Switzerland hails release of Suu Kyi in Myanmar
Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been freed from her house arrest in Myanmar.
She was released on Saturday after the authorities removed the barbed wire and concrete barricades from in front of her compound.
The Swiss foreign ministry has welcomed Suu Kyi’s release and asked that Myanmar restore her basic human and civil rights such freedom of expression, association and movement.
Upon release, Suu Kyi greeted the hundreds of supporters who had gathered outside her home to congratulate her.
Suu Kyi, a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, has spent 15 of the past 21 years in detention – mainly under house arrest.
The most recent sentence came in August 2009, when she was convicted of violating her existing house arrest by allowing an uninvited American to stay at her home.
In a short statement published on Saturday, the foreign ministry noted that Myanmar had at least 2,100 political prisoners. Switzerland has called for them to be freed as well.
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.