The Nobel Peace Prize winner has denied claims of ethnic
cleansing and allegations of sexual violence against Rohingya women.
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| A file picture of Aung San Suu Kyi taken in August 2017 |
By Sky News
Oxford's council has stripped the Freedom of the City
from Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi over her failure to condemn violence
against Rohingya Muslims.
It said it had taken the decision following a unanimous
vote on Monday night and that it could not "turn a blind eye to
violence".
In a statement, it said: "When Aung San Suu Kyi was
given the Freedom of the City in 1997 it was because she reflected Oxford's
values of tolerance and internationalism.
"We celebrated her for her opposition to oppression
and military rule in Burma.
"Today we have taken the unprecedented step of
stripping her of the city's highest honour because of her inaction in the face
of oppression of the minority Rohingya population."
Must Watch #RohingyaCrisis on #SkyNews (11
Video witnesses included) https://t.co/UoGbp0G0iF
The statement added: "Oxford has a long tradition of
being a diverse and humane city, and our reputation is tarnished by honouring
those who turn a blind eye to violence.
"We hope that today we have added our small voice to
others calling for human rights and justice for the Rohingya people."
Ms Suu Kyi's husband, Michael Aris, lived in Oxford and
her children grew up there.
More than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to
Bangladesh following a military crackdown in Myanmar's Rakhine state.
Last week, Myanmar signed a deal with its neighbour to
allow the refugees to return home.
Read also: Rohingya repatriation will start
in two months, says Bangladesh https://t.co/QQ1BAFpW0v
Oxford City Council has removed the Freedom
of the City of Oxford from Aung San Suu Kyi. https://t.co/GXYiJIdxGI
The UN has described the violence and mass exodus as
"a textbook example of ethnic cleansing", but Ms Suu Kyi has denied
this claim and also dismissed allegations of sexual violence against Rohingya
women.
Pressure has increased on the Nobel Peace Prize winner to
decry the violence.
Watch Sky News here: Sir Bob Geldof condemned
Suu Kyi and said 'I think she should be brought to the Hague' https://youtu.be/Re7xc7mCGVE
Earlier this month, Sir Bob Geldof handed back his Freedom of the City of Dublin
because she holds the same honour. https://t.co/i0Oy0fLyX7