On November 28, 2011, the Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights (JBI) and 12 other prominent human rights actors urged U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to focus on important human rights issues during her upcoming visit to Burma. In the letter, JBI calls for the immediate unconditional release of all political prisoners; cessation of crimes against humanity the Burmese Army continues to commit against ethnic minority civilians; unhindered humanitarian access to populations affected by civil wars and natural disasters; impartial enforcement of recent electoral law changes; participatory, inclusive, and transparent by-elections monitored by reputable international election observers; laws that better protect freedom of expression, assembly, and association; meaningful political dialogue with democratic opposition and ethnic nationality leaders; promotion of the rule of law; and implementation of the recent resolution on Burma adopted by the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, and expected to be adopted by the plenary in the coming weeks.
Secretary Clinton will visit Burma from November 30 to December 2, 2011. This will be the first visit of a U.S. Secretary of State to Burma in over 50 years, and comes at a critical juncture when the political landscape in the country may be transforming from a military dictatorship.