Aung San Suu Kyi’s sentence is a death sentence for democracy

-Media Release

Date 12/08/2009

Burma Campaign Aotearoa/New Zealand joins international leaders and advocates in strongly condemning yesterday’s sentencing of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to a renewed period of 18 months of house arrest and calls upon the New Zealand Government to support the international community in pursuing an international commission of inquiry to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity in Burma as well as sanctioning a global arms embargo.

Burma Campaign Aotearoa/New Zealand spokesperson Ross Wilson has said, “This sentence and the continued illegal detention of Aung San Suu Kyi is a travesty of justice and the rule of law and should outrage New Zealanders who have a strong record of protesting the oppression caused by tyrannical regimes.”

Aung San Suu Kyi was charged with breaking the conditions of her illegal house arrest when John Yettaw, a US citizen, visited her compound without authorisation by swimming across a small lake within her compound and refused to leave on 18th March, 2009. Aung San Suu Kyi has already spent 13 years under house arrest. The sentencing of Aung Sang Suu Kyi along with the continued imprisonment of over 2,100 other political prisoners contravenes both international and domestic laws.

The continued detention of Aung San Suu Kyi is seen as part of a steadfast campaign by the regime to exclude her from participating in the proposed 2010 elections which would entrench an undemocratically derived constitution and military rule in the country.

A recent Harvard Law School report by five of the world's top jurists charged the Burmese regime with committing massive human rights violations, war crimes and crimes against humanity and reveals that the UN has been documenting these abuses for years. However, any action by the UN would require cross the board support from the five permanent members of the Security Council, something which China has continually blocked in previous UN Security Council processes.

BCNZ has called upon the New Zealand Government to support international calls for a commission of inquiry into the actions of the regime as well as endorse a universal arms embargo against the regime.

“Following the failure of previous efforts to hold the regime accountable it is pivotal that the international community back their words with action.” Mr Wilson said. “Only through strong action from the international community will international mechanisms be able to protect the future of the Burmese who for too long have suffered under a tyrannical and oppressive regime.”

New Zealand should also review its current economic and trading relationship with Burma which has otherwise been given substantial freedoms under the recently signed Free Trade Agreement with ASEAN.

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