Burmese Court Verdict Angers World

27 February 2010: A chorus of international condemnation has greeted the Burmese top court decision to reject an appeal by detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi against her continued incarceration.

The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement he is disappointed by the court ruling and insisted that the release of Suu Kyi and other political prisoners are essential steps towards reforms.

The verdict came amidst new hopes in the wake of the recent release of Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy deputy U Tin Oo from prison earlier this month.

Canada, which maintains one of the most stringent unilateral sanctions against Burma, was also quick to condemn the verdict, calling the decision short of international standards of due process.

“A complete disregard for the rule of law,” says Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon who calls Suu Kyi’s continued detention unjustified and politically motivated.

Canada says the decision to keep Suu Kyi under detention was a missed opportunity on the part of the Burmese regime to show its commitment to a credible and inclusive election.

Burma’s military junta is set to hold fresh elections later this year, which is widely seen as an attempt to legitimize continued military rule.

Meanwhile, an unnamed US State Department official was quoted as saying by the AFP that the United States condemns the results calling it a politically motivated act.

Suu Kyi was convicted of harboring an authorized visitor and violating her terms of house arrest when an American tourist showed up at her house uninvited in May last year.

Chinland Guardian