PRESS RELEASE
7 June 2009

UNA-UK condemns arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi and calls for her release

The UN Association of the UK (UNA-UK) condemned the recent arrest on trumped-up charges of Burma’s pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. She was arrested by the Burmese authorities shortly before her house arrest was due to expire.

She is currently in Insein Prison, a facility notorious for its ill-treatment of inmates, and has been denied medical care.

Suu Kyi has spent 13 of the last 19 years under house arrest despite being innocent of any offence under Burmese law.

In a letter to the Foreign Secretary, UNA-UK Chair Lord Hannay of Chiswick said her recent arrest was “no doubt intended to remove her from the political arena ahead of the elections due to take place next year”.

He called on the British government to do all it can “to alleviate the suffering and poverty of ordinary Burmese, and to demonstrate that it is not our aim to destabilise the country or undermine its independence and territorial integrity”.

UNA-UK’s Annual Conference today urged the British government to:

• persist in protesting against Suu Kyi’s arrest and trial, and in calling for her release
• continue increasing aid to NGOs working in Burma
• explore the possibility of further targeted sanctions
• seek to engage India, China and ASEAN countries in achieving inclusive national reconciliation with UN support

Interview requests for Lord Hannay should be directed to Natalie Samarasinghe on 020 7766 3451 or samarasinghe@una.org.uk

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The UN Association of the UK (UNA-UK) is the UK's leading independent policy authority on the UN and promotes a strong, credible and effective United Nations, fronting a global system based on cooperation and the rule of law.

UNA-UK is strictly non-party political and independent of the UN system.