Amnesty withdraws Human Rights Award from Aung Sang Suu Kyi

Amnesty International has withdrawn the human rights award, which it had once conferred to Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi, accusing her of violating human rights abuses. She is blamed for not speaking out about the violence against the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar. A few years back, Suu Kyi was regarded as a champion in the fight for democracy in Myanmar.

In recent past Suu Kyi has been stripped of a series of international honours over a Rohingya exodus that began in August 2017. According to records, more than 700,000 members of the stateless group fled across the western border of Myanmar into Bangladesh. It was done after the Myanmar military launched a crackdown in response to Rohingya insurgents initiated attacks on the security forces.

UN investigators have accused the military of initiating killings, arson and rape with the intention of genocide on the Rohingya Muslims. Suu Kyi’s administration also has rejected the findings of UN, saying it is one-sided and that the military action was a part of the counterinsurgency operation.

The international human rights group, Amnesty International has named Suu Kyi as its Ambassador of Conscience Award recipient in the year 2009. At that time she was under house arrest for her opposition against Myanmar’s oppressive military junta and for her fight for democracy.

After she was released, eight years back, Suu Kyi led her party to the election victory in Myanmar in the year 2015 followed by setting up of the government, but she has to share her power with generals according to the law of the land and thus has no direct control over the security forces.

In a statement, Amnesty International said that she has failed to speak out and had “shielded the security forces from accountability for the violence against the Rohingya and shameful betrayal of the values she once stood for”.

The advocacy group also confirmed that its secretary general, Kumi Naidoo has also written to Suu Kyi informing her about the organization’s decision of withdrawing the award, “profoundly dismayed that you no longer represent a symbol of hope, courage, and the undying defence of human rights”.

In the month of March, the US Holocaust Memorial Museum has also withdrawn its top award from Suu Kyi, apart from this other awards including the freedom of the cities of Dublin and Oxford in England, are withdrawn over the Rohingya crisis. The parliament of Canada also voted to withdraw Suu Kyi of her honorary citizenship.