Aung San Suu Kyi has been stripped of a prestigious award by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum over what it said was her failure to speak out against ethnic cleansing and genocide committed against a Muslim minority in her country.

Over the past 12 months there have been repeated reports of atrocities carried out against Myanmar’s Rohingya by the country’s military. Anywhere up to 700,000 people have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh.

The international community has repeatedly called on Ms Suu Kyi, the most powerful civilian leader in the country and a Nobel laureate to speak out about the murder and killings that the UN has described as a “text-book case” of ethnic cleansing. Myanmar's army has repeatedly denied allegations

The Burmese military, allied with armed Buddhist civilians, are alleged to have killed thousands of Rohingya in the western state of Rakhine since last August., although the army has repeatedly denied the allegations. The US has described Myanmar’s denials as “preposterous” and called on the UN security council to pressure MsSuu Kyi “to acknowledge these horrific acts”.

The Washington museum’s rescission of its Elie Wiesel Award to Ms Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner, is the latest honour to be retracted over her silence about widespread abuses against the Rohingya.

Ms Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy have refused to cooperate with United Nations investigators, fed hate attacks on the Rohingya and denied reporters access to areas where alleged abuses have taken place, the museum said in a letter to Ms Suu Kyi that was posted on its website.

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“Preventing genocide is at the core of our work every day. Based on inspiration that you created for millions around the world, with your long resistance to military dictatorship, and your advocacy for freedom and human rights for all the people of Myanmar, we were honoured to present you with the first Elie Wiesel Award in 2012,” it said.

“It is with great regret that we are now rescinding that award. We did not take this decision lightly.”

Wedding in a Rohingya refugee camp Show all 9 1 /9 Wedding in a Rohingya refugee camp Wedding in a Rohingya refugee camp Refugee children scuffle over free meals given away during a wedding party for Rohingya refugees Saddam Hussein, 23, and Shofika Begum, 18, at the Kutupalong camp near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh Reuters Wedding in a Rohingya refugee camp Women and children attend a wedding party for Rohingya refugees Saddam Hussein, 23, and Shofika Begum, 18, at the Kutupalong camp near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh Reuters Wedding in a Rohingya refugee camp Guests enjoy a wedding party for Rohingya refugees Saddam Hussein, 23, and Shofika Begum, 18, at the Kutupalong refugee camp near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh Reuters Wedding in a Rohingya refugee camp People attend a wedding party for Rohingya refugees Saddam Hussein, 23, and Shofika Begum, 18, at the Kutupalong camp near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh Reuters Wedding in a Rohingya refugee camp Guests dance during a wedding party for Rohingya refugees Saddam Hussein, 23, and Shofika Begum, 18, at the Kutupalong camp near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh Reuters Wedding in a Rohingya refugee camp A refugee tent is decorated by colourful blankets for the wedding ceremony of Rohingya refugees Saddam Hussein, 23, and Shofika Begum, 18, at the Kutupalong camp near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh Reuters Wedding in a Rohingya refugee camp Shofika Begum, 18, is helped with make-up by her brother's wife on the day she marries Saddam Hussein, 23, both Rohingya refugees, at Kutupalong refugee camp near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh Reuters Wedding in a Rohingya refugee camp Shofika Begum, 18, cries leaving a tent with her relatives as she is about to meet Saddam Hussein, 23, both Rohingya refugees, on their wedding day at the Kutupalong camp near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh Reuters Wedding in a Rohingya refugee camp An muslim cleric (R) performs a wedding ritual for Rohingya refugees Saddam Hussein (L), 23, and Shofika Begum, 18, who stays in a separate room, at the Kutupalong camp near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, December 11, 2017. The newly wed couple, both from the village of Foyra Bazar in Maungdaw township that was burnt by the Myanmar military, fled with their families and other Rohingya some three months ago, Saddam Hussein said. They knew each other from before escaping from Myanmar and were planning to get married but managed to do so only now, as refugees living in the overcrowded Kutupalong refugee camp Reuters

It added: “The National League for Democracy, under your leadership, has instead refused to cooperate with United Nations investigators, promulgated hateful rhetoric against the Rohingya community, and denied access to and cracked down on journalists trying to uncover the scope of the crimes in Rakhine State.

“We understand the difficult situation you must face in confronting decades of military misrule and violence in your country and that institution’s still powerful constitutional role.

“However, the military’s orchestration of the crimes against Rohingya and the severity of the atrocities in recent months demand that you use your moral authority to address this situation.”