Daily Times

A Myanmar junta court on Tuesday postponed giving a verdict in the trial of deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who faces a catalogue of charges that could see her jailed for decades. The Nobel laureate has been detained since the generals ousted her government in the early hours of February 1, ending the Southeast Asian country’s brief democratic interlude.

More than 1,200 people have been killed and over 10,000 arrested in a crackdown on dissent, according to a local monitoring group. The court, which had been expected to rule on her trial for incitement against the military — a charge that carries a three-year prison term — adjourned the verdict “until December 6,” said a source with knowledge of the case.

A verdict on a separate charge that Suu Kyi breached coronavirus restrictions during elections her party won last year — punishable by six months in jail or a fine — was deferred to the same date. 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. There was a heavy security presence on the streets leading to the court on Tuesday morning, an AFP correspondent said, and the road to the parliament building was blocked by troops.

David Mathieson, an analyst formerly based in Myanmar, told AFP it was a “bizarre postponement”. “There are obviously more politically motivated factors behind this than legal procedures as it’s a farcical show trial,” he said. Suu Kyi and ousted president Win Myint were hit with new corruption charges late Tuesday related to the purchase of a helicopter when they were in government, the junta’s information team said in a statement.

The statement did not provide details on when the charges — which carry a maximum sentence of 15 years in jail — would be brought to court. Days after the coup Suu Kyi was hit with obscure charges for possessing unlicensed walkie-talkies, and for violating coronavirus restrictions during elections her National League for Democracy (NLD) won in 2020. The junta has since added a slew of other indictments, including violating the official secrets act, corruption and electoral fraud. Suu Kyi now appears most weekdays at the junta courtroom, with her legal team saying last month the hectic schedule was taking a toll on the 76-year-old’s health.