The trial of Myanmar’s deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi will begin next week, her lawyer said, with the Nobel laureate facing a raft of criminal charges including possessing unlicensed walkie-talkies and flouting coronavirus restrictions.

Her trial will start on June 14 and is expected to wrap up by July 26, her legal team told the AFP news agency on Monday.

Myanmar has been in chaos since the military seized power on February 1 and detained Aung San Suu Kyi and other elected leaders.

But the military has failed to impose control, with the takeover triggering near-daily protests and a nationwide civil disobedience movement. At least 849 people have been killed and 4,500 others detained.

Aung San Suu Kyi, 75, has meanwhile been held under house arrest in Myanmar’s capital, Naypyidaw, and appeared in public for the first time on May 24 when she attended a 30-minute court hearing.

Her lawyers have been allowed to meet with her just twice since she was placed under house arrest, with weeks of delays to her legal case.

“We will get testimonies from plaintiffs and witnesses starting from the next hearing,” lawyer Min Min Soe told AFP on Monday after meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyidaw.

The most serious of the charges she faces includes claims that she violated the country’s colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.

Aung San Suu Kyi “asked all (people) to stay in good health”, Min Min Soe added.

Source: Al Jazeera news

BDST: 1652 HRS, JUN 7, 2021
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