Aung San Suu Kyi stripped of Freedom of Oxford over Rohingya violence
The Nobel Peace Prize winner has denied claims of ethnic cleansing and allegations of sexual violence against Rohingya women.
Monday 27 November 2017 22:25, UK
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."
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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.
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.
Earlier this month, Sir Bob Geldof handed back his Freedom of the City of Dublin because she holds the same honour.