Yvette Cooper leads push to free Aung San Suu Kyi as Myanmar elections begin
UK foreign secretary calls for release of Myanmar’s former leader
- UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is leading a new push for the release of Myanmar's former leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, as sham elections begin in the country.
- The UN has warned that the military-controlled ballot is unfolding amid intensified violence, intimidation, and arbitrary arrests, leaving no space for free or meaningful participation.
- Ms Suu Kyi is serving a 27-year sentence on charges widely condemned as politically motivated, and her family has not heard from her directly in two years, raising fears for her health.
- Her party, the National League for Democracy, has been banned, and no political parties hostile to the junta have been permitted to run in the upcoming elections.
- The UK government has condemned Ms Suu Kyi's detention and called for her immediate release, along with all others arbitrarily detained by the military regime.