Burma-Supreme Court Hears Final Suu Kyi Appeal Arguments
Burma’s Supreme Court in Naypyidaw heard final defense arguments on Friday in the appeal by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi against her extended house arrest.
The three-hour hearing took place before Burma’s Chief Justice, Aung Toe, said Tin Oo, Vice Chairman of the disbanded National League for Democracy (NLD).
Tin Oo said no judgment was delivered, but he expected it to come next week.
Suu Kyi’s current term of house arrest is due to end on Nov. 13, less than one week after the Nov. 7 election.
The Nobel Prize laureate first appealed against her 15-month sentence before the Rangoon divisional court last September. The court rejected her appeal.
On Dec. 21, Suu Kyi’s lawyers lodged an appeal with the Supreme Court.
Suu Kyi was initially sentenced to three years in prison with hard labor after being convicted of violating the terms of her house arrest by briefly sheltering an uninvited American intruder, John W. Yettaw, in her home in May 2009.
That sentence was commuted to 18 months house arrest by junta chief Snr-Gen Than Shwe who intervened personally at the conclusion of the trial which most analysts labeled a farce.
Suu Kyi has been detained for more than 14 of the past 20 years.
In the defense appeal, Nyan Win argued that Suu Kyi’s house arrest extension was unlawful as it was based on provisions from the 1974 Constitution which was no longer in effect. But government lawyers countered that the 1974 Constitution can still be cited since it was not officially abolished, Nyan Win said.
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