Several European Parliament sources have confirmed to EUROPE that a debate will be held at the European Parliament Presidents’ Conference on 10 September on the suspension of Aung San Suu Kyi from the Sakharov Prize community’s activities.
A European source explained to EUROPE that in February the Conference of Presidents held a debate on this type of suspension and referred the matter to the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs.
In a letter dated 26 May sent to Ms Aung San Suu Kyi, which EUROPE has seen a copy of, the European Parliament Vice-President Heidi Hautala, the initiator of the request, the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committee, David McAllister, and the Development Committee, Tomas Tobé, and the Chair of the Human Rights Subcommittee, Maria Arena, asked the 1990 Sakharov Prize winner to explain why she did not use her position as Burma’s State Councillor and Foreign Minister to defend and safeguard the rights of the Rohingya minority, despite the fact that she has been “a symbol of freedom and democracy for many years”. “On the contrary, you have clearly expressed your support for the military who carried out the attack against the Rohingyas”, they remarked critically.
In the absence of a reply from Aung San Suu Kyi by the deadline of 30 June, the matter was referred back to the Conference of Presidents. Mr McAllister, in a letter of 15 July to European Parliament President David Sassoli, said that the political group coordinators for Foreign Affairs had decided to recommend to the Conference of Presidents that the latter suspend Aung San Suu Kyi from the Sakharov Prize community. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)