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Society Groups Forum Index » Canadian Culture » Amnesty International; Please Gen Than Shwe also deserve a p
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 Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 7:09 pm |
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July 27, Amnesty International
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is Amnesty International's "Ambassador of Conscience"
(Dublin) -- Amnesty International today announced that Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi is being awarded its most prestigious honour - the "Ambassador of
Conscience" Award for 2009.
This year's award will be presented in Dublin by Amnesty International and
the Irish rock band U2, previous recipients of the award and long-time
supporters of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
"This month marks the twentieth anniversary of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's
arrest and twenty years since Amnesty International declared her a
prisoner of conscience. In those long and often dark years Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi has remained a symbol of hope, courage and the undying defense of
human rights, not only to the people of Myanmar but to people around the
world," said Irene Khan, Amnesty International's Secretary General.
Daw Suu's fellow Nobel laureate Vaclav Havel, who received the inaugural
"Ambassador of Conscience Award" in 2003, joined in the congratulations:
"I know from my own experience that international attention can, to a
certain extent, protect the unjustly persecuted from punishments that
would otherwise be imposed. That is why, shortly after I was elected
President, I nominated Mrs Suu Kyi for the Nobel Peace Prize, which she
did subsequently receive. Goodness knows what would have happened if her
fate had not been highlighted as it is again today. I welcome Amnesty's
decision and am delighted at the solidarity, that U2 and all of you are
showing towards this courageous woman - the Ambassador of Conscience of
each one of us."
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the Myanmar opposition party the National
League for Democracy, and has been detained for over 13 of the past 20
years, mostly under house arrest. Her house detention order was set to
expire on 27 May 2009, but she was arrested and placed on trial on 18 May.
Over 2,100 other people are currently imprisoned in Myanmar for their
political beliefs and should be freed.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's trial for violating the terms and conditions of her
house arrest resumed on 24 .July. If convicted Daw Aung San Suu Kyi could
face up to five years in jail.
Background
Amnesty International's "Ambassador of Conscience" Award recognises
exceptional individual leadership and witness in the fight to protect and
promote human rights.
The Ambassador of Conscience Award, now in its sixth year, recognises
exceptional leadership and witness in the fight to protect and promote
human rights. Past winners of the award include Nelson Mandela, U2 and
Vaclav Havel.
The Award -- inspired by a poem written for Amnesty International by Nobel
Laureate Seamus Heaney -- aims to promote the work of the organization by
association with the life, work and example of its 'Ambassadors', who have
done much to inspire the world through their work and personal example.
Notes to editors
To request an interview with Amnesty International spokespeople please
contact Tom Mackey on +44 207 413 5810
Images are available on request. For more information please call Amnesty
International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566 or email:
press@amnesty.org
International Secretariat, Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London
WC1X 0DW, UK www.amnesty.org |
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