U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, a leading human rights lawmaker in the U.S. Congress, welcomed the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, a democratic activist in Burma who has been under house arrest for the last seven years.

    “Aung San Suu Kyi is a pro-democracy hero who personifies courage and determination in the face of intimidation and harassment,” said Smith, a senior member of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee and executive member of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. “Suu Kyi didn’t compromise her principals and beliefs, and her long overdue release is a triumph for freedom-loving people. Her stand for her people and their basic human rights contrasts sharply to the brazen repression of the ruling military junta which imprisoned her and sought to silence her voice. Despite their efforts, her call rings out for freedom and fair elections. The military rulers must now release the thousands of other political prisoners.”

    Smith (NJ-04) has spoken of the plight of Suu Kyi, 65, from the floor of the House of Representatives on a number of occasions.  As recently as September 2010, Smith introduced a House resolution, H.Res. 1710, which criticizes the many human rights abuses of the military regime, and specifically cites Suu Kyi’s imprisonment. Her release comes in the wake of recent elections in the Asian nation which are generally considered to be rigged in support of the ruling military. She was also held in house arrest from 1989 to 1995, and from 2000-2002.