On occasion of the International Day of Political Prisoners in Burma (Tuesday, April 21), the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) – along with 22 other human rights organizations from four continents and twelve countries – demanded all prisoners of conscience in the young democracy to be released. "The Prisoners of Conscience Affairs Committee, which was founded by Burma's government, needs to be reformed – otherwise the process of democratization in the former military dictatorship will be at risk," said Ulrich Delius, the STP's Asia-consultant. "The committee is not working fast enough. Critics, civil rights activists and minority spokespersons are kept imprisoned without legal counsel for much too long." The number of political prisoners in Burma has increased dramatically since January 2014. At the end of 2013, there were a few dozen prisoners of conscience. Now, there are 173 opposition activists and members of minority groups who were convicted for political reasons. Further, there are 316 detainees who are waiting for their proceedings to begin. They might have to face long prison sentences.

A year ago, on April 21, 2014, the former political prisoners and critical journalist U Win Tin died in Burma. After he was released from prison, he had vowed to wear his blue prison shirt until the day that all political prisoners in the country would be released. Therefore, it is a sign of support for his commitment to wear blue clothing this Tuesday.

"There has still been no reform of the law system, and the number of prisoners of conscience is increasing day by day," reported Delius. "The public is becoming more and more dissatisfied with government policies. The authorities rely on old laws that were adopted during the dictatorship to silence critics." Based on the old laws concerning public assemblies, there are many arrests during demonstrations or protest actions. Also, the situation of the freedom of the press is quite bad. At least ten journalists were sentenced to long prison terms since 2014. "The work of the Prisoners of Conscience Affairs Committee must become more transparent and must focus more on the fundamental human rights – urgently!"

Again and again, this especially affects members of minority groups who speak up for their rights, affirms the STP. In January 2015, for example, 20 Muslim Rohingya were sentenced to prison terms of seven to fourteen years based on allegations of terrorism. Mali Tan, Mayor of a Kachin village, was sentenced to 22 years in prison in 2014. He was accused of having supported the Kachin independence movement. Although he was tortured in custody, he refused to confess. In October 2014, the land rights activist Zwa Win was sentenced to 15 months in prison for protesting against land grabs. The Kachin farmer Laphai Gam, who was arrested in June 2012, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for allegedly supporting the Kachin independence movement. The United Nations later stated that he had been detained arbitrarily.