YANGON • Myanmar authorities and citizens leapt to the defence of de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday after Amnesty International stripped her of its top award over indifference to atrocities committed against Rohingya Muslims, doubling down on support for the civilian leader in the face of global ire.
Ms Suu Kyi's international reputation as a rights icon is in pieces and Amnesty's move is the latest in a string of rescinded accolades.
Canada revoked her honorary citizenship last month and the US Holocaust Museum in March took back an award named after concentration camp survivor Elie Wiesel.
Institutions that once showered Ms Suu Kyi with titles are rapidly distancing themselves from a leader they argue is doing little in the face of alleged genocide and ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya minority.
Amnesty's "Ambassador of Conscience Award" was bestowed in 2009 and other recipients include South African political icon Nelson Mandela, Ms Malala Yousafzai and Mr Ai Weiwei.
"Today, we are profoundly dismayed that you no longer represent a symbol of hope, courage and the undying defence of human rights," Amnesty International chief Kumi Naidoo said in a letter to Ms Suu Kyi.
"Amnesty International cannot justify your continued status as a recipient of the Ambassador of Conscience award and so, with great sadness, we are hereby withdrawing it from you."
But, domestically, Ms Suu Kyi remains popular across vast swathes of Myanmar and within her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), which won elections in 2015 ending decades of military-backed rule.
The stripping of awards not only harms the "dignity" of Ms Suu Kyi, but also that of all NLD members, party spokesman Myo Nyunt said, adding that he thought this was all part of a wider conspiracy.
People on the street in Yangon were defiant. "Their withdrawal is pretty childish. It's like when children aren't getting along with each other and take back their toys," 50-year-old Khin Maung Aye said. "We don't need their prize," said Htay Htay, 60.
Ms Suu Kyi has yet to comment on Amnesty's decision herself but has, in the past, shrugged off questions about withdrawn awards.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
