[JURIST] UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Paulo Sergio Pinheiro [official profile] told reporters at the end of a five-day visit [JURIST report] to Myanmar [JURIST news archive] Thursday that he was able to meet with a number of prominent political prisoners, but that his request to meet with opposition leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi [JURIST news archive] was denied by the ruling junta. Pinheiro was in Myanmar to investigate allegations of abuse related to September's crackdown on pro-democracy protests [JURIST report], which resulted in at least 10 deaths and the detention of at least 3,000 activists [JURIST report]. Among the detainees Pinheiro was able to speak with was prominent labor activist Su Su Nwe [AHRC materials], who was arrested Tuesday [JURIST report] while posting a leaflet outside of Pinheiro's hotel.

Pinheiro said was satisfied with the level of cooperation he was afforded by the junta, but AP reported that he privately told diplomats that he was unable to accurately determine the number of people detained and killed during the recent uprising. The junta says that only 10 deaths occurred during the protests, but dissident groups say the number is really in the hundreds or perhaps thousands [CBC report]. AP has more.