Aung San Suu Kyi stripped off Amnesty International's highest honour

Human Rights organisation Amnesty International withdrew its highest honour, the Ambassador of Conscience Award, from Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday.
Confirming the same, Kumi Naidoo, Amnesty's Secretary General tweeted an elaborated post. In the tweet, Naidoo also attached a letter he penned to Suu Kyi on November 11 that reads, "As an Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience, our expectation was that you would continue to use your moral authority to speak out against injustice wherever you saw it, not least within Myanmar itself."

In the letter, he further stated that the organisation is "deeply alarmed" and "disappointed" by Suu Kyi's "clear and consistent betrayal of the very values" she promoted for decades.

"You have chosen to overlook and excuse the brutal oppression and crimes against humanity committed by the military against the Rohingya and against minorities in Kachin and the northern Shan States, and your office has actively shielded the military from international scrutiny and accountability. We have also been appalled to witness your administration spread hate narratives against minorities, fostering rather than challenging discrimination and hostility," the letter noted.

Highlighting the efforts made by Amnesty International for her release when she was kept under house arrest for 15 years during military rule, the letter mentioned, "As an organization which campaigned tirelessly for your release - and the release of all prisoners of conscience in Myanmar - we are dismayed that your government has not only failed to repeal or amend repressive laws but has actively used them to curb freedom of expression, and arrest and imprison human rights defenders, journalists and other peaceful activists."

"Today, we are profoundly dismayed that you no longer represent a symbol of hope, courage, and the undying defence of human rights. Amnesty International cannot justify your continued status as a recipient of the Ambassador of Conscience award and so with great sadness we are hereby withdrawing it from you. We will publicly announce the withdrawal two days from now, on 13 November," the Secretary General's letter to the Nobel Laureate stated.

Suu Kyi, a 1991 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, is currently halfway through her term in office during which large-scale violence was unleashed against the Rohingyas in the Rakhine State and a clampdown on freedom of press was witnessed.

A blog released by Amnesty International highlighted the atrocities meted out against the Rohingyas under Suu Kyi's regime.

"During the campaign of violence unleashed against the Rohingya last year the Myanmar security forces killed thousands, raped women and girls, detained and tortured men and boys, and burned hundreds of homes and villages to the ground. More than 720,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh," according to the human rights group who further mentioned a UN report that calls for the investigation of senior military officials for genocide.

The organisation strongly criticised Suu Kyi's actions and opined, "Her administration has actively stirred up hostility against the Rohingya, labelling them as terrorists, accusing them of burning their own homes and decrying faking rape."

 

Earlier on September 28, Canada's parliament voted to take away Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi's honorary Canadian citizenship over the Rohingya crisis. While Ottawa had given the rare honour to the Nobel laureate in 2007, her international reputation became tarnished by her refusal to call out the atrocities by her nation's military against the Rohingya Muslims minority.

"In 2007, the House of Commons granted Aung San Suu Kyi the status of an honorary Canadian citizen. Today, the House unanimously passed a motion to remove this status," said Adam Austen, spokesman for Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, on September 28.

READ: Canada Strips Aung San Suu Kyi Of Honorary Citizenship

(With ANI inputs)