“It is a strong reminder to the Burmese military junta that the world does not forget the Nobel Peace Laureate, the prisoner of conscience and the winner of the 1990 elections in Burma. Aung San Suu Kyi has appealed to the global community to take up the cause of her country, asking us to use our liberty to promote her people’s freedom," says Kjell Magne Bondevik, president of the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights and Member of the Board of Directors of the Club of Madrid.

“Once more we call upon the Burmese regime to immediately and unconditionally release her and the close to 2000 political prisoners it holds as a first step toward Burma’s reintegration into the world community.”

Aung San Suu Kyi joins four other Honorary Members – Kofi Annan, Jimmy Carter, Jacques Delors, and Bill Clinton – and 70 other former Presidents and Prime Ministers who are committed to advancing ‘democracy that delivers’ as active Members of the Club of Madrid.

A beacon of hope
Often compared to Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi has inspired millions across the world as an advocate of nonviolent resistance in the face of brutal repression by the military junta that runs her native Burma. Spending 13 of the last 18 years in prison or house arrest for her pro-democracy activism, Suu Kyi has come to represent the more than 1,850 known political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in her country. She is the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

While under house arrest, Suu Kyi has become a beacon of hope and inspiration to those seeking a peaceful, democratic Burma. Suu Kyi led her political party —the National League for Democracy (NLD)— to win 82 percent of the seats in Parliament in the country’s last democratic election held in 1990. Despite the electoral victory, the military Junta of Burma annulled the results and kept Suu Kyi and the NLD from taking power.

“Will not forget”
“Were it not for this illegitimate action, this courageous advocate of human rights and democracy likely would have been the first Burmese democratic prime minister in decades,” said Ricardo Lagos, former President of Chile and President of the Club of Madrid. “By making her an Honorary Member of the Club of Madrid, we are sending a strong signal to the Junta that the world does not – and will not – forget her.”

Membership in the Club of Madrid is offered by invitation to democratic former presidents and prime ministers worldwide. Honorary Members – usually also former heads of state or government – are appointed in recognition of their contribution and support of the ideals for which the Club of Madrid stands. The composition of the Members of the organization reflects a balance between those from consolidated democracies and those from transitional democracies. Selection also aims to achieve the broadest possible geographical, political, cultural and gender balance.

For more information, contact:
Hans Petter Bergli: (+47) 913 55 314