I had the once in a lifetime opportunity today to see Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese democracy and human rights champion. Suu Kyi participated in a roundtable on the rule of law at the LSE and was her typical, passionate and eloquent self. I am pretty certain I don’t have to explain or detail her life to readers of JiC. For many (including myself) she is on par with remarkable human beings like the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King.
It isn’t everyday that the opportunity arises to see someone of the stature and humility of Aung San Suu Kyi. It is even more rare to see them on their birthday. But to everyone’s surprise and joy, Suu Kyi’s was celebrating her 67th birthday today. The one thousand or so people who came to see her joined in a raucous chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’. Making the event only more moving was the fact, well-known to the audience, that Suu Kyi has enjoyed far, far too few birthdays in freedom after two decades of house arrest.
While it’s far from stunning quality, I managed to capture this touching (and at one point, even funny!) moment and thought readers might enjoy seeing it too.
Mark Kersten is an Assistant Professor in the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department at the University of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia, Canada, and a Senior Consultant at the Wayamo Foundation in Berlin, Germany. Mark is the founder of the blog Justice in Conflict and author of the book, published by Oxford University Press, by the same name. He holds an MSc and PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics and a BA (Hons) from the University of Guelph. Mark has previously been a Research Associate at the Refugee Law Project in Uganda, and as researcher at Justice Africa and Lawyers for Justice in Libya in London. He has taught courses on genocide studies, the politics of international law, transitional justice, diplomacy, and conflict and peace studies at the London School of Economics, SOAS, and University of Toronto. Mark’s research has appeared in numerous academic fora as well as in media publications such as The Globe and Mail, Al Jazeera, BBC, Foreign Policy, the CBC, Toronto Star, and The Washington Post. He has a passion for gardening, reading, hockey (on ice), date nights, late nights, Lego, and creating time for loved ones.
Justice in Conflict 