Demonstrators set up barriers during a protest in Mandalay, Myanmar, on Sunday opposing the military's government takeover on February 1.
Photo by Xiao Long/UPI | License Photo
March 1 (UPI) -- The Myanmar military filed two new criminal charges Monday against detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, on the one-month anniversary of the coup that removed her and the president from power.
One of the new charges says Suu Kyi violated a law that makes it illegal to repeat "any statement, rumor or report" that will likely induce the public to "commit an offense against the state." The second blames her for using restricted communication equipment without a license.
Both charges were announced at a remote video hearing Monday, at which Suu Kyi made her first public appearance since the Feb. 1 military takeover.
"She said at the hearing that she wanted to meet with her lawyer," Min Min Soe, a member of Suu Kyi legal team, told Myanmar Now. "The judge told her that he is working on it.
RELATED Myanmar police crack down on protests; U.N. ambassador denounces coup
Ousted Myanmar President Win Myint was also charged for making illegal statements.
The new charges add to the case against Suu Kyi. Previously, she'd been charged with violating a disaster management law by interacting with a crowd and import violations for possessing two-way radios.
The charges came a day after the United Nations condemned the military junta's violence against protesters. Nearly two dozen were killed on Sunday in demonstrations nationwide.
"The people of Myanmar have the right to assemble peacefully and demand the restoration of democracy," U.N. Human Rights Office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said in a statement. "These fundamental rights must be respected by the military and police, not met with violent and bloody repression.
"Use of lethal force against non-violent demonstrators is never justifiable under international human rights norms."
The United Nations, United States and several other nations have condemned the military's takeover in Myanmar, which was based on the claim that parliamentary elections last fall were fraudulent. Suu Kyi's party picked up great gains in the election.
March 1 (UPI) -- The Myanmar military filed two new criminal charges Monday against detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, on the one-month anniversary of the coup that removed her and the president from power.
One of the new charges says Suu Kyi violated a law that makes it illegal to repeat "any statement, rumor or report" that will likely induce the public to "commit an offense against the state." The second blames her for using restricted communication equipment without a license.
Both charges were announced at a remote video hearing Monday, at which Suu Kyi made her first public appearance since the Feb. 1 military takeover.
"She said at the hearing that she wanted to meet with her lawyer," Min Min Soe, a member of Suu Kyi legal team, told Myanmar Now. "The judge told her that he is working on it.
RELATED Myanmar police crack down on protests; U.N. ambassador denounces coup
Ousted Myanmar President Win Myint was also charged for making illegal statements.
The new charges add to the case against Suu Kyi. Previously, she'd been charged with violating a disaster management law by interacting with a crowd and import violations for possessing two-way radios.
The charges came a day after the United Nations condemned the military junta's violence against protesters. Nearly two dozen were killed on Sunday in demonstrations nationwide.
"The people of Myanmar have the right to assemble peacefully and demand the restoration of democracy," U.N. Human Rights Office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said in a statement. "These fundamental rights must be respected by the military and police, not met with violent and bloody repression.
"Use of lethal force against non-violent demonstrators is never justifiable under international human rights norms."
The United Nations, United States and several other nations have condemned the military's takeover in Myanmar, which was based on the claim that parliamentary elections last fall were fraudulent. Suu Kyi's party picked up great gains in the election.
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