[JURIST] A convention convened by the government of Myanmar [JURIST news archive] to establish guidelines for the eventual drafting of a new national constitution [JURIST news archive] completed work at its final session [JURIST report] Friday as international pressure increased for the government to release demonstrators [JURIST report] arrested last week for participating in a peaceful protest against a recent rise in fuel prices. The convention, criticized for being dominated by the military junta that named most of its members and excluded pro-democracy activists like Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi [advocacy website; JURIST news archive], will formally complete its work Monday. It is not yet clear who will draft the actual constitution or how that process will occur, but the Myanmar government has pledged to put the resulting document to a vote in a national referendum.

Myanmar has been governed without a constitution since the military regime took power in 1988. Talks on a new national charter have been underway for 14 years. AP has more.