‘‘Like the South African leader Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi has become an international symbol of heroic and peaceful resistance in the face of oppression.’’
~ online BBC

See
her BBC Profile.
And, another write-up.

Be warned: In her country, having her photo in your pocket can put you in jail.

A Prisoner of Conscience: Someone imprisoned because of their race, ethnicity, sex, economic status, religion, or national origin, or for peacefully expressing their political beliefs.

Focus Action: Local Group 361 works on many cases in a month, and then goes on to different cases the next month. However, usually the group has one case that they follow each month until its conclusion. In recent years, the group ’adopts‘ the case that the entire Northeast region works on.

AUNG SAN SUU KYI

Local Group 361 has adopted Aung San Suu Kyii twice. In the late 80’s when the group first worked to free her, they saw success. In 1989 she was released after an imprisonment of 19 months under de facto house arrest. Her release was thought to reflect a positive development in the human rights situation in Myanmar. However, in 1990, when she became the freely elected prime minister of Burma, Myanmar, she was prevented from taking office by yet another house arrest. As the group adopted her case again in November, 2009, she has been detained for about 14 of the past 20 years.

During her years of imprisonment, she has gained international recognition for her advocacy for peaceful change. She is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. On July, 2009 U2’s Lead singer Bono announced an award to her from Amnesty International: the Ambassador of Conscience Award. Bono himself has recognized her courage and work with his award winning song ’’Walk On ’’ written in her honor. He not only sings her praises, but he speaks them in this article. You may want to read her biography in one of the links to the right of her photo.

Aung San Suu Kyi especially appreciates Bono’s music. She believes an artist’s catchy tune is more effective than speeches. In December of 2008, she asked for a Freedom Song for her country, Burma, in this YouTube video.

You may learn more about Amnesty International’s effort to free her on this action page.

Read these two January 2010 news articles about her. Each one involves a minister in her country: A liaison and her response to possibilities over certainty.

You may send a letter asking for her freedom. A pre-written letter you can adapt and sign is on our Letters page.

Past Focus Actions

Our first adopted prisoner, Abel Ayedoun, was freed from prison in Benin two weeks after the first of our 2,000 letters began arriving. ~ Our second adopted prisoner, Levon Ter Petroysian was freed from prison in the Soviet Union, shortly after we adopted him, and subsequently served as president of Armenia.

Another of our adopted prisoners won her own Nobel Peace Prize, but has lost her freedom once again. In the late 1980’s, Group 361 was fortunate to see its efforts rewarded when pro-Democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyii was released after an imprisonment of 19 months under de facto house arrest. At that time, her release represented a very positive development in the human rights situation in Myanmar. In 1990, she became the freely elected prime minister of Burma, Myanmar, but was prevented from taking office by a house arrest. By 2008, Aung San Suu Kyi had been detained for 12 of the past 18 years. You may read about her current situation from this action page.

Ngawang Sangdrol, the Tibetan nun held by the Chinese for wanting freedom for Tibet, our Prisoner of Conscience in 2001-2002, was released by the Chinese in October of 2002. A Tibetan Buddhist nun, she was jailed for singing freedom songs at age 15. She was released from the Drap Chi prison in Lhasa, Tibet in October 2002, after serving 10 years and placed under house arrest. On March 28, 2003 Ngawang arrived in the U.S. for medical treatment of "severe and long-lasting headaches" from beatings in prison.

In June 2004 , Group 361 saw Leyla Zana’s release from a Turkish prison. Several years before, as a new member of the Turkish parliament, Leyla Zana had taken her oath of office wearing a headband with Turkish colors with her conservative black business suit. Further, while taking her oath of office, she spoke one sentence in Kurdish, saying ‘‘I take this oath for the brotherhood between the Turkish people and the Kurdish people.’’^[1]. Both the colored headband and the Kurdish words led to her later arrest when her term ended. During her years in prison she continued to write in defense of her Kurdish people, winning recognition for her work for human rights.  While she was confined, individuals and organizations around the world protested the unfair trial that kept her detained. Her freedom came after several years of imprisonment and worldwide appeals.

For most of 2007, Group 361 of the Albany, NY region joined A.I.'s entire Northeast Region in working on the case of Dr. Mesfin Woldemariam, one of Ethiopia's most prominent human rights defenders. Dr. Mesfin was jailed after his peaceful participation in protests at Addis Ababa University, where he is a professor of geography. He and the other protestors called for an investigation into irregularities in Ethiopia's 2005 parlimentary elections. At 77 years old, he was held in poor conditions without access to medical treatment for almost eighteen months. Finally, in August 2007, the situation looked bleak as he and his co-defendents were sentenced to death. Then suddenly he was released by the government, vindicating the efforts of thousands who campaigned on his behalf. Amnesty International continues to have a number of concerns about human rights in Ethiopia, you can read about them here.

For most of 2008 into 2009, Group 361 of the Albany, NY region joined A.I.'s entire Northeast Region in working on the case of Fathi el Jahmi An advocate of political reform for Libya, he was detained for ‘‘speaking truth to power’‘ as Vice President Joe Biden has commented. In televised and published speeches Fathi called for reform. For the last months of his life, Libyan authorities denied the requests of Fathi’s family that ailing Fathi el Jahmi be released to their care. When Fathi’s death was near, the Libyan authorities tranferred him to a Jordanian hospital where his life ended. He was technically freed, but the questions surrounding his deah continue. Read more about him here. Remembrances of Fathi continue on his Facebook page.

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¹ http://www.democracynow.org/2004/6/10/kurdish_political_prisoner_leyla_zana_released

Thank you for your interest.

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Page updated  Sunday, November 8, 2009