The Wire

The world’s most high profile political prisoner, Aung San Suu Kyi is due for release this week. In May 2003, the Nobel Peace prize laureate was charged with violating Burma’s State Protection Law and was placed under house arrest. Now the legislation’s maximum five year detention period is up and her US-based lawyer believes any further extensions are a violation of the Burmese Junta’s own draconian laws. Although the world eyes’ are firmly focused on the cyclone-ravaged Asian state, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon looks unlikely to press the issue just yet, instead insisting politics should take a back seat to the humanitarian effort.