
Except for Browns clumsiness I'm beginning to think that Obama might be to Bush what Brown was to Blair. A lot of differences on the surface but not much under.
Has Gordon Brown spoken out about the protesters seeking democracy in Bahrain who are not only imprisoned, but being murdered as well?
How about the Palestinian political prisoners being held by Israel, many of them for years with no trial?