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Suu Kyi files final appeal of house arrest extension

By Daniel Makosky

[JURIST] Lawyers for pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] filed a final appeal in Myanmar's Supreme Court on Monday challenging the 18-month extension of her house arrest. The appeal requests that the court forward her case [AP report] to the Special Appellate Branch, a multi-judge panel that represents Suu Kyi's last means of legal recourse in the matter. Prior appeals to the supreme court in February and to a divisional court in October were rejected after a lower court found her guilty [JURIST reports] 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, has argued that the extension to her arrest is based on provisions of the now-defunct 1974 constitution.

Last month, Suu Kyi also filed suit before the Myanmar's Supreme Court to stop the dissolution of her opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) [party website] under a controversial election law [JURIST report]. Additionally, the claim seeks to annul the part of the election law that bars political prisoners [JURIST report] from participating in elections, which would prevent Suu Kyi from competing in this year's elections as she is not scheduled for release until November [JURIST report]. The suit also requests the establishment of a parliament of lawmakers who won in the 1990 elections. Suu Kyi has been in prison or under house arrest for 14 of the last 20 years.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on May 11, 2010 (boomark / email).