Former political prisoners, many of whom suffered torture, are drafting a bill that would grant legal recognition to their status, and provide them with reparations such as free healthcare.

Previous efforts to pursue such a law have been stalled by the refusal of the government to agree to a definition of “political prisoner”.

The drafting is being carried out by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), whose spokesperson, U Aung Myo Kyaw, told The Myanmar Times yesterday that the law was designed especially to help former inmates whose health had broken down.

An attempt to define the term “political prisoner” under the last government failed when the authorities refused to accept a definition. Though the current government is led by the National League for Democracy, whose leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and many members were also prisoners of conscience, the Ministry of Home Affairs still insists that the constitution prevents any legal definition of the term. Home Affairs is one of the ministries still controlled by the military.

The working definition drawn up by the AAPP says a political prisoner is any person arrested, detained or imprisoned for their direct or indirect activities to promote freedom, equality, human rights and the rights of citizens, including those of ethnic minorities, as well as for involvement in anti-government protests.