Aung San Suu Kyi

The highest court in military-ruled Burma dismissed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s latest bid for freedom earlier today, turning down an appeal to end 14 years of house arrest.

The Supreme Court’s decision had been expected since legal rulings in Burma rarely favour opposition activists.

Defence lawyer Nyan Win said he would launch one final “special appeal” before the court after determining why the earlier appeal had been rejected. “The court order did not mention any reasons,” he said.

Diplomats from Britain, Australia, France and the United States attended the hearing.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was “appalled and saddened” that the appeal had been denied.

“From start to end, the sole purpose of this show trial has been to prevent Daw Suu Kyi from taking part in elections,” Mr Brown said. “In my open letter to Aung San Suu Kyi in December, I said that this should be a historic year for Burma. Free, fair and genuinely inclusive elections would allow the country to move forward, to map a new path.

“But while she is kept out of political life and while over 2,100 other prisoners of conscience remain incarcerated, the regime’s elections will not gain recognition nor international legitimacy.”

Ms Suu Kyi’s lawyers appealed to the court last November after a lower court a month earlier upheld a decision to sentence her to 18 months of house arrest. She was convicted last August of violating the terms of her previous detention by briefly sheltering an American who swam to her lakeside home.

The 64-year-old democracy icon was initially sentenced to three years in prison with hard labour in a trial that drew global condemnation, but that sentence was immediately commuted to 18 months of house arrest by junta chief Senior General Than Shwe.

Ms Suu Kyi has been detained for 14 years. Her National League for Democracy won elections in 1990 by a landslide, but the military, which has ruled Burma since 1962, refused to cede power.

The junta has announced it would hold elections some time this year under a constitution that would allow the military to maintain substantial power. Ms Suu Kyi’s party has not announced whether it would contest the elections.

The court ruling also denied freedom to two female companions who share Ms Suu Kyi’s house arrest. It comes nearly two weeks after the junta released Tin Oo, the 82-year-old deputy leader of Ms Suu Kyi’s party after nearly seven years in detention.

Burma has been widely criticized for its continued violation of human rights, including atrocities committed by its military against ethnic minority groups. Human rights groups say the junta holds 2,100 political prisoners.

During a meeting with her lawyers Thursday, Ms Suu Kyi jokingly asked them if she had been behaving well, as junta chief Than Shwe had said she could receive amnesty if she serves her time according to the prescribed regulations.

“Than Shwe already made the verdict for (Ms Suu Kyi) and no judge will have the nerve to change it,” said Aung Din, executive director of the US-based lobby group Campaign for Burma.

“The judiciary system in Burma is just a part of the regime’s oppressive mechanism,” he said. “The only way to make the release of (Ms Suu Kyi) and all political prisoners in Burma is to keep putting maximum pressure on Than Shwe and his cronies until they feel the heat.”