Campaign Connects the Dots Between Corrupt Military Regime and the
Government's Resistance to Accept Foreign Aid for Cyclone Victims
Will Ferrell, Jennifer Aniston, Ellen Page, and Sarah Silverman Part of
Call-to-Action to Free Imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Aung San Suu
Kyi
Special Tribute Planned For Aung San Suu Kyi's Birthday - June 19th
WASHINGTON and BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., June 9 /PRNewswire/ -- The Human
Rights Action Center, the U.S. Campaign for Burma (Myanmar) and the
social-shopping site Fanista are extending their campaign to free Nobel
Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi and raise awareness of the human
rights violations against the people of Burma waged by the country's brutal
military regime. The campaign entitled "Burma: It Can't Wait" and featuring
provocative short films starring actors, filmmakers and musicians including
Sylvester Stallone, Felicity Huffman, Tila Tequila, James Cameron, Sheryl
Crow, Eva Longoria Parker, and Anjelica Houston, was to end May 31st, but
in light of the tragic cyclone that ravaged the country and the junta's
slow response to accept foreign aid, the campaign will continue throughout
the month of June. On June 19th, Aung San Suu Kyi's 63rd birthday, "Burma:
It Can't Wait" will work with social networking sites and websites to post
images of Aung San Suu Kyi with the slogan "ASSK WHY IT CAN'T WAIT." Users
will then be directed to information about the imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize
winner and how they and their friends can help join, and donate to the
campaign promoting the idea that freedom is the best birthday present.
"'Burma: It Can't Wait' has taken on a more urgent meaning given the
tragedy in Burma," said Jack Healey, founder of the Human Rights Action
Center and former director of the Peace Corps in Lesotho and Amnesty
International USA. "There is a direct connection between the junta's
policies of censorship, imprisonment of political activists and torture to
the government's recent failure to allow foreign aid to save the lives of
those affected by the cyclone. The press is continuously reporting that the
proper aid is not reaching the victims. But what the public may not yet
understand is why. We need to continue to drive home the point that this
government is the problem."
More artists continue to join the effort, including legendary
television producer and activist Norman Lear and popular recording artist
Matisyahu, who's known for his unique blending of Jewish stylings with
reggae, hip-hop, and rock. Matisyahu is appearing in a short video
featuring "I Will Be Light," an unreleased song from his upcoming album.
The campaign has also caught the attention of artists Brett Dennen and
Damian Marley who also showcase exclusive songs in their spots. "Burma: It
Can't Wait" highlights the Burmese struggle for liberty, democracy, and
human rights. In addition to the public awareness campaign, "Burma: It
Can't Wait" is helping to raise funds for those affected by the cyclone.
Thus far, it has raised more than $260,000 in aid from a combination of
donations and also from contributions resulting from Fanista's charitable
Rewards program. Thanks to "Burma: It Can't Wait," The U.S. Campaign For
Burma has had nearly 20,000 new members join the campaign during the month
of May. These numbers are startling when you consider the effort has
attracted 35,000 members over the past six years. At least as importantly,
the campaign has far exceeded its initial goal of reaching a million people
and making them aware of the situation in Burma.
According to the Burmese government, more than 134,000 people died or
are missing as a result of the cyclone. The United Nations estimates that
2.4 million people were affected by the cyclone and more than 1.4 million
people remain in desperate need of food, clean water, shelter and medical
care. International relief agencies have complained that the junta's slow
response in accepting aid has further endangered the lives of the
survivors.
The urgent need for humanitarian relief in the region has pushed the
other human rights violations of the Burmese government off the front
pages. The government (who changed the country's name to Myanmar in 1989,
against the will of the Burmese people) has been responsible for recruiting
more child soldiers than any other country in the world, has coordinated
programs of ethnic cleansing that rely on rape as a weapon of terror, and
practiced policies of forced labor, censorship, and imprisonment of
political activists. The government imprisoned Aung San Suu Kyi, currently
the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient, after her
political party won more than 82 percent of the seats in parliament in
Burma's last election. Burma's military junta placed her under house
arrest, where she has remained for 12 of the past 18 years. (On May 27th,
the military junta chose to extend her house arrest by another year, rather
than to release her, as had been scheduled.) Because of her peaceful fight
for human rights and democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi has been forced from her
children and family. On April 24th, the U.S. Senate awarded Aung San Suu
Kyi with the Congressional Gold Medal, Congress' highest civilian honor;
President Bush signed the legislation in a White House ceremony on May 6th.
