We, the members of the International Coalition for Democratic Renewal (ICDR) and the participants of the 29th Forum 2000 Conference, call urgently upon:
- the political leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states, as well as of India, China, Japan, South Korea, and Australia,
- and the leaders of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the member states of the European Union,
to use their influence to secure the immediate and unconditional release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners in Myanmar.
Grave concerns for Aung San Suu Kyi’s health and treatment
Aung San Suu Kyi, the 80-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate and leader of Burma’s democratically elected National League for Democracy (NLD), has been unjustly held in solitary confinement since the military coup of February 2021.
She is imprisoned in a specially constructed facility in Naypyidaw under extremely restrictive conditions, with minimal legal access and no contact with her family. She suffers from worsening heart disease, has requested to see a cardiologist, and is deprived of adequate medical care, proper nutrition, and sunlight. Her son, Kim Aris, has received only one letter from her in over two years, and he fears she may have been injured when the prison was damaged in a recent earthquake.
We demand that she be granted unrestricted medical treatment without any delay, immediate visit of her son, and ultimately her full and unconditional release.
A wider tragedy: Myanmar under siege
Aung San Suu Kyi’s plight reflects the suffering of the people of the country. Since the 2021 coup, Myanmar has been plunged into a war of terror waged by its own military against the population.
Civilians have been bombed in their homes, schools, and villages. In one attack, a school was struck by warplanes dropping heavy bombs, killing children as they slept. Such atrocities are not isolated — they represent a campaign of deliberate violence that has left thousands dead, maimed, or displaced.
The regime claims it is fighting terrorism, but in reality, it is waging war against civilians. Airstrikes, summary executions, systematic torture, sexual violence, and the destruction of entire communities have become routine. The junta has blocked humanitarian aid even after natural disasters, worsening hunger and suffering. Millions have been forced from their homes.
These are crimes against humanity, committed with impunity in full view of the world. Myanmar today is a microcosm of the global assault on democracy and human rights — and the silence or complicity of powerful states only deepens the tragedy.
The illegitimacy of the junta
The people of Myanmar spoke clearly in the 2020 general election, giving Suu Kyi’s NLD a decisive democratic mandate. The military staged its coup to prevent parliament from convening and has since tried to cloak itself in false legitimacy by announcing sham elections designed to cement its rule.
The generals have never won a mandate. They have no legitimacy. By contrast, the people of Myanmar continue to resist at enormous cost: over 29,000 political prisoners, nearly 10,000 dead, 4 million displaced, and 20 million in urgent need of aid.
Our moral responsibility
Aung San Suu Kyi has now spent a total of 19 years in detention since 1989. She is not only the symbol of Myanmar’s democratic struggle but also a close friend of President Václav Havel, founder of Forum 2000, and a member of its International Advisory Board. Her lifelong commitment to democracy embodies the principles upon which this gathering stands.
Her son Kim Aris has appealed to us all, stressing the urgency of her release and the restoration of democracy in Myanmar. His plea is the plea of millions who cannot be ignored.
Our appeal
We call upon the governments of ASEAN, India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union to:
- Press the Myanmar junta for Aung San Suu Kyi’s immediate release and that of all political prisoners.
- Demand that, pending release, she be provided with unrestricted medical care and immediate access to her by her son Kim Aris.
- Increase coordinated international pressure on Myanmar’s military regime to end its brutal campaign of terror and to honor the democratic will of the Burmese people, rather than granting legitimacy to the junta’s fraudulent electoral farce.
The people of Myanmar have risked everything to defend democracy and to achieve federalism. They face daily atrocities, crimes against humanity, and a humanitarian crisis of staggering scale.
Myanmar’s neighbors, Asian and global democracies, and the broader international community cannot continue to look away. Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners must be freed immediately. The democratic mandate and the will of the people of Myanmar must be respected.
