Aung San Suu Kyi Convicted

I just posted the Amnesty International action and press release in the posting below this one from the US Campaign for Burma which also includes a petition from Avaaz, a Europe based Burmese pro democracy group and I wanted to make sure to include all sides of this important story so...


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."

Now, it's time for the United State to join the UK and France in action, and help build a powerful effort to overcome China's resistance at the UN Security Council.

What you can do. An organization that works on Burma named "Avaaz" is currently circulating a global petition to press the United States and United Kingdom to propose a resolution at the UN Security Council. Right now, there is a unique opportunity since the U.K. and U.S. serve as consecutive Presidents of the UN Security Council in August and September. Let them hear from you, click here to sign the Avaaz petition, and if you have yet to sign our petition, click here.

Sincerely,

Mike Haack and Jeremy Woodrum

PS. Want to read what everyone is saying (including musicians, politicians, and more) about Aung San Suu Kyi's verdict? Click here. Support 1991 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi and the struggle for freedom and democracy in Burma: