Sun 28 November 2021:
On Tuesday, ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi will hear the verdict in her incitement trial, the first in a series of rulings by a junta court that could send her to prison for decades.
Since the generals deposed her government in the early hours of February 1, ending the Southeast Asian country’s brief democratic period, the Nobel laureate has been detained.
According to a local monitoring group, more than 1,200 people have been killed and over 10,000 have been arrested in a crackdown on dissent.
If found guilty of incitement against the military, Suu Kyi faces three years in prison, just one of the charges that analysts say are aimed at permanently removing the democracy icon from politics.
However, they add that the junta’s plans for Suu Kyi are unknown, and authorities could also postpone the verdict.
Journalists have been barred from the special court in Naypyidaw, the military-built capital, and her lawyers have been forbidden from speaking to the media.
Suu Kyi was charged with possessing unlicensed walkie-talkies and violating coronavirus restrictions during elections her National League for Democracy (NLD) won in 2020, just days after the coup.
The junta has steadily added to its list of charges, including official secrets violations, corruption, and electoral fraud.
Suu Kyi now appears in the junta courtroom most weekdays, with her legal team claiming last month that the 76-year-health old’s was suffering as a result of her hectic schedule.
(with agency)
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