Aung San Suu Kyi and NLD colleagues -- two months in detention

"The international community should step up pressure on the Myanmar government to release these prisoners of consciencewithout delay. Detaining people to silence them is completelyunacceptable," the organization said.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and eight NLD Central ExecutiveCommittee members are held under de facto house arrest, andretired General U Tin Oo, the NLD vice-chairman, is detained atYemon government guesthouse 30 miles north of the capitalYangon. All 10 of these leaders are prisoners of conscience,arrested solely for their peaceful political oppositionactivities.

In addition Amnesty International has obtained the namesof 80 NLD members and supporters who are detained at InseinPrison, Myanmar's largest jail. They were arrested on 21September when they had gone to greet Daw Aung San Suu Kyi at theYangon central station. There are fears for their health, astorture of political prisoners is common in Myanmar.

On 21 September Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and U Tin Ooattempted to travel by train to Mandalay to visit NLDcolleagues. The authorities blocked them from doing so in theearly hours of 22 September, and forcibly removed them from thestation. The UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for Myanmar,Mr Razali Ismail, was able to meet with Daw Aung San Suu Kyitwice, at her house, during his visit to the country in October.

Last weekend the State Peace and Development Council(SPDC, Myanmar's military government) announced that she would beable to appear in court to respond to a suit filed by her brotherabout ownership of their mother's home in Yangon. The SPDC alsoreportedly stated that U Tin Oo had been allowed to attend thefuneral of a family member. However to Amnesty International'sknowledge, they are still being held under virtual house arrestand cannot communicate or travel freely.

BackgroundOn 24 August Daw Suu and U Tin Oo left Yangon by car to travel toan NLD office 30 miles outside of the capital, but were stoppedby the authorities at Dallah township. They were detained by theside of the road until 2 September, when they were forciblyremoved by 200 riot police and taken to their homes. They wereheld under house arrest for 10 days until 14 September, whenrestrictions were lifted. NLD leaders then announced that theywould draft a constitution and were planning another trip outsideYangon to visit beleaguered party members.

The military authorities have launched a series ofcrackdowns on the NLD since the party won over 80% of theparliamentary seats in the May 1990 elections. The NLD has notbeen allowed to form a government, hundreds of its members areimprisoned for their peaceful political activities, and tens ofthousands have been forced to resign from the party.

Some 1700 political prisoners are currently held inprisons throughout the country. In addition, widespreadharassment, surveillance, and other forms of control such asforced party resignations are all used by the SPDC to silenceany opposition and keep the population in a state of fear.

Political prisoners in Myanmar are often tortured duringinterrogation by Military Intelligence after they are arrested.After sentencing they can also be tortured if they breakarbitrary and harsh prison rules. Prison conditions are extremelypoor. Political prisoners are denied adequate food, medical care,and sanitation, and dozens have died through lack of proper care.