Blinken Calls On Myanmar To Release Aung San Suu Kyi After 'Unjust Conviction'

The United States urges the Myanmar military to free ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, considering her sentencing to four years in prison to be yet another affront to democracy and justice, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Monday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 06th December, 2021) The United States urges the Myanmar military to free ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, considering her sentencing to four years in prison to be yet another affront to democracy and justice, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Monday.

The Myanmar democracy icon was handed the sentence earlier on Monday.

"The Burmese military regime's unjust conviction of Aung San Suu Kyi and the repression of other democratically elected officials are yet further affronts to democracy and justice in Burma," Blinken said. The regime's continued disregard for the rule of law and its widespread use of violence against the Burmese people underscore the urgency of restoring Burma's path to democracy. We urge the regime to release Aung San Suu Kyi and all those unjustly detained, including other democratically elected officials.

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Blinken called on the Myanmar military to engage in constructive dialogue with all sides.

"We join the people of Burma in their aspirations for freedom and democracy and call on the regime to end the use of violence, respect the will of the people, and restore Burma's democratic transition," Blinken concluded.

Aung San Suu Kyi, a 1991 Nobel Peace prize laureate, served as state counsellor to Myanmar's civilian government until February 2021, when the country's military overthrew her government and put her, along with President Win Myint, under house arrest. The coup triggered a wave of civil protests, and more than 1,300 people have died in clashes with the law enforcement.