Statement by Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, on the UN Security Council Action on Aung San Suu Kyi

Susan E. Rice
United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations 
U.S. Mission to the United Nations 

New York, NY

August 13, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The UN Security Council today unanimously expressed serious concern about the conviction and sentencing of Aung Sun Kyi and called on the Burmese regime to release all political prisoners and create the necessary conditions for genuine dialogue in order to achieve national reconciliation.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s conviction is a violation of universal principles of human rights. The Burmese regime should immediately and unconditionally release her and the more than 2,100 other political prisoners currently being held.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s sentencing also precludes her from taking part in the elections scheduled for next year, and thus undermines the legitimacy of those elections. As President Obama said earlier this week, “suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away.” Rather than using this moment to create the necessary conditions for a genuine dialogue and inclusive political process with all actors, the Burmese authorities have now moved further away from national reconciliation and deepened their isolation from the rest of the world.

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