Burma Action Ireland will hold a demonstration outside the Irish embassies of the four permanent UN Security Council members in Dublin later today.
Approximately 30 people will gather outside the US embassy on Elgin Road at 3.30pm. They will move on to the French, British and Chinese embassies on the half hour. Similar demonstrations will take place in other cities across the world.
Niamh Rooney, a spokeswoman for the group, said: “We’re hoping this will encourage the governments to use their position in the EU, and/or UN, to push for sanctions [against the military junta in Burma] and force a global arms embargo.
“We’re also looking for an inquiry into human rights abuses to be set up on an international level, and of course, the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners. This should happen before Burma’s election next year.”
On Monday, a Burmese court sentenced Ms Suu Kyi to three years in prison for allowing an American man enter her compound while she was under house arrest. However, this was immediately reduced to 18 months on the orders of the military government which also said she could serve the time in her Rangoon home.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said the sentencing was “confirmation that the Burmese junta is determined to continue its illegal rule without regard for the will of the Burmese people and in blatant disregard of the demands of the international community".
Global condemnation was led by US president Barack Obama, who said it “violated the universal principles of human rights”. UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon and British prime minister Gordon Brown also criticised the actions.