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Suu Kyi files challenge to Myanmar dissolution of opposition party

By Sarah Miley

[JURIST] Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] filed an appeal Tuesday in Myanmar's Supreme Court challenging the dissolution of her opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) [party website] under a controversial election law [JURIST report]. Suu Kyi is asking the court to annul the part of the election law that bars political prisoners [JURIST report] from participating in elections and also to establish a parliament of lawmakers who won in the 1990 elections. Myanmar's military government formally abolished [BBC report] the NLD in May for failing to register for elections, which will take place in November. Suu Kyi originally filed suit with the court in April, but her claim was rejected [JURIST report]. The NLD is boycotting the upcoming elections on the basis of corruption.

In March, the NLD announced that it would not take part in the nation's first elections in 20 years after the Myanmar Supreme Court rejected [JURIST reports] a lawsuit brought by the NLD to repeal the election laws preventing Suu Kyi from participating. Myanmar also faced a bevy of criticism that month, with the UN Human Rights Council [official website] adopting a resolution [A/HRC/13/L.15 materials] condemning the country for rights violations and urging [JURIST report] the ruling junta to conduct fair and free elections. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon [official website] said that Myanmar's election laws do not meet international standards [JURIST report], and Human Rights Watch [advocacy website] has said [press release] "[the new law] continues the sham political process that is aimed at creating the appearance of civilian rule with a military spine."

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on October 06, 2010 (boomark / email).