With UN rights council’s inauguration, experts cite Myanmar’s detained rights leader

As the new, strengthened Human Rights Council held its inaugural session, two United Nations experts stressed that today also marks the birthday of one of the world’s most acclaimed rights defenders, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and democracy leader who continues under house arrest in Myanmar.

“Her steadfast commitment to the principles which all member states have pledged to promote and protect, strongly accentuates the responsibility of us all to demonstrate the integrity of our words, employ our individual and collective efforts to re-invigorate and lend our full support to the international system of human rights protection,” they said.

The two - Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, and Secretary-General Kofi Annan’ Special Representative on the situation of Human Rights Defenders, Hina Jilani – noted that Ms. Suu Kyi has been detained for over 10 of the past 16 years for her peaceful advocacy of fundamental democratic freedoms.

“If the international community is to give credence to its renewed commitment, it should ensure that such defenders who at great personal cost, spearhead the global drive towards a more equitable and peaceful world, are to be celebrated and supported, not silenced,” they said in their joint statement.

Mr. Annan has consistently worked for her release over the years, and reaffirmed his commitment to continue doing so when Myanmar’s authorities extended her house arrest for another year at the end of last month, despite his personal appeal to the head of State, Senior General Than Shwe, to free her.