Nov 13, 2010

UNPO Welcomes Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's Release


 

 

 

The Hague, 13th November 2010 – The release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi ends the illegal confinement under which the leader of the Burmese democratic movement was forced. For two decades, the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate represented, for the  world, the symbol of the struggle for democracy of the people of Burma, and an  inspiring political leader under the brutal military dictatorship that deprived its citizens of the most basic freedoms and rights.

 

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi lived 15 of the last 21 years of her life under house arrest, without having the total opportunity to travel within the country and accept invitations from foreign leaders, diplomats, NGOs and journalists, thereby making it impossible for her to fully further the democratic cause for Burma. Despite the terrible conditions that she was subjected to, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has shown great courage and resolve, without feeling intimidated by the continuous threats to her life. The step taken by the Burmese junta, following the sham elections of 7 November 2010, is certainly in the right direction but is not sufficient to satisfy the desperate, legitimate and urgent need for democratic process in Burma.

 

Moreover, the Burmese authorities should not use this move to demand the international community and the United Nations to ease political and diplomatic pressure or the lift of the international sanctions adopted in response to the continuous human rights violations perpetrated by the regime. The UNPO, alongside the international community, while welcoming the liberation of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, urges the junta to immediately remove all the legislative and administrative restrictions imposed on the rights of expression, association and movement, and to proceed towards the creation of a fully democratic system, including for those of the minority communities if the regime has the political will to embrace the world.

 

UNPO General Secretary

 

Marino Busdachin