EP removes Aung San Suu Kyi from Sakharov Prize community

The European Union has removed Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi from the “Sakharov Prize community” because of her “acceptance” of state crimes against the Rohingya community.

Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the top human rights prize in 1990. However, she will no longer be capable of taking part in events for laureates.

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A source from the EP said that the prize was given for her contributions before 1990 and it could not be withdrawn. But this exclusion, made on Thursday, was the significant sanction available on MEPs.

It should be remembered that more than 700,000 people Of Rohingya fled to Bangladesh after a deadly crackdown in 2017 by the

Myanmar military, which was declared by the UN as an act done with “genocidal intent”.

However, Myanmar has denied accusations of genocide, saying the actions were meant to protect the country against Rohingya “militants”.

According to the EP’s official news, the Sakharov Prize Community connects MEPs, laureates, and civil society to increase cooperation on human rights action in Brussels and internationally. It serves as a channel of communication that enables the laureates and Parliament to address jointly human rights violations and issues.

European Parliament awarded then Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi with the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought for embodying her country’s fight for democracy.