The trial of ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi begins on Monday after the junta that toppled her elected government rejected criticism from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights over its use of lethal force to quell protesters.
A court surrounded by strict security measures was set up specifically for this purpose in the capital, Naypyidaw, which was built by the former military regime in the 1990s, amidst the forests. Read also An army addicted to power.. Why was Myanmar’s coup natural and expected? Myanmar’s coup.. The army receives the first UN call and cuts off the Internet in the country The fictitious state.. the untold story of brutal repression and military coups in Myanmar Nobel Peace Prize: A growing list of “doubtful” laureates
Sochi
“The court will hear the prosecution’s witnesses, Aung San Suu Kyi will not speak today,” one of her lawyers, Khin Maung Zaw, told AFP.
In a second trial, she will appear from Tuesday on charges of sedition alongside former President Win Myint.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military junta took power on February 1 and detained Sochi and other prominent members of her party, which led to daily protests and clashes between the armed forces and armed militias.
Sochi, 75, is due to appear in court today, Monday, accused of violating coronavirus laws while campaigning in the elections she won last November, and for possessing unlicensed walkie-talkies.
Her lawyer said the first trial was expected to last until the end of July.
Sochi – the Nobel Prize winner – also faces other, more serious charges, including intent to incite, breach of the Official Secrets Act, and charges of accepting $600,000 and 11.4 kilograms of gold from the former prime minister in Yangon.
outrageous use
Last Friday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said violence was escalating and condemned the army’s “outrageous” use of heavy weapons.
Bachelet said the junta has not shown any willingness to implement a five-point agreement agreed with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in April to stop the violence and start a dialogue with its opponents.
The Foreign Ministry, led by Myanmar’s junta, rejected Bachelet’s statement, questioning the report’s accuracy and impartiality.
“The report did not mention or condemn acts of sabotage and terrorism committed by illegal associations and terrorist groups, as well as the suffering of the security forces and the deaths among them,” she said.