Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace laureate kept under house arrest by her country's ruling military junta, should be recognized with the Congressional Gold Medal for "her courageous and unwavering commitment to peace," according to a bill authored by Democratic Rep. Joe Crowley and co-sponsored by 280 lawmakers.
Crowley's office said Friday that the House could vote early next week on the bill, which praises Suu Kyi's fight for democracy "despite an assassination attempt against her life, her prolonged illegal imprisonment, the constant public vilification of her character and her inability to see her children or to see her husband before his death."
Myanmar's junta received international condemnation for killing and arresting democracy protesters and Buddhist monks in September. Dissident groups put the death toll at about 200.
The country, also known as Burma, has been under military rule since 1962. The current junta came to power after snuffing out a 1988 pro-democracy movement against the previous military dictatorship, killing at least 3,000 people in the process.
Chinese officials lashed out at the United States this year after President George W. Bush presented the Dalai Lama, also a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, with the Congressional Gold Medal.
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