The Hill News

President Obama hailed on Saturday the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, a political leader in Myanmar who'd been confined to house arrest until her release today.

The president released a statement after the government of Myanmar, formerly Burma, released Suu Kyi, the leader of the political opposition in the country, from almost seven and a half years of house arrest, according to the AP.

"While the Burmese regime has gone to extraordinary lengths to isolate and silence Aung San Suu Kyi, she has continued her brave fight for democracy, peace, and change in Burma," Obama said. "She is a hero of mine and a source of inspiration for all who work to advance basic human rights in Burma and around the world. The United States welcomes her long overdue release."

Suu Kyi is a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, and her release has been championed not only by the president, but other leaders in Congress and across the world.

Senate Minority ! Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), a critic of the military junta in control of Myanmar, praised Suu Kyi's release.

"Aung San Suu Kyi’s apparently unconditional release from confinement is the first positive news to come out of Burma in some time. That said, she has been released in the past only to be later detained on trumped-up charges," he said in a statement. "Whether the regime will tolerate her active participation in public discourse in Burma is the key question. Even if it turns out she is given freedom of movement and speech, her release should be viewed as a first step in Burmese reform and not the last.”