Myanmar junta court postpones verdict in Suu Kyi incitement trial

 

A court in Myanmar delays its verdict in the trial of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to allow testimony from an additional witness, a senior member of her political party.

Ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi faces trials on a series of charges, including incitement, violating coronavirus restrictions, and corruption, that could send her to prison for dozens of years if convicted. (Reuters Archive)

A Myanmar junta court has postponed giving a verdict in the incitement trial of ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The court adjourned the verdict "until December 6," to allow testimony from an additional witness, Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, according to a legal official on Tuesday.

The legal official spoke on condition of anonymity because the government has restricted the release of information about the trial. 

The court was to deliver a verdict on Tuesday on charges of incitement and violating coronavirus restrictions against Suu Kyi, who has rejected the charges.

The Nobel laureate faces three years in prison if found guilty of incitement against the military, as well as a catalogue of other charges that could see her jailed for decades.

Journalists have been barred from proceedings in the special court in the military-built capital Naypyidaw and Suu Kyi's lawyers were recently banned from speaking to the media.

Harsh sentences

The 76-year-old Suu Kyi has been detained since the generals ousted her government in the early hours of February 1, ending Myanmar's brief democratic interlude.

In recent weeks, the trials of other ranking members of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy have wrapped up, with the junta doling out harsh sentences.

A former chief minister was sentenced to 75 years in jail earlier this month, while a close Suu Kyi aide was jailed for 20.

The cases are widely seen as contrived to discredit Suu Kyi and keep her from running in the next election.

Her party won a landslide victory in last November’s general election. The army, whose allied party lost many seats, claimed there was massive voting fraud, but independent election observers did not detect any major irregularities.

The constitution bars anyone sentenced to prison from holding high office or becoming a lawmaker.

 Source: TRTWorld and agencies

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(With input from news agency language)

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