Troika of the Community of Democracies appeals to Burma/Myanmar to end human rights abuses

On 26 October in Washington, the Troika (Portugal, Lithuania and Mongolia) of the Community of Democracies, which is currently chaired by Lithuania, issued a statement expressing grave concern about the development of the trial of the opposition leader of Burma/Myanmar Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and appealed to the ruling regime of Burma/Myanmar to end gross human rights abuses in the country.

In the statement, the Troika of the Community of Democracies urges the regime of Burma/Myanmar to immediately release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners, to initiate a political dialogue with the democratic opposition of Burma/Myanmar and representatives of ethnic minorities leading to national reconciliation, democratic reforms and free and transparent general election.

In 1990 in Burma/Myanmar, the general election was organised for the first time in 30 years. The election was won by the National League for Democracy, the leader of which is Aung San Suu Kyi. She was arrested and has spent 14 years out of the past 20 under house arrest. 

On 11 August 2009, the Burma/Myanmar court sentenced the leader of the opposition Aung San Suu Kyi to additional 18 months of house arrest for allegedly violating the terms of her house arrest, when in May 2009 the military of Burma/Myanmar arrested a U.S. citizen near the home of Aung San Suu Kyi. It is believed that the junta has used the incident before the election that is scheduled in 2010 to once again prolong the term of the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi. The term had to end this year.

In 1991, Aung San Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Since 1962, Burma/Myanmar has been ruled by the military regime. The country suffers from big corruption, poverty and human rights abuses. Since 1996, the European Union has applied sanctions against the military regime in Burma/Myanmar.

Established in 1999, the Community of Democracies is an intergovernmental structure. Democracies and developing democracies take part in its activities. The goal of this organisation is to strengthen and deepen democracy worldwide. The Community of Democracies is based on the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Convening Group of the Community of Democracies is comprised of 17 members: Cape Verde, Chile, the Czech Republic, India, Italy, Lithuania, Mali, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Salvador, South Africa, South Korea and the U.S.A.