Geuzen medal for organization that stands up for political prisoners in Myanmar

AFP

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 06:00

The Myanmar human rights organization Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) will receive the Geuzen Medal for 2023. The organization stands up for the thousands of political prisoners in Myanmar.

The foundation that awards the Geuzen Medal expresses admiration for the people behind AAPP, who have sometimes been imprisoned and tortured themselves. According to the foundation, AAPP deserves attention because the situation in Myanmar has deteriorated further over the past two years.

“Men, women and even children are arbitrarily arrested and thrown into prison. They have to survive without proper nutrition, hygiene and medical care,” the foundation writes. Since the 2021 military coup, more than 2,750 people have been killed, nearly 900 of them in captivity, according to AAPP.

Divert to Thailand

AAPP tries to support political prisoners in all kinds of ways. Previously, this was possible in Myanmar itself, after the military coup the organization was forced to move to Thailand.

“This award shows us that the world is not abandoning us,” said Min Min, a political refugee from Myanmar involved in AAPP. “It gives us more energy to work even harder to stop human rights abuses in Myanmar.”

Min Min will receive the Geuzenpenning on 13 March in Vlaardingen. For the founder of AAPP, Ko Bo Kyi, it is too dangerous to come to the ceremony.

Paying tribute to freedom fighters

The Geuzen Medal is intended to honor and support contemporary freedom fighters and human rights activists. The award has previously been awarded to Lawyers for Lawyers (2022), Polish judge Malgorzata Gersdorf (2021) and the Saudi human rights organization ACPRA (2020), among others.

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