Signatories
ICDR Steering Committee:
- Igor Blazevic, Czechia
- Carl Gershman, USA
- Maiko Ichihara, Japan
- Jakub Klepal, Czechia
- Andréa Ngombet, Republic of the Congo
ICDR members:
- Hernán Alberro, Argentina
- Frisia Batista Mokarzel, Cuba
- Sonja Biserko, Serbia
- Darko Brkan, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Andreas Bummel, Germany
- Juan Carlos Vargas, Chile
- Larry Diamond, USA
- Mónica Dias, Portugal
- Nino Evgenidze, Georgia
- Evan Firoozi, USA
- Elaine Ford, Peru
- Francis Fukuyama, USA
- Eka Gigauri, Georgia
- Armen Grigoryan, Armenia
- Sascha Hannig, Chile
- Daniel Hegedus, Germany
- István Hegedűs, Hungary
- Armando Chaguaceda, Mexico
- Kate Chachava, Georgia
- Glanis Changachirere, Zimbabwe
- Hasler Iglesias, Venezuela
- Dolkun Isa, East Turkistan (Uyghur)
- Ramin Jahanbegloo, Canada
- Kostian Jano, Albania
- Hisham Kassem, Egypt
- Tinatin Khidasheli, Georgia
- Ondřej Klimeš, Czechia
- Marivi Marin Vazquez, Venezuela
- Myroslav Marynovych, Ukraine
- Nyaradzo Mashayamombe, Zimbabwe
- Penda Mbow, Senegal
- Markus Meckel, Germany
- Petr Mucha, Czechia
- Ghia Nodia, Georgia
- Martin Palouš, Czechia
- Fernando Pedrosa, Argentina
- Max Povse, Argentina
- Kateřina Procházková, Czechia
- Pavel Pseja, Czechia
- Vesna Pusić, Croatia
- Xiao Qiang, USA
- Rafaela Requesens, Venezuela
- Mykola Riabchuk, Ukraine
- Jacques Rupnik, France
- Niranjan Sahoo, India
- Lobsang Sangay, USA
- Gulnara Shahinian, Armenia
- Vasil Sikharulidze, Georgia
- Veronika Skoupá, Czechia
- Natalia Stercul, Moldova
- Marek Svoboda, Czechia
- Melanne Verveer, USA
- Damon Wilson, USA
- Liao Yiwu, China
- Yevgeniy Zakharov, Ukraine
- Yevgeniy Zhovtis, Kazakhstan
- Emanuelis Zingeris, Lithuania
- Michael Žantovský, Czechia
Forum 2000 Conference attendees:
- Kety Abashidze, Georgia
- Nadija Afanasieva, Ukraine
- Hugo Acha, USA
- Fadhl AlMaghafi, United Kingdom
- Vera Ammer, Germany
- Ana Arakhamia, Georgia
- Zinaida Averina, Ukraine
- Myo Aye, Australia
- Anna Balcarová, Czechia
- Aliou Barry, Guinea
- Eric Bjornlund, USA
- Matt Blauer, USA
- James Carouso, USA
- Boniface Dulani, Malawi
- Samar Elhussieny, Egypt
- Žiga Faktor, Belgium
- Odeh Friday, Nigeria
- Yuki Fujita, Japan
- Geanny Garcia Delgado, Cuba
- Aleksandra Garmazhapova, Russia
- Khin Gyi, Japan
- Jahidul Hassan, India
- Ba Hein, Myanmar
- Alejandro Hernán Lamarque, Argentina
- Maw Htun Aung, Myanmar
- Joan Chirwa, Zambia
- Dominika Chrachalova, Slovakia
- Brang Chyoi, Myanmar
- David Jarkulisch, Czechia
- Kristina Juraite, Lithuania
- Ryohei Kasai, Japan
- Roukaya Kasenally, Mauritius
- Rodi Kenda, Austria
- Bulent Kenes, Sweden
- Kaung Khant Kyaw, Georgia
- Vendula Krejčová, Czechia
- Anna Kuchta, Poland
- Aung Kyaw Min, Myanmar
- Baula Lahpai, Myanmar
- Ineta Lansdovne, Latvia
- Pavla Losová, Czechia
- Emeka Lucky Umejei, Nigeria
- Aliaksandar Lukashuk, Belarus
- Maja Macko, Czechia
- Takayoshi Maki, Japan
- Eva Marková, Czechia
- Hein Min Oo, Myanmar
- Mon Mon Myat, Myanmar
- Andile Mthombeni, South Africa
- Jonas Mulato, Angola
- David Mulica, Czechia
- Kaung Myat Win, Myanmar
- Soe Myint, Myanmar
- Khin Myint, Myanmar
- Olha Myrovych, Ukraine
- Jessica Nhkum, Czechia
- No No Lin, Myanmar
- Anar Orujov, Azerbaijan
- Theodore Piccone, USA
- Lisbeth Pilegaard, Denmark
- Lucie Pilipova, Czechia
- Brahm Press, USA
- Marek Přeček, Czechia
- Dalibor Roháč, USA
- Rangsiman Rome, Thailand
- Eva Rybková, Czechia
- Saw Sam Ci, Myanmar
- Thiri San, Hungary
- Veronika Senjuková, Czechia
- Randall Scheunemann, USA
- Ivone Soares, Mozambique
- Sabe Soe, Czechia
- John Stauffer, Sweden
- Arina Svirhun, Ukraine
- Kyaw Swa Swe, Myanmar
- Jiří Šitler, Czechia
- Makiko Takeda, Japan
- Linn Thant, Myanmar
- Thin Thin Kyaing, Myanmar
- Si Thu Hlaing, Germany
- Gabriela Tůmová, Czechia
- Dáša Van der Horst, Czechia
- Dominique van der Kolk, The Netherlands
- Dobrica Veselinović, Serbia
- Tereza Vokounová, Czechia
- Alyn Ware, New Zealand
- David Wellman, USA
- Phyo Win Latt, Myanmar
- Kamila Xenie Vetišková, Czechia
- Chosein Yamahata, Japan
- Nanesu Yamahata, Japan
- Yatana Yamahata, Japan
- Beaudee Zawmin, USA
- Jana Zelingerová, Czechia
- Alvaro Zevallos, Perú
