u khun htun oo, 64, is an elected parliamentarian and is the most senior political representative of the shan, the largest of myanmar's ethnic minorities...he is serving a 93-year prison sentence for taking part in a private discussion of official plans for political transition...he is being held in one of the most remote prisons in myanmar...oo is chairman of the opposition group the shan nationalities league for democracy and had taken part in a private meeting of senior political representatives to discuss the authorities' plans for political transition over a meal...the meeting took place in taunggyi, the capital of shan state, on 7 february 2005 which was shan national day...
at the meeting, shan political representatives were reported to have given members of ceasefire groups political advice on attending the national convention, which was the first stage of the authorities' plans for political transition...the national convention excluded many important political groups and was conducted with legislation criminalizing criticism of the process...
at the time, some ceasefire groups were expressing dissatisfaction that their concerns were not being discussed, including about the national convention's sixth objective, which is to guarantee the future participation of the military in the state...
the authorities soon arrested the leaders present at the meal and denied them access to family members, in some cases for up to nine months...they were not allowed lawyers of their choice, and were sentenced to extraordinarily lengthy prison terms in november 2005...
u khun htun oo was sentenced under multiple charges, reports say these included law 5/96, which stipulates imprisonment for up to 20 years for anyone who is found guilty of expressing opinions that disrupt the stability of the state or "undermine, belittle and make people misunderstand the functions being carried out by the National Convention,"...
amnesty international has called for repeal of this law, on the basis that it criminalizes the right to freedom of expression as proclaimed in article 19 of the universal declaration of human rights...
after they were sentenced, they were sent to prisons very far from their homes, without official notification to their families...u khun htun oo is being held in puta-o prison in kachin state in the north of myanmar where conditions are reported to be very harsh...
khun htun oo is also a member of the committee representing the people's parliament, a coalition of mps elect from the 1990 elections...
take action now: release all prisoners of conscience and all individuals detained under the crackdown...
tomorrow - the story of zaw htet ko ko...
peace out <3
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