22 years ago, on 8th August, 1988, hundreds of thousands of ordinary citizens took to the streets to join a student-led pro-democracy demonstration, which was violently suppressed by the security forces.

For a very long time, the authorities have violated its people's '3 Freedoms' of expression, assembly, and association.

AIHK is having a public action to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the 8888 Uprising on Sunday, August 8. We will honor all courageous democracy activists, especially those who have paid the ultimate price with their lives working to bring necessary change to their country. We will also show our support to realizing human rights in Myanmar.

'3 Freedoms' 4 Myanmar Collage: Supporters of '3 Freedoms' for Myanmar are invited to put freedom of expression, assembly, and association stickers on a banner to create a '3 Freedoms 4 Myanmar' sticker collage.

'3 Freedoms' Photo Booth: Supporters of '3 Freedoms' for Myanmar are invited to take a photo with the '3 Freedoms' hand gesture. Photos will be uploaded to our Facebook Photo Action fanpage to show our support and to urge the authorities to respect the '3 Freedoms'.

Date: Sunday, August 8
Time: 12:30pm - 6:30pm
Venue: Sai Yeung Choi Street South, Mongkok

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Background
On August 8, 1988, students took to the streets in Yangon (then still Rangoon) to demand democracy and human rights from their government. Over the next six weeks, the demonstrations grew in number and popular support and spread across the country, before the security forces moved in and violently suppressed the uprising. They killed more than 3,000 people and caused the enforced disappearance of an unknown number of others.

Thousands of other political prisoners have been detained since 1988; more than 100 of them have died in custody, some from torture or lack of medical attention.

Another effect of both the 8888 uprising and the ethnic persecution is that hundreds of thousands of people in the past two decades have been forced to flee their homes to seek shelter elsewhere in Myanmar or in neighboring countries.