Asia

Amnesty International Withdraws Highest Honor From Aung San Suu Kyi

The organization said it based its decision on the Myanmar leader’s "shameful betrayal of the values she once stood for."

Amnesty International Withdraws Highest Honor From Aung San Suu Kyi
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Amnesty International announced Monday it has stripped Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi of its most prestigious human rights award.

The organization decided to revoke the Ambassador of Conscience Award she received in 2009.

Amnesty International said it was disappointed with her "apparent indifference" to the Rohingya Muslim crisis. More than 700,000 Rohingyas have been forced to flee the country, as Myanmar's government has targeted them, sparking accusations of genocide.

She has also been accused of cracking down on human rights activists and journalists since assuming office two years ago. Earlier this year, two Reuters reporters were sentenced to seven years in prison while investigating attacks against Rohingyas.

This is the latest in a recent string of awards being stripped from Suu Kyi. Over the last year, she has lost the U.S. Holocaust Museum's Elie Wiesel award, the Freedom of the City of Oxford award, and her honorary Canadian citizenship.