Human Rights Education Institute of Burma

A number of Burma's political prisoners who were recently released told The Irrawaddy that conditions inside the prisons were deplorable until 1999 when the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) became involved. Many, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the physical environment and said that conditions varied in prisons across the country.

UNITED NATIONS — Recent steps by Burma's new government could improve the country's human rights situation and deepen its transition to democracy, a UN investigator said Wednesday.

The Irrawaddy - Zarganar, a well-known Burmese dissident and popular comedian, was released from prison Wednesday morning under a government amnesty for over 6,000 prisoners.

The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma says there is a contradiction between the promises of reform being made by the government and the reality of the situation.