DEMOCRACY leader Aung San Suu Kyi was under house arrest in Burma when she was awarded the Freedom of the City by Oxford City Council 15 years ago.

Her son, Kim Aris, picked up the rare honour on her behalf, from then Lord Mayor Bill Baker, on December 15, 1997.

Now, during her visit to Oxford next week, the Nobel Peace Prize winner will finally be able to pick up the award in person.

On Tuesday, the chairman of the Burmese National League for Democracy will arrive back in the city she left in June 1988.

The following day, she will be presented with her Freedom scroll from Lord Mayor Alan Armitage at a ceremony at St Hugh’s College, where she studied in the 1960s.

Mr Armitage said: “Aung San Suu Kyi is a great hero to so many people, particularly in Oxford where she lived for many years.

“She has mentioned her love of Oxford on frequent occasions, and it will be a great joy to present her with the certificate confirming the Freedom of the City.

“Her stalwart fight to bring freedom and democracy to her country has been a model of peaceful progress despite all adversity, when all but a few of us would have given up in despair.”

Former Lord Mayor Mr Baker, who presented the Freedom award to her then 20-year-old son at Oxford Town Hall, added: “It was a great honour to give this status to such a remarkable woman.”

At the ceremony, Mr Aris read a letter from his mother which described the award as a “precious gift”.

She wrote: “It feels strange to think that it is only now, when I am not in a position to be there, that I have been given the freedom of the city where I have always known such freedom.”

Other recipients of the award include former athlete Sir Roger Bannister, Nelson Mandela, Inspector Morse writer Colin Dexter and Philip Pullman, author of the best-selling His Dark Materials trilogy.

Getting the Freedom of the City is an honorary award, and offers recipients the right to attend council meetings and ceremonial occasions, including civic church services.

The democracy leader will also receive an honorary doctorate in civil law at the university’s Encaenia ceremony on Wednesday.

She was originally given the honour in 1993, but was also unable to receive it in person.

Aung San Suu Kyi studied philosophy, politics and economics at St Hugh’s College from 1964-67.

After graduating, she worked in New York and Bhutan, before settling in Oxford with her husband, the Tibet scholar Michael Aris. She returned to Burma to care for her sick mother in 1988.

Mr Aris, who lived in Park Town, died of cancer at the age of 53 in 1999. The couple have two sons, Alexander and Kim.

Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest in November 2010 and in April was elected to parliament in Burma.

She left Burma yesterday to embark on her tour of Europe and is scheduled to return by the end of the month, in time to attend the July 4 reconvening of parliament.