| (WASHINGTON) - U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, commented today on a press statement issued by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on the sentencing of Burmese human rights and democracy activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi by Burma’s ruling military junta. Statement by Ros-Lehtinen:
“With this watered down press statement, the UN Security Council is essentially turning its back on Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and a human rights icon.
“The unjust conviction and sentencing of Suu Kyi was a cynical ploy by the generals who rule Burma to prevent her from participating in the scheduled upcoming elections.
“Rather than taking a stand, the Security Council has taken the path of least resistance to avoid ruffling the feathers of friends of the Burmese junta. It is time for the UN to implement tough sanctions against the Burmese regime until Suu Kyi is rightfully released, and the principles of democracy and human rights are upheld in Burma.”
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