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Myanmar high court dismisses Suu Kyi appeal over party dissolution

By Andrea Bottorff

[JURIST] The Myanmar Special Appellant Court dismissed an appeal Friday filed by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] challenging the government's dissolution of her National League of Democracy (NLD) [party website]. The dismissal effectively exhausts Suu Kyi's ability to appeal and bars her from official political recognition [BBC report] in the country. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a special appeal [AFP report] from Suu Kyi, despite dismissing the case [JURIST report] twice last year. Suu Kyi sought to reverse the government's decision to formally abolish the party [BBC report] after it had failed to register for elections. A lawyer for NLD said that they have still have one last appeal [Mizzima report] to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, but it unclear if the party will make the appeal.

Suu Kyi originally filed the suit in November and April [JURIST reports], but both claims were dismissed. She had asked 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. The dissolution of the party was seen as political move by the military government in order to keep the NLD from participating in Myanmar's 2010 elections, the first in 20 years. Suu Kyi was released [JURIST report] following the controversial elections [JURIST report] last November after almost eight years of house arrest. Her release came days after the Myanmar Supreme Court rejected an appeal [JURIST report] challenging the conditions of her house arrest.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on January 28, 2011 (boomark / email).