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Top Canadian Rights Award Honours Burma’s Struggle Against Forced Labour

Leading experts gather in Ottawa to assess Canada’s role in ending slavery under junta

OTTAWA – Dec. 6, 2006 – The 2006 John Humphrey Freedom Award, one of Canada’s top honours for work in the field of international human rights, will be presented to Burma 's Su Su Nway at a ceremony this evening at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

The award, presented annually by Montreal’s Rights & Democracy, will be awarded in absentia to Su Su Nway, who could not travel to Canada. Restrictions put in place by Burma’s repressive military junta mean it is unlikely she would have been able to return to her village and continue her determined campaign against the junta’s use of forced labour. More...