WUNRN
Office of UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights - Press Release
MYANMAR/BURMA: CALL FOR OPEN &
FAIR TRIAL FOR AUNG SAN SUU KYI
16 Jun 2009
Source: Reuters
*
Myanmar govt urged to ensure open and fair trial
* UN panel already ruled her house
arrest arbitrary
By Stephanie Nebehay
GENEVA, June 16 (Reuters) - U.N.
investigators said on Tuesday the trial of Myanmar opposition leader Aung San
Suu Kyi flouted international standards and urged the country's military rulers
to ensure it was open and fair.
In a strongly worded joint
statement, the five human rights investigators noted a U.N. panel issued an
advisory ruling a year ago that the Nobel laureate's continued house arrest was
arbitrary.
The trial of Suu Kyi and of American
John Yettaw, whose uninvited visit to her home last month was deemed a breach
of her house arrest, is set to resume on June 26.
"The five experts called upon
the authorities of Myanmar to allow the justice system to function in an
independent and impartial manner, so as to guarantee an open and fair trial for
the defendants, and to grant unfettered media access," the joint statement
said.
Suu Kyi says the trial is
politically motivated to keep her in detention during next year's multi-party
elections.
"So far, the trial of Aung San
Suu Kyi and her aides has been marred by flagrant violations of substantive and
procedural rights," said Leandro Despouy, the U.N. special rapporteur on
the independence of judges and lawyers.
"Transparency in the
administration of justice is a pre-requisite of any state governed by the rule
of law," added Despouy, an Argentine lawyer.
All witnesses with relevant evidence
must be allowed to testify, he said. Only one witness called by the defence had
been permitted to give evidence so far, although a second has been granted
permission, compared with 14 called for the prosecution.
The trial had mostly been conducted
behind closed doors and the media were prevented from speaking to the defence
lawyers, according to the statement issued in Geneva.
"National and international
media should be granted full access to the trial," said Frank La Rue, U.N.
special rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression.
The U.N. working group on arbitrary
detention declared arbitrary her house arrest after May 2008. Chairwoman
Manuela Carmena Castrilo said on Tuesday this meant "Aung San Suu Kyi
needs to be released immediately and unconditionally".
Suu Kyi faces up to five years in
prison if found guilty of violating her house arrest after Yettaw swam across
Inya lake and stayed for two nights at her Yangon home. (Editing by Andrew
Dobbie)
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