The bill was passed by 400-0. Those that support the bill have said that the move to award Aung San Suu Kyi the Congressional Gold Medal is meant to send a message to the military leaders of Burma.
“We will continue to pressure the junta to release her and bring freedom… to the people of Burma,” said Joseph Crowley, one of the US Representatives.
Her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) had won the polls in 1990. But they were never allowed to take power. Ms. Suu Kyi was under house arrest for twelve years.
The bill to award Ms. Suu Kyi the Congressional Gold Medal is now being referred to the United States Senate. They too must back the measure if Ms. Suu Kyi is to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.
Over 300 individuals and groups have been awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. The first person to be awarded the medal was George Washington.
Originally, it was tended for military heroes. But it expanded towards non-military.
There have been non-Americans that received that medal including: Winston Churchill, Pope John Paul II, Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela, and the Dalai Lama.