Suu Kyi is the first person in history to be awarded this medal while under
arrest. Past winners include George Washington, Martin Luther King Jr., and
Nelson Mandela.
"Just as the world came together twenty years ago to free Nelson
Mandela and South Africa, we can do so again for Aung San Suu Kyi and
Burma," said Jeremy Woodrum, co-founder of U.S. Campaign for Burma. "Our
goal is to mobilize people to join the U.S. Campaign for Burma and become
agents for change in Burma."
"We are proud of the ground-breaking work this campaign represents,"
said Dan Adler, Founder & CEO of Fanista.com, which underwrote the entire
campaign. "The military junta's unconscionable behavior in response to the
tragic cyclone just drives home all of the issues we wanted to raise
through these spots. This was one of those rare cases where many of our
culture's most respected icons joined forces with some of the most talented
and committed behind-the-camera talent to produce unconventional spots
which have moved and inspired millions."
The short films will be available through as many video websites as
possible, though the full campaign will live within Fanista at
http://www.burmaitcantwait.org. Please visit http://www.uscampaignforburma.org and
http://www.fanista.com for more information.
About the Human Rights Action Center
The five primary goals of Human Rights Action Center are campaigning to
include the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in citizen's passports,
supporting growing human rights groups all over the world, creating
innovative, forceful, effective solutions to assist victims in protecting
themselves, to rightfully restore Aung San Suu Kyi to power in Burma, and
to create a fund to get people out of harm's way in exceptional human
rights abuse cases. Jack Healey heads the Human Rights Action Center in
Washington, DC. Jack has been called "Mr. Human Rights" by U.S. News &
World Report. He was named Person of the Week at ABC by Peter Jennings and
his music tours of 1986 and 1988 both won 'tour of the year honors' by MTV.
Jack marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the March on Washington in
1963, pioneered the World Hunger Run with Dick Gregory, and was Director of
the Peace Corps Lesotho in Africa for four years. Becoming the executive
director of Amnesty International USA in 1981, he made Amnesty
International a household name with his pioneering of four successful
musical tours including the Conspiracy of Hope and Human Rights Now! Tours.
About U.S. Campaign for Burma
The United States Campaign for Burma is a U.S.-based membership
organization dedicated to empowering grassroots activists around the world
to bring about an end to the military dictatorship in Burma. Through public
education, leadership development initiatives, conferences, and advocacy
campaigns at local, national and international levels, USCB works to
empower Americans and Burmese dissidents-in-exile to promote freedom,
democracy, and human rights in Burma and raise awareness about the
egregious human rights violations committed by Burma's military regime.
About Fanista
Social shopping site Fanista (http://www.fanista.com) is a destination where
people who are passionate about entertainment can share their opinions with
a community of enthusiasts and champion their favorite artists, stars,
music, movies, television shows, and games. Users can also discover new
products and purchase entertainment directly from the site. Fanista fuses
word-of-mouth reviews about entertainment and a Rewards program that allows
the proceeds from everyday entertainment purchases to fund a range of
charities.
Contact:
BeBe Lerner/ Chet Mehta
ID
323.822.4800
blerner@id-pr.com; cmehta@id-pr.com
SOURCE Human Rights Action Center
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Related links:
http://www.burmaitcantwait.org
http://www.uscampaignforburma.org http://www.fanista.com
CONTACT:
BeBe Lerner, blerner@id-pr.com, or Chet
Mehta, cmehta@id-pr.com, both of ID, +1-323-822-4800
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