Statement of Carolyn B. Lamm, President, American Bar Association RE: Conviction and sentencing of former Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi

WASHINGTON, D.C., Aug. 12, 2009 – “The Aug. 11 conviction and sentencing of former Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to 18 more months of house arrest reflect an ongoing affront to the just rule of law by Myanmar’s military junta. The sentence, imposed ostensibly for breaching an already unjust confinement, is not supported by due process or international law. The American Bar Association calls upon the government of Myanmar to observe and respect the full range of human rights to which Suu Kyi, her co-defendants and the Burmese people are entitled under the most fundamental precepts of international law, including free and fair democratic elections.”

With more than 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law