Legal Requirement on Honorary Degrees

Case 02-2015: Myanmar

Legal Requirement on Honorary Degrees

November 11, 2017

The International Buddhist Ethics Committee & Buddhist Tribunal on Human Rights legally requires Universities from all over the world to immediately abstain from holding Honorary Degrees given to the de facto President Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar, as this would imply endorsement of the human rights violations carried out by her genocidal government.

This requirement to revoke the Honorary Degrees given to Aung San Suu Kyi arises from the fact that the Buddhist Tribunal on Human Rights has condemned this de facto president for the crimes of genocide, ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity and high crimes against peace, which is a Sentence that the international community has begun to publicly endorse in the last few months from the undeniable forced displacement of 600.000 people of the Rohingya People who are fleeing from an attempt of extermination on the part of the government of Aung San Suu Kyi, which is a terrible fact that has been perversely considered by such president as a fake news.

Among the universities that have awarded Honorary Degrees to Aung San Suu Kyi are the University of Oxford, the Glasgow University, the University of Bristol, the Australian National University and the Seoul National University, who have erroneously considered that this international criminal contributes to democracy and the human rights. Therefore, it is publicly denounced the fact that these Honorary Degrees awarded to Aung San Suu Kyi are totally undeserved, violating the principles of education for peace which is regulated by the International Human Rights Law. In this sense, it is stated that it is not enough to remove pictures of Aung San Suu Kyi, as the St Hugh's College of Oxford has done, but actually, there is a duty to annul these prizes and distinctions given to someone who is Responsible for the worst crimes existing against human life and dignity. Keeping the Honorary Degrees awarded to Aung San Suu Kyi is a sign of support for each crime that this individual carries out, in addition to implying that these Universities lack total ethical and righteous leadership, which is fundamental to be able to appropriately teach their thousands of students. Universities must be committed to the highest ideals that exist, instead of endorsing those who maintain discrimination, oppression and death. Universities have to show courage and determination when defending the dignity of all human beings, becoming institutions that defend world peace and human rights, instead of maintaining academic honors toward genocidal individuals. To build a better world it is necessary for Universities to be ethical and humanitarian, conferring the highest honors only to those who act through wisdom and compassion. Universities must contribute to the harmony and evolution of human beings, never endorsing and honoring those who keep war and destruction of the world.

The Buddhist Tribunal on Human Rights confirms that this legal requirement to annul the Honorary Degrees given to Aung San Suu Kyi has historical precedents, as is the case of the University of Salzburg regarding its annulment of the Honorary Degrees given to the scientists Eduard Paul Tratz and Konrad Lorenz due to their participation within the Nazi party. As stated in the Judgment of the Buddhist Tribunal on Human Rights, the genocidal actions carried out by the government of Myanmar have a total resemblance to Nazism.

Always with a spirit of reconciliation (maitri),

Master Maitreya Samyaksambuddha

President of the International Buddhist Ethics Committee & Buddhist Tribunal on Human Rights