BURMA: FIVE POLITICAL ACTIVISTS RECEIVE LIFE

C O N F I D E N T I A L RANGOON 000729 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV; PACOM FOR FPA E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2015 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL BM NLD SUBJECT: BURMA: FIVE POLITICAL ACTIVISTS RECEIVE LIFE SENTENCES REF: A. 04 RANGOON 1149 ¶B. RANGOON 224 Classified By: CDA, a.i. Ronald K. McMullen for Reasons 1.4 (b,d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Five political activists were sentenced to life imprisonment on June 13. They were among a group of six activists arrested in December and included four former members of the National League for Democracy (NLD). The NLD leadership had previously suspended the four and expressed little knowledge of or interest in the case. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Six Rangoon political activists, four with NLD connections, were arrested on December 13, 2004. Reports at the time, though we could not verify them, stated that they were arrested for distributing the UN Declaration on Human Rights and possibly a pamphlet titled "Appeal to the People, Armed Services Personnel and Artists" on December 10, International Human Rights Day. The only female among them was released on January 7, 2005 and has remained out of contact. The others remained in detention in Insein Prison, where they were tried and sentenced to life imprisonment on June 13, 2005. ¶3. (C) After they were arrested, the prisoners' family members reportedly appealed to lawyers sympathetic to the NLD to defend them in court, but the lawyers were denied access to the detainees. The defendants reportedly were not allowed any legal representation during their trial; therefore, it is difficult to know exactly what law(s) they were charged with violating. (Note: A Rangoon lawyer stated that according to Burmese law a person may not be given a life sentence absent legal representation. End Note.) ¶4. (C) Poloff questioned NLD leadership about this case, but they claimed ignorance of any details. Since the arrest of these persons, the NLD leadership has not tried to contact the detainees' families or their released colleague to inquire about the case. The NLD reportedly had earlier suspended the four NLD members of the group, including the female, from party membership, so did not feel responsible to follow up the case. NLD leaders described the group leader, the NLD Chairman from Ahlone Township, as a former communist party member and a "leftist." ¶5. (C) Comment: The NLD continues to grapple with a generational gap between the "old guard" and the "young turks." This may be partly the result of the leadership vacuum that occurred following the May 30, 2003 attack on Aung San Suu Kyi's convoy when the NLD party leaders were all arrested and isolated NLD groups tried to carry on activities independently. The NLD leaders admit that they are treading water until Aung San Suu Kyi and U Tin Oo are released from house arrest and can lead the party again. End Comment. McMullen