Prisoners+of+Conscience

-people being detained for trying to excersise their rights to freedom of expression, association, or assembly. They have been arrested for the non-violent expression of their beliefs because those beliefs conflicted with the government.
 * __Prisoners of Conscience__**

Cleared for release over 2 years ago, he's still being detained.

In Myanmar (also known as Burma) the National League for Democracy won a majority of seats in the parliamentary election. Instead of honoring the election results, military authorities arrested many political activists. One woman and her 3 year old daughter were arrested because the woman was organizing a peaceful demonstration. "Days before the demonstration was to take place, security officials arrested Ma Khin Khin Leh and her three-year-old daughter. Although her daughter was released after spending five days in detention, Ma Khin Khin Leh, then age 33, was sentenced in December 1999 to life in prison under vaguely-worded security legislation. Even by the harsh standards of "justice" meted out by Myanmar's military government, the life sentence given to Ma Khin Khin Leh was extreme. Ma Khin Khin Leh (//pronounced "Mah Kin Kin Lay"//) is believed to be held in Insein Prison, where she reportedly suffers from an unspecified lung problem, rheumatoid arthritis and dysentery."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXdBGfUXdXk a video about Burma and Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who's spent 12 of the last 18 years as a prisoner of conscience.

According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and to peaceful assembly and association. People all over the world are having these rights violated, which is why Amnesty International and other organizations are fighting for the release of prisoners of conscience.
 * Why is it an Issue of Justice?**

For more information on how you can involved go to [|http://amnestyusa.org] Also, to help free political prisoners specifically in Burma, you get more information from http://uscampaignforburma.org/

Sources: [|http://amnestyusa.org] http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html http://uscampaignforburma.org/