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Myanmar authorities have decided to release Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent nearly 20 years in various forms of detention for daring to raise her voice against the oppressive regime of the notorious junta.
In 2009, the junta had convicted Suu Kyi of violating internal security laws and sentenced her to three years in prison with hard labour, but it was swiftly commuted to 18 months of house arrest. The term for her house arrest ended on Saturday.
In spite of being under house arrest for the last 15 years, Suu Kyi had refused to give up her fight for democracy in the impoverished nation.
Suu Kyi's party National League for Democracy had secured a landslide victory in the general election in 1990, but the military refused to hand over power and put her under house arrest.
Since then Suu Kyi has been under intermittent house arrest, has been imprisoned in the infamous Insein Prison and has even been kept under secret detention for long spells.
In spite of the junta's brutal ways of suppressing democracy in the country, Suu Kyi, a staunch follower of Mahatma Gandhi, had refused to let go of her non-violent protest.
In recognition of her valiant fight for freedom, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 and the Mahatma Gandhi Peace Award in 2009.
Myanmar has earlier ignored pleas by the United States and the United Nations to free Suu Kyi, whose health has reportedly deteriorated due to her continuous house arrest. It even turned down United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon's [plea to visit the leader during his visit to Myanmar in July last year.
Myanmar recently held general elections after 20 years, which was condemned by the global community for being a mere sham to bring the party backed by the ruling military to power.