Amnesty International has withdrawn its Ambassador of Conscience award from Aung San Suu Kyi, citing her “shameful betrayal of the values she once stood for”.

The secretary-general of Amnesty, Kumi Naidoo, released a letter saying the organisation could “no longer justify this honour”.

The letter said Suu Kyi had been presented the award nine years ago when she had stood “as a symbol of hope, courage and the undying defence of human rights” and the expectation was for her to “continue to use her moral authority to speak out against injustice”. Amnesty said it was “alarmed and disappointed” by Suu Kyi’s overlooking and excusing of the “brutal oppression and crimes against humanity committed by the military against the Rohingya and against minorities in Kachin and northern Shan States, and your office has actively shielded the military from international scrutiny and accountability. We have been appalled to witness your administration spread hate narratives against minorities, fostering rather than challenging discrimination and hostility. As an organisation which campaigned tirelessly for your release—and the release of all prisoners of conscience in Myanmar—we are dismayed that your government has not only failed to repeal or amend repressive laws but has actively used them to curb freedom of expression, and arrest and imprison human rights defenders, journalists and other peaceful activists.”

The brutal crackdown on the Rohingyas in Myanmar began last August. Amnesty’s withdrawal of its award from Suu Kyi follows a series of others which have also been withdrawn, including the US Holocaust Museum’s Elie Weisel Award and the Freedom of the City awards, which were revoked by Newcastle, Oxford, Glasgow and Edinburgh.