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Myanmar high court rejects Suu Kyi appeal of house arrest extension

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Myanmar's Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the latest appeal by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi against the extension of her house arrest. The court heard Suu Kyi's latest appeal to the 18-month extension last month. Suu Kyi appealed to the supreme court in November after a lower court found her guilty of violating the terms of her house arrest when she allowed an American to stay with her after he swam across a lake to her home. Suu Kyi's lawyer, Nyan Win, said that he will file one final appeal after learning the reasons for the court's decision. He has argued that the extension to Suu Kyi's arrest is based on provisions of the now-defunct 1974 constitution. Suu Kyi's detention in her compound in Yangon will prohibit her from competing in this year's elections as a member of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party. Suu Kyi, who has been in prison or under house arrest for 14 of the past 20 years, will be released in November, according to a government official, likely after the elections have taken place. The Myanmar Supreme Court agreed to hear Suu Kyi's case in December after an unsuccessful October appeal to the Divisional Court in Rangoon. In addition to rejecting the appeal, the lower court ruled that Suu Kyi herself would be barred from attending the proceedings.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on February 26, 2010 (boomark / email).