Global calls to free Aung San Suu Kyi; Myanmar ranks ‘very serious’ in 2026 RSF World Press Freedom Index

Global calls to free Aung San Suu Kyi after transfer to house arrest

The European Union, the United Nations, the United States, and Japan have issued renewed calls for the immediate and unconditional release of jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners, following her recent transfer from Naypyidaw Prison to an undisclosed location under house arrest.

The detained leader, who has been held since the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021, had her 22-year sentence reduced by one-sixth to 18 years as part of a general amnesty for 1,519 prisoners announced on April 30. Despite the sentence reduction and transfer, the international community has made it clear that house arrest is not an acceptable resolution.

“We continue to call for her immediate and unconditional release,” the U.S. State Department said on May 1. “We urge the regime to ensure Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has proper access to medical care given continued reports of her poor health.” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres echoed these demands, pressing for an immediate cessation of violence and a genuine commitment to inclusive dialogue. Read more

Japan pledges $17.5 million for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh

Japan pledged $17.5 million USD in humanitarian assistance for Rohingya refugees living in camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar and on Bhasan Char island. The announcement comes following a meeting in the capital Dhaka between Japanese Agriculture Minister and Special Envoy Suzuki Norikazu and Bangladesh’s newly-elected Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on April 29.

“There is an urgent need for the safe, voluntary, and dignified repatriation of the Rohingya refugees to their homeland in Myanmar,” Rahman told Suzuki Norikazu during the meeting. He added that repatriation of Rohingya is “a top priority” for his government, urging sustained international engagement and aid to resolve the Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh.

Nine human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, Fortify Rights, and Human Rights Watch, issued a joint letter to Bangladesh in March calling for improvements to the deteriorating humanitarian situation for Rohingya refugees. Over one million Rohingya live in Bangladesh with over 700,000 arriving after a military operation in Burma in 2017, which was labeled a genocide by the U.S. in 2022.