Statement marks Aung San Suu Kyi’s 81st Birthday with call to free all political prisoners

Mizzima

Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) called for the immediate and unconditional release of detained Myanmar leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners, marking her 81st birthday on 19 June with demands that key stakeholders move from words to coordinated pressure on the junta.

In its statement, the group said Aung San Suu Kyi has spent around 20 years in detention or under house arrest since 1989 for her political participation and her commitment to democracy in the country. The continued detention of political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, stands as evidence of the junta’s ongoing efforts to overturn democratic outcomes, nullify the will of voters, and deny the people their right to choose their own government, according to the statement.

The statement called on ASEAN members, governments, United Nations mandates, and domestic actors to demand Aung San Suu Kyi’s immediate and unconditional release along with all other political prisoners — “not merely in words but through concrete, coordinated pressure on the junta to act.”

It also urged stakeholders to support the Proof of Life campaign, to ensure her family is granted immediate access, and to allow independent observers to verify her condition without delay. Any political process that excludes the country’s democratically elected representatives lacks legitimacy and must not be recognised by key stakeholders, the statement said.

Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested on 1 February 2021 when the military seized power from her elected National League for Democracy (NLD) government and was later sentenced to 27 years in prison on charges her supporters describe as politically motivated. She has been held largely incommunicado since 2022, with no independent verification of her condition permitted. Her son, Kim Aris, has led an international Proof of Life campaign seeking confirmation that she is alive and receiving medical care.