Burma frees Aung San Suu Kyi

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate had been detained for 15 of the past 21 years, and last walked free in 2003.

Ms Suu Kyi, 65, emerged today amid massive cheers from thousands of supporters who had gathered outside her house to witness her momentous release.

She greeted crowd at the gates of her home, speaking briefly before promising to deliver a longer speech tomorrow.

Senior officials from the National League for Democracy (NLD) meanwhile flocked to Ms Suu Kyi’s lakeside home in Yangon to meet with their leader for the first time in seven years.

There has yet to be an official government announcement on her release.

Prime Minister David Cameron said her house arrest was “a travesty”, and her release long overdue.

He added: “Aung San Suu Kyi is an inspiration for all of us who believe in freedom of speech, democracy and human rights.”

There are more than 2,200 political prisoners in Burma still held under vague laws frequently used to criminalise peaceful political dissent, according to human rights campaigners.

Running scared from Burma's touchstone of hope

Yesterday there were 2,203 political prisoners in Burma, today there are 2,202, writes Channel 4 News foreign correspondent Jonathan Miller. 

No one can predict what Aung San Suu Kyi will say when she speaks tomorrow, but her sense of urgency to improve the lot of the Burmese people must now be greater than ever. 

Since she was last put under house arrest seven years ago, the human rights situation has deteriorated. 

Agreements with ethnic groups are unravelling and the generals’ promised political reform has done nothing but legalise the dictatorship, with each year the challenge becoming greater. 

As a journalist who met and interviewed Aung San Suu Kyi during one of her brief periods of freedom in 1995, seeing her standing once again at the gates of 54 University Avenue is very moving. How much more so must it be for the millions of Burmese for whom her name is a touchstone of hope in a land of grinding poverty and repression.

Aung San Suu Kyi remains a potent political force. Her famous mantra is "Freedom from Fear". 

Setting her free will have the generals, who rule by fear, running scared. 

The generals know that having annulled her landslide election victory twenty years ago, incarcerated her for 15 of those years, dissolved her political party, jailed and murdered her supporters and political colleagues and instilled fear among the people of Burma of even mentioning her name, they have ultimately failed. 

Watch Jonathan's report in the video directly above, 'The Lady' of Burma and read more: Aung San Suu Kyi's wait for release

Prime Minister David Cameron said her house arrest was “a travesty”, and her release long overdue.

He added: “Aung San Suu Kyi is an inspiration for all of us who believe in freedom of speech, democracy and human rights.”

There are more than 2,200 political prisoners in Burma still held under vague laws frequently used to criminalise peaceful political dissent, according to human rights campaigners.

US President Barack Obama hailed the release of “a hero of mine” but called on the government to release “all political prisoners, not just one”.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said: “Her fortitude in the face of this outrage has been inspirational. I welcome news of her release.

“She must now be allowed to assume a role of her choosing in the political life of her country without further hindrance or restriction.

Mr Hague added that last week’s sham elections will not bring peace and prosperity to Burma. He said the regime needs to release the other political prisoners and begin a genuine dialogue with Ms Suu Kyi and all opposition and ethnic groups.

Amnesty International’s secretary general, Salil Shetty, said: “While Aung San Suu Kyi’s release is certainly welcome, it only marks the end of an unfair sentence that was illegally extended, and is by no means a concession on the part of the authorities.”

He added: “The fact remains that authorities should never have arrested her or the many other prisoners of conscience in Burma in the first place, locking them out of the political process.”

Mr Shetty said it was now important the authorities ensured her security and “put an end to the ongoing injustice of political imprisonment in the country”.

More from Channel 4 News on Burma

Zoya Phan, international co-ordinator at Burma Campaign UK, said: “The release of Aung San Suu Kyi is about public relations, not democratic reform.

“I am thrilled to see our democracy leader free at last, but the release is not part of any political process, instead it is designed to get positive publicity for the dictatorship after the blatant rigging of elections on November 7.

“We must not forget the thousands of other political prisoners still suffering in Burma’s jails.”

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Ms Suu Kyi is the world’s most renowned and courageous prisoner of conscience.

Mr Brown added: “Her release proves that no injustice can last forever, and while Burma’s junta can continue its policy of repression it has never been able to wholly silence her voice.

“Despite enduring two decades of separation, her family has displayed great strength which has proved an inspiration to us all.

“Her release from house arrest – where she has spent 15 of the last 21 years – is only a partial victory, because her liberation and that of the Burmese people will not be complete until she is able to take up her position as the rightful leader of her country.

Campaigners, who lined the streets ahead of the release, had also gathered at the headquarters of her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), in a show of solidarity.

Aung San Suu Kyi's release: what next?

There will be a temptation among some in the international community to view Aung San Suu Kyi's release as a step forward and therefore to ease pressure on the regime. 

Such a move would be a tragic mistake, writes Benedict Rogers, human rights activist and author of Than Shwe: Unmasking Burma's Tyrant. 

As Aung San Suu Kyi herself said when she was last released in 2002, "My release should not be looked at as a major breakthrough for democracy. For all people in Burma to enjoy basic freedom – that would be the major breakthrough".

Read more: Aung San Suu Kyi is released