Burma

Human rights and democracy in Burma continue to be a dream, rather than reality. The country is ruled under martial law by a dictatorship, and Burmese citizens do not enjoy freedom of expression, of assembly or due process guarantees. Hundreds of political prisoners remain in prison, and hundreds of more people are arrested every year. Torture and ill treatment of political prisoners is the rule. The authorities continue to persecute minorities, and there are many reports of extra-judicial executions, torture and forced labor and displacement.