The 78-year-old Aung San Suu Kyi has been sentenced to 27 years in prison by the military junta that overthrew the country's democratically elected leadership in 2021 and has since persecuted all opposition.
Now, Pope Francis is intervening in Myanmar's totalitarian development.
"I have asked for Aung San Suu Kyi to be released and I have met her son in Rome. I have suggested that the Vatican provide her with protection on our territory," says the Pope according to a report from a meeting with Jesuits in Asia. The Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera has recounted the private conversations that took place at the beginning of September in Indonesia, East Timor, and Singapore.
"We cannot continue to remain silent about the situation in Myanmar today. We must do something," said the Pope according to the report.
The military junta in Myanmar has not commented on the Pope's statement, despite a direct question from the AFP news agency.
Aung San Suu Kyi was under house arrest for many years under the then totalitarian military regime in Myanmar. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her efforts towards a peaceful and democratic change in the country. She was released from her house arrest in 2010 and went on to lead the democratically governed Myanmar until the military coup.
However, Aung San Suu Kyi was also heavily criticized in 2017 for how the government in Myanmar, under her leadership, failed to stop the persecution of the Muslim minority group Rohingya.
Aung San Suu Kyi's health is reported to be deteriorating in captivity.
