Aung San Suu Kyi convicted, will serve house arrest

First, the bad news: today, Aung San Suu Kyi was convicted by Burma's sham court system and will be sent back to house arrest for an additional 18 months. Her sentence also stipulated that if the regime finds another false pretext, it can simply extend her sentence, as it has done during the past 20 years.

Now, the good news: key leaders around the world are moving beyond words and calling for concrete action -- 14 Nobel Peace Prize recipients, including Mikhail Gorbachev, Desmond Tutu, Elie Wiesel, and Jody Williams are calling for the UN Security Council to establish a commission of inquiry (investigation) into crimes against humanity committed by the military regime. Further, the British and French governments are calling for the UN Security Council to impose a global arms embargo on the regime, with the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown stating that "nothing less than global arms embargo" should be imposed on the Burmese regime. Brown also said "I also believe that the UN Security Council - whose will has been flouted - must also now respond resolutely and impose a worldwide ban on the sale of arms to the regime."

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/jail_the_generals/

I just got this e-mail from Amnesty International about what happened, note the reference to Laura and Euna:

Dear Haley,

Myanmar's military junta extended Nobel Peace laureate and pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's imprisonment by 18 months today after finding her guilty of violating the terms of her house arrest.

Critics of Myanmar's military regime condemned the outcome of the 3-month sham trial,1 calling it a pretext to keep Suu Kyi out of the running during next year's presidential elections.2

The junta — which currently detains more than 2,100 political prisoners — commuted Suu Kyi's sentence from three years hard labor in prison to an 18-month extension to her house arrest in the hopes that the international community will view the reduced sentence as an act of leniency.

But Suu Kyi should have never been imprisoned in the first place.

Suu Kyi's deplorable imprisonment has been denounced by everyone from heads of state worldwide to nine of Suu Kyi's fellow Nobel laureates. Join the court of world opinion in condemning Daw Ang San Suu Kyi's sham trial. Tell the leader of Myanmar's military junta that Suu Kyi shouldn't serve another minute of her sentence.

We know that the odds of success may seem stacked against us any time we appeal to authoritarian rulers. But the recent release of two U.S. journalists from North Korea is proof that even totalitarian regimes are vulnerable to relentless international pressure.

The fact that Myanmar's government reduced Suu Kyi's sentence is also a sign that the military regime is susceptible to the world community's criticisms.3

We've proven time after time that even military dictatorships and other repressive regimes are no match for Amnesty's millions-strong global movement. Just last year, Ma Khin Khin Leh, another prisoner of conscience in Myanmar, obtained her release after Amnesty activists sent tens of thousands of letters to Myanmar's leaders on her behalf.

Join us today in calling for Daw Ang San Suu Kyi's immediate release.

Thank you for standing with us,

— Anil, Nancy, Jim, Ulana and the rest of the Myanmar rapid response team

HERE'S A LINK TO "Join the court of world opinion in condemning Daw Ang San Suu Kyi's sham trial. "

http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionCenter.aspx?c=jhKPIXPCI...

they are doing it because they can, because international community is letting them.

Until the old military rulers who denied her the presidency after she was democratically elected years ago die or are overthrown by the people this country will continue to operate in a vacuum. Even if her term ended and she won again she would not ever be allowed to take office. Surprising how much the world powers have tolerated this, they must be getting something out of this.

Confusingly odd situation here. Two weeks before her scheduled release she gets arrested again. The one and a half year sentence perfectly fits that she will miss the elections in 2010. I mean, this guy with his heroically stupid action messed it up. What was actually his intent to do so?

Yep, way to keep her held down so no one will want to fight for her(and their) cause! Especially with the elections coming. Sends a clear message!

Honestly that is really not all that shocking, her house arrest was almost up again if I am not mistaken... can not have a person legally elected to office that was never allowed to serve running around free in a military state... might not end well.

I guess it is not really worth speculating over, but the whole situation is pretty weird, American swims across lake... umm, could they have picked someone a little less inept... this guy is 53, and only served a few years in the Army (two thumbs down for their eliteness) in the 70's. I know for a fact they have quite a few much younger and more capable people to have done this... and not have gotten caught. I might not be giving him credit though I guess, who knows how many times he had been in there before, she has been under house arrest nearly 10 years straight now.

sadly this is the continuation of her treatment under this regime. doesn't matter if the guy swam,flew,crawled or sent her an email. she is persecuted for all the ills of her country. you cant hide her light with any lamp shade. beautiful person in an ugly world

This is an outrage- That guy snuck into her house! She shouldn't even be under house arrest anyway, why isn't the international community doing more?!!!

This gave the American 7 years. 4 of those at hard labor.

Those generals aren't humans; they're Klingons.

"Suu Kyi was the daughter of Aung San, a revered hero who won Myanmar's independence from Britain."

Nice way to treat a daughter of a hero that won the country's independence from Britain.