The wife of one detained activist told Amnesty International: “They keep changing the court appointment. The lawyer is absent for the Section 18 and 19 [Peaceful Assembly Act] charges because he says it’s a waste of time as they keep postponing the hearing – he has other important cases too and he says if he comes, they will only change the date again. He only comes for the Section 505(b) hearings.” 63 When trial hearings do take place, human rights lawyers have told Amnesty International that the delay between hearings often means that judges are not fully up to date with the case, delaying proceedings still further.64 Prolonged trials also have wider social and economic impacts on family members. Long trials can become very expensive, particularly if family members are required to travel long distances to get to the court. Often, families have to take time off work to attend hearings, thus affecting their income. The wife of one activist detained for peaceful protests told Amnesty International: “I have to take care of our children without help – we have no head of the household. I now have to manage everything by myself. I sew at home for a living. But I constantly have to take time off to go to court appointments and prison visits. I am worried I will lose my job if I keep taking time off.” 65 When men are detained it can often also have a particularly serious impact on their wives or other female relatives, as in Myanmar society men are usually the primary breadwinners and families are reliant on them to generate an income. The wife of one detained activist told Amnesty International: “Usually we have two incomes, now we have only one… [as a result] I have had to take my two children to live with my 60 year old mother.”66 Another woman, whose husband has been imprisoned multiple times for his peaceful activism, told Amnesty International: “Usually we go into debt when he is in prison – it is difficult to pay the household expenses, the kids’ school fees… The local community have a negative view of our family… People pressure me to leave him. They say he is no good, that he will keep protesting and be in and out of prison.”67 This also exemplifies how family members can also face discrimination and stigmatization within their local community when their relatives are detained for politically motivated reasons. 68 A member of an organization which provides counselling and other support to former political prisoners told Amnesty International: “It’s usually very difficult for former political prisoners to get jobs. People don’t want to employ them and a lot of the time they don’t meet the criteria or have the right qualifications for the jobs because their education has been limited. If you have been in prison for political reasons employers are wary and don’t want to employ you. Family members of former political prisoners also face stigma and can have limited employment opportunities as a result of the relative’s detention. We had a case recently where the daughter of a former political prisoner was asked about her father’s political activities when she applied for a job. She didn���t get the job…”69 Amnesty International interview, Yangon, July 2015. Amnesty International interviews in Yangon and Mandalay, June and July 2015. Amnesty International interview, Yangon, July 2015. 66 Amnesty International interview, Yangon, July 2015. 67 Amnesty International interview, Yangon, July 2015. See also Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR), Opening the Box: Women’s Experiences of War, Peace, and Impunity in Myanmar, September 2015, p14, 18 and pp70-71. 68 Amnesty International interviews with organizations and individuals providing counselling and other services for former political prisoners in both Yangon and Mandalay, June and July 2015. 69 Amnesty International interview, Mandalay, July 2015. 63 64 65 NEW EXPRESSION MEETS OLD REPRESSION ENDING THE CYCLE OF POLITICAL ARRESTS AND IMPRISONMENT IN MYANMAR Amnesty International 26