Aung San Suu Kyi AFP
Myanmar’s
deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi will appear in court via video conference this
week over charges brought against her by the new military junta, her lawyer
said on Monday.
Army
chief General Min Aung Hlaing has justified the February 1 coup by alleging
widespread voter fraud in November’s elections, which Suu Kyi’s National League
for Democracy (NLD) party swept.
Two
days after the putsch, the 75-year-old Nobel laureate was hit with the unusual
charge of violating Myanmar’s import and export law, after a search of her
house found walkie-talkies.
President
Win Myint, who like Suu Kyi, was detained in a dawn raid on February 1, was
charged with violating coronavirus restrictions when he took part in a campaign
event last September that drew hundreds.
Both are expected to be questioned on Tuesday and Wednesday, said lawyer Khin Maung Zaw outside a court in Naypyidaw, Myanmar’s capital, after a meeting with a judge. “When they are brought to the court on both February 16 and 17, they will be questioned via video-conferencing,” he said.
Neither has been publicly seen since the coup, though Suu Kyi’s party has heard that she is “in good health.” Their detention period is set to end on Wednesday, said the lawyer, who has not been allowed to meet his clients yet. He added that he would also be expected to represent Win Htein, a top NLD executive who was arrested after the coup.
Suu
Kyi’s right-hand man and confidante, Win Htein, was interviewed by local media
post-coup, calling on the people of Myanmar to “oppose (the coup) as much as
they can.”
The 79-year-old NLD stalwart has been charged with defamation, said Khin Maung Zaw. “We are trying our best to meet with them,” he said, referring to the trio.
Since the coup, about 400 people have been detained, according to the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners monitoring group. While many arrested were political supporters of Suu Kyi, authorities are also stepping up detentions of civilians taking part in nationwide protests against the military junta. Security forces last week staged a late-night raid of the NLD headquarters in Yangon, confiscating computer devices, cutting server cables and breaking into the party’s safe.
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