UN Envoy Calls for Release of Aung San Suu Kyi on Her 81st Birthday

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United Nations: The UN special envoy for Myanmar has called for the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi, who marked her 81st birthday while remaining in detention under the country’s military rule.

Julie Bishop, speaking to UN member states after a recent visit to Myanmar, said she had repeatedly raised concerns with authorities in Naypyidaw over Suu Kyi’s continued detention following the 2021 military takeover.

She said there have been no independent or verifiable updates on Suu Kyi’s condition for years and urged other countries to join in demanding her release.

Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Myanmar’s former civilian leader, was re-elected in 2020 before being detained after the military coup that overthrew her government. She has since been sentenced in a series of cases to more than 30 years in prison, though she was later moved to house arrest.

Her exact whereabouts and condition remain unclear. Her son, Kim Aris, has called on Myanmar’s military authorities to provide proof that she is alive.

The UN envoy said meaningful progress toward peace in Myanmar would not be possible while Suu Kyi remains in detention.

Pic Credit: AFPP