NLD denounces ongoing detention of Suu Kyi on leader’s birthday

By Admin 19 Jun 2024

DMG Newsroom
19 June 2024, Sittwe

The National League for Democracy (NLD) released a statement on Wednesday to mark the 79th birthday of its leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, denouncing Myanmar’s military regime for detaining the civilian leader as a “political hostage.”

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested the day of the military coup on February 1, 2021. She spent her fourth consecutive birthday behind bars on Wednesday.

She has not been allowed to meet with her family members since her arrest. The regime has not been specific about where she has been held since the coup though it is believed she was in Naypyitaw Prison until April.

“Military chief Min Aung Hlaing has cowardly detained State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as a political hostage,” reads the NLD statement.

A junta court has handed down sentences amounting to 33 years in prison on 19 counts against  Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, which are widely believed to be politically motivated. The regime commuted the prison sentence to 27 years last year.

The NLD statement claimed Daw Aung San Suu Kyi remains the person most trusted by the entire Myanmar people, and described her as the most crucial person for solving Myanmar’s problems. The NLD urged friends and allies inside and outside the country to continue to strive for the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners in Myanmar.