JURIST - Paper Chase: Myanmar court rejects three Suu Kyi defense witnesses

[JURIST] The Myanmar court hearing the trial of pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] has rejected the defense's request to call four witnesses. While the prosecution has been allowed to call 14 witnesses, Suu Kyi's lawyers will only be permitted one defense witness [BBC report], who is scheduled to testify Thursday. Suu Kyi's lawyers believe that the decision by the court indicates the end of the trial is near, merely nine days after it began [JURIST report]. If convicted of breaking the terms of her house arrest, Suu Kyi faces up to five years in prison.

News of Suu Kyi's trial has been met with criticism from numerous agencies and governments around the world. Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] has called the charges [HRW report] against Suu Kyi, "trumped up." The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand [official website, in English] released a statement through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations calling for the immediate release of Suu Kyi [statement, PDF], a call echoed by US President Barack Obama [official statement].

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