A Burmese court has agreed to hear an appeal from detained opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi against her criminal conviction last month for
violating her house arrest.
Her lawyer, Nyan Win, said Friday
that Rangoon's Division Court will hear the appeal on September 18. He
said he was satisfied with the court's decision to hear the appeal.
The
Nobel Peace laureate was convicted August 11 of violating state
security laws after giving shelter to American man who swam to her
lakeside Rangoon home uninvited in May. She was sentenced to 18 months
house detention.
Kyi Win says the appeal will focus on the
fact that her conviction is based on the 1974 state constitution, which
is no longer in effect.
The verdict was condemned by the
international community. Burma's ruling military junta was accused of
using the trial as an excuse to keep her out of next year's elections.
John
Yettaw says he swam to Aung San Suu Kyi's home to warn her about an
attempt on her life. He was sentenced to seven years of hard labor,
but was released by Burma's military junta last month after a visit
from U.S. Senator Jim Webb.
Aung San Suu Kyi has been in some form of detention for 14 of the past 20 years.
Her National League for Democracy party won elections in 1990, but the results were not accepted by the military regime.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
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