Myanmar's former de facto civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi appeared in court for the first time since a military coup pushed the country into turmoil.
Aung Saan Suu Kyi has been detained since early February
Myanmar's ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi appeared in court on Monday to face a change of "incitement to sedition," her lawyers said.
Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest and had not been seen in public since the February 1 military coup that overthrew her government.
What happened in court?
Lawyer Thae Maung Maung told Reuters news agency that Suu Kyi looked in good health and held a face-to-face meeting with her legal team for about 30 minutes before the court hearing.
In recent weeks, the 75-year-old answered questions in court by video link. Her lawyers had not been able to meet her in person.
"She said she was praying for everyone to get well. She said the party was formed for the people, so it will exist as long as the people exist," Frontier Myanmar quoted Suu Kyi's lawyer as saying
The head of Myanmar’s military-appointed election commission recently said his agency was considering dissolving Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party for alleged involvement in electoral fraud.
According to Frontier Myannmar, the tightly controlled hearing also lasted just 30 minutes.
What are the charges against Suu Kyi?
Suu Kyi is accused of sedition, violating a state secrets law and breaking coronavirus containment measures among other charges.
In February, Myanmar's junta amended the country's colonial-era sedition law, increasing the penalty for the crime from three years to a minimum of seven years and up 20 years in jail, according to The Irrawaddy news outlet.
Violation of Myanmar's Official Secrets Act could lead to a prison sentence of up to 14 years.
Myanmar crackdown leads to deaths, arrests and displaced people
A special courtroom had been set up for Monday hearing in the capital Naypyidaw, not far from Suu Kyi's home, her lawyer Min Min Soe told German news agency dpa.
Her lawyers reject the case against her, claiming the charges are trumped-up.
What is the situation in Myanmar?
Despite fierce reprisal by security forces, anti-coup protests continue across Myanmar, demanding the release of political detainees, including Suu Kyi.
At least 818 people have been killed so far in crackdowns on anti-coup protests, according to the Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners (AAPP) monitoring group.
AAPP said nearly 5,400 people had been arrested since the coup.
The junta claims the coup was in response to electoral fraud in the November election.
Myanmar's ousted lawmakers formed a shadow government, which the junta later designated a terrorist group.
The coup also triggered unrest as Myanmar's ethnic rebel groups strongly opposed the military takeover.
Myanmar's Suu Kyi defiant in first comments since coup
Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been detained since a February 1 coup and faces a litany of charges from the ruling junta
Issued on: 24/05/2021
Yangon (AFP)
Detained Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday voiced defiance in her first public comments since being held in a coup, vowing her ousted political party would "exist as long as the people exist."
Myanmar has been in uproar since the February 1 putsch, with near-daily protests and a nationwide civil disobedience movement. More than 800 people have been killed by the military, according to a local monitoring group.
In her first in-person court appearance, Suu Kyi told her lawyer her National League for Democracy would "exist as long as the people exist," even as the junta threatens to dissolve the party -- which swept elections in 2020 -- over alleged voter fraud.
The Nobel laureate -- who had not been seen in public since the coup -- sounded "healthy and fully confident" during the 30-minute meeting, her lawyer Min Min Soe told AFP.
"She wishes her people to stay healthy as well as affirmed the NLD will exist as long as people exist because it was founded for people," she added.
Suu Kyi has been hit with a string of criminal charges including flouting coronavirus restrictions during last year's election campaign and possessing unlicensed walkie-talkies.
There was a heavy security presence in the capital Naypyidaw, an AFP correspondent said, with the road to the specially-constructed courthouse blocked off by police trucks.
Suu Kyi had faced weeks of delays to her legal case and her lawyers had struggled to gain access to their client.
The next hearing was set for June 7, Min Min Soe said, adding she had also met with former president Win Myint, who was ousted and detained along with Suu Kyi.
- 'Everything she can' -
Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing gave a two-hour interview to Hong Kong's Phoenix Television last week, with the full programme yet to air, though portions have been released.
Asked about Suu Kyi's political achievements, the military leader said: "In short, she has done everything she can."
A group of ousted lawmakers -- many of them previously part of the NLD -- have formed a shadow "National Unity Government" in an attempt to undermine the junta.
The military has declared the group would be classified as "terrorists".
In a separate interview excerpt, Min Aung Hlaing disputed the death toll from anti-coup protests and said the junta was not ready to adopt a consensus brokered by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to halt violence.
The continuing violence has pushed some in the anti-junta movement to form a so-called "People's Defence Force" (PDF) in their own townships -- made up of civilians who fight back against security forces with homemade weapons.
Sunday saw heavy fighting between junta forces and the Karenni National Progressive Party -- an ethnic armed group with a stronghold in Kayah state on Myanmar's eastern fringe.
The military used tanks, mortars and helicopters in fighting which continued into Sunday night, according to a senior KNPP leader.
Four people taking refuge in a church were killed in army shelling, according to media and a spokesperson for a local group coordinating evacuations from the area.
© 2021 AFP
Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been detained since a February 1 coup and faces a litany of charges from the ruling junta Issued on: 24/05/2021
Yangon (AFP)
Detained Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday voiced defiance in her first public comments since being held in a coup, vowing her ousted political party would "exist as long as the people exist."
Myanmar has been in uproar since the February 1 putsch, with near-daily protests and a nationwide civil disobedience movement. More than 800 people have been killed by the military, according to a local monitoring group.
In her first in-person court appearance, Suu Kyi told her lawyer her National League for Democracy would "exist as long as the people exist," even as the junta threatens to dissolve the party -- which swept elections in 2020 -- over alleged voter fraud.
The Nobel laureate -- who had not been seen in public since the coup -- sounded "healthy and fully confident" during the 30-minute meeting, her lawyer Min Min Soe told AFP.
"She wishes her people to stay healthy as well as affirmed the NLD will exist as long as people exist because it was founded for people," she added.
Suu Kyi has been hit with a string of criminal charges including flouting coronavirus restrictions during last year's election campaign and possessing unlicensed walkie-talkies.
There was a heavy security presence in the capital Naypyidaw, an AFP correspondent said, with the road to the specially-constructed courthouse blocked off by police trucks.
Suu Kyi had faced weeks of delays to her legal case and her lawyers had struggled to gain access to their client.
The next hearing was set for June 7, Min Min Soe said, adding she had also met with former president Win Myint, who was ousted and detained along with Suu Kyi.
- 'Everything she can' -
Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing gave a two-hour interview to Hong Kong's Phoenix Television last week, with the full programme yet to air, though portions have been released.
Asked about Suu Kyi's political achievements, the military leader said: "In short, she has done everything she can."
A group of ousted lawmakers -- many of them previously part of the NLD -- have formed a shadow "National Unity Government" in an attempt to undermine the junta.
The military has declared the group would be classified as "terrorists".
In a separate interview excerpt, Min Aung Hlaing disputed the death toll from anti-coup protests and said the junta was not ready to adopt a consensus brokered by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to halt violence.
The continuing violence has pushed some in the anti-junta movement to form a so-called "People's Defence Force" (PDF) in their own townships -- made up of civilians who fight back against security forces with homemade weapons.
Sunday saw heavy fighting between junta forces and the Karenni National Progressive Party -- an ethnic armed group with a stronghold in Kayah state on Myanmar's eastern fringe.
The military used tanks, mortars and helicopters in fighting which continued into Sunday night, according to a senior KNPP leader.
Four people taking refuge in a church were killed in army shelling, according to media and a spokesperson for a local group coordinating evacuations from the area.
© 2021 AFP
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