Senior General Than Shwe
Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council
Myanmar

2 July 2008

Dear General,

We are writing on behalf of the World Association of Newspapers and the World Editors Forum, which represent 18,000 publications in 102 countries, to call on you once again to release journalist U Win Tin, who will have spent 19 years in jail on 4 July and is suffering from serious ill health.

U Win Tin, former editor-in-chief of Hanthawaddy newspaper and winner of WAN’s 2001 Golden Pen of Freedom, was originally imprisoned on 4 July 1989. He is now 78 years old and suffers from lung problems and severe asthmatic attacks which prevent him from sleeping and eating properly. He has also had two heart attacks and a hernia operation, and also suffers from high blood pressure, diabetes and a prostate gland disorder.

U Win Tin, who is the country’s longest serving political prisoner, was tried in a closed military court and sentenced to 14 years of prison for allegedly being a member of the banned Communist Party of Myanmar. This sentence has since been increased to 21 years in jail. He is currently serving a seven-year sentence for sending testimony to the UN about the human rights violations of political prisoners.

The continued imprisonment of U Win Tin constitutes a deep blemish on the international standing of Myanmar which can only be erased by his release. Furthermore, his detention constitutes a clear breach of his right to freedom of expression, which is guaranteed by numerous international conventions and we remind you that the United Nations Commission on Human Rights considers that “detention, as punishment for the peaceful expression of an opinion, is one of the most reprehensible ways to enjoin silence and, as a consequence, a grave violation of human rights.”

We respectfully but urgently call on your government to demonstrate strength and compassion by releasing U Win Tin immediately. We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

Yours sincerely,

Gavin O’Reilly
President
World Association of Newspapers

Xavier Vidal-Folch
President
World Editors Forum

WAN is the global organization for the newspaper industry, with formal representative status at the United Nations, UNESCO and the Council of Europe. The organization groups 18,000 newspapers in 102 countries, 11 news agencies and nine regional and world-wide press groups. WAN is non-governmental and non-profit.