Since August, the citizens of Burma have taken to the streets in courageous protests, led by Buddhist monks and pro-democracy activists. Women leaders and nuns have also played a significant role in the demonstrations, as they have throughout Burma’s long struggle for democracy. Recent protests—dubbed the Saffron Revolution for the color of the monk’s robes—have been met with brutality and intimidation, with thousands of arrests and unknown numbers of killings. For a summary of recent events in Burma click here.
On September 29, 2007 Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai hand-delivered a statement from six women Nobel Peace Laureates to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, calling for the immediate release of all political prisoners, including sister Laureate, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. On October 24, 2007 Suu Kyi had spent a total of twelve years in detention. We joined activists around the world to press for her release.
Read on for how you can support the people of Burma. To follow events in Burma, please visit the Burma news section at the Nobel Women’s Initiative.
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