Cherie Blair, women’s rights advocate and wife of Britain’s former Prime Minister Tony Blair, was pictured this week holding a sign in support of student protesters jailed in Myanmar.
The photo was taken at an event held in California on Sunday to draw attention to the plight of the imprisoned students as well as raise funds for Same Sky, an organisation that helps women in Rwanda.
Some 70 students are facing trial after authorities violently cracked down on education reform protests in March.
Dr Seinenu Thein-Lemelson, who co-hosted the event, said that a staffer from the Cherie Blair Foundation offered to tweet the picture.
Meanwhile, Mrs Blair’s husband is believed to be playing a secretive advisory role to the Myanmar government – one on his long list of client states with poor human rights records, including Kazakstan and Kuwait. Coconuts Yangon contacted the Cherie Blair Foundation requesting comment.
“I see ABSOLUTELY NO CONFLICT,” said Dr Seinenu Thein-Lemelson in an email. “The day after the event at our house, I attended a dinner in honour of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women and both [sic] her and Tony Blair were present and spoke at length to the guests.
“Former Prime Minister Tony Blair emphasized how much he valued freedom and also commented that one of the great contests of our time is between those who are ‘closed-minded’ and those who are ‘open-minded’.”
“These young students in Myanmar are also the embodiment of open-mindedness and forward-thinking, so they share many values and goals with Tony Blair,” she added. “I respect the work that both Tony and Cherie Blair have done in the world to advance freedom, tolerance, and open-mindedness, and am very glad that Mr. Blair is engaged in Burma in the ways he thinks are the most effective.
Photo: Dr Seinenu Thein-Lemelson
EDITOR’S NOTE: A previous version of this post stated that Mrs Blair promised to tweet the picture. The post has been amended to clarify that it was a staffer of the Cherie Blair Foundation, which Mrs Blair runs, who offered to do this. Dr. Thein-Lemelson has clarified that the photos were not forwarded to this staff member in time for it to be tweeted by her.
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