Muslims are still looking for justice in Myanmar. Hundreds more Muslims have been killed, and tens of thousands have been made homeless, in violence across the country over the past year.
On Monday- President Barack Obama urged the president of Myanmar to halt violence against a Muslim.
Thein Sein appealed for U.S. "assistance and understanding" as Myanmar attempts difficult reforms.
A Myanmar court sentenced seven Muslims to prison Tuesday ---one of them to a life term --- in the killing of a Buddhist monk amid deadly sectarian violence that was overwhelmingly directed against minority Muslims but has not led to any criminal trials against members of the country’s Buddhist majority.
The sectarian strife has tarnished the image of Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace laureate who has been criticized for failing to speak out strongly in defense of the country’s Muslims despite her long commitment to human rights.
In a press conference Tuesday in the capital, Naypyitaw, she did not directly address the plight of the Muslim minority. Instead, she spoke in familiar terms about the rule of law when asked about the verdict.
“There is no transparency in Myanmar’s justice system and there is too much influence from the administrative branch,” she said, echoing the opinions of many human rights groups. “The judicial system has to be independent to be credible.”
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