JURIST - Paper Chase: Myanmar junta to detain democracy activist Suu Kyi for another year

[JURIST] The ruling junta of Myanmar Tuesday extended the house arrest of democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] for another year, a decision that has angered and frustrated many in the international community. Suu Kyi's detention was set to expire at midnight Tuesday, although the military government was widely expected to issue the extension. The extension is said to violate a Myanmar law that bars the government from detaining a person for over five years without trial. The Globe and Mail has more.

Suu Kyi, the leader of the National League for Democracy, has spent 11 of the past 17 years in prison or under house arrest for alleged violations of an anti-subversion law [text]. Last year, the military government had implied that she might be released [JURIST report] after the country's new constitution was approved. Earlier this month, the junta announced that Myanmar's draft constitution [JURIST news archive] had been overwhelmingly approved [JURIST report] in a national referendum after two rounds of voting with 92 percent of votes cast favoring the proposed charter and 98 percent of the country's 27 million eligible voters turning out.

For a one-stop snapshot of the latest legal news that matters, with breaking documents, new legal videos, live law-related webcasts, commentary by expert law professors and more - all updated through the day in real time, with no ads and no registration barriers - visit JURIST's homepage and check back often...