Clooney, McCain, Bono, Tutu Call for Suu Kyi Release

Burmese freedom fighter and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has been under government-sponsored house arrest for 13 of the past 19 years. As Suu Kyi awaits an upcoming trial on May 18th on charges meant to extend her imprisonment, Not On Our Watch has organized an international statement calling for her release.

Luminaries from across the cultural, political, and social spheres, including Not On Our Watch founders George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon, as well as Bono, Madonna, Steven Spielberg, Nobel Laureates Professor Elie Wiesel and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and Senator John McCain, among others, have united to demand that the Burmese military regime free Aung San Suu Kyi now.

Follow the link to read the statement and see a full list of signatories.

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Report, Statements Address Plight of Burma's Political Prisoners

Amid recent news reports detailing the continued detention and worsening health of Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Western media, governing bodies, international and local NGOs have issued statements calling for immediate aid to Burmese political prisoners. On May 11, the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) released a report outlining the hardships faced by these prisoners, entitled: "Burma's Prisons and Labor Camps: Silent Killing Fields." Following this, the EU issued a statement calling on the Burmese regime to provide Suu Kyi with proper medical attention. On May 13, Amnesty International released a statement condemning the lack of care given to political prisoners.

Follow the jump for links to the report and these statements, as well as to a petition in support of Burma's political prisoners.

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