New York Rally Calls For Aung San Suu Kyi's Freedom

“What do we want? Suu Kyi’s Freedom! When do we want it? Now!”

Supporters for Burmese democracy leader Aung Sun Suu Kyi called for her freedom last Friday. The rally, organized by Amnesty International and rights group Burma Point, took place outside the United Nations headquarters in New York. It coincides with Suu Kyi’s 65th birthday, on Saturday June 19 – a birthday she spent under house arrest.

It’s part of a global effort to, once again, call on Burma’s ruling military junta to free the Nobel Peace Prize laureate. After leading her party, the National League for Democracy, to election victory in 1990, Suu Kyi was stopped from taking office as president by the military regime.

Since then, the junta has held Suu Kyi prisoner in her own home for more than 14 years.

President of rights group Freedom Now, Jared Genser is on the International Council to free Suu Kyi. He says people have continued to support her because of the unique situation she is in.

[Jared Genser, President, Freedom Now]

“The purity of her cause, and not only is she the world’s imprisoned Nobel Peace Laureate, but of course, she and her allies in 1990 actually won the democratic elections that were in fact free and fair, and I think those two circumstances are unique in human history, we’ve never had such an intolerable situation where a person who was actually elected as president of her country, and never allowed to take office, and has spent so much time under house arrest.”

Supporters, now more than ever, want Suu Kyi to be freed immediately. This year, the country will hold its first election since 1990.   But under a new constitution set up by the military regime in 2008, prisoners are barred from participating in the election.

[Jared Genser, President, Freedom Now]

“The constitution that was adopted in the middle of the cyclone Nargis relief operation was drafted exclusively by the military, reserves absolute authority for the military that can veto decisions of the executive legislative and judicial branches. It excludes Aung San Suu Kyi and all the 2,200 political prisoners from running for office, which is the leadership of all of the major opposition groups in the country. And in essence preserves military veto against every single military decision in this country.”

Unwilling to stand without their leader, the National League for Democracy decided to boycot this year’s elections. The millitary regime responded by declaring the party illegal and forced it to disband.

The flawed election process and human rights abuses committed by the military junta were addressed during a panel discussion on Friday afternoon.

Moe Chan, from Burma Point says the Burmese people have continued to suffer under the ruling junta. He believes international pressure on the regime have proved ineffective, and something else needs to be done

[Moe Chan, Burma Point]
“That is why it is about time we reduced, the international community, reduce the power [and] the authority of the military regime in Burma. Only then we will get, the world will get the deserved attention of the military regime. Until then, they are not afraid of the world, and they will continue to go wild and continue commit crimes against humanity against people inside Burma.”

Aung San Suu Kyi’s house arrest ends in November, but many observers believe the Burmese regime will keep her in detention until after the elections, a date for which has still not been set.

Karen Chang, NTD News New York