05/11/2021, 17.20
MYANMAR
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Aung San Suu Kyi to appear before a court on 24 May

by Francis Khoo Thwe

Her lawyers have not been able to meet her in private. Her trial is designed to undermine popular support for her. Meanwhile, junta violence continues with 781 killed and 3,843 arrested.

Yangon (AsiaNews) – Democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s first court appearance is set for 24 May.

On the day the military that ousted her on 1 February, she was placed under house arrest and accused, without any evidence, of strange offences, from not wearing a mask at a rally and owning walkie-talkies to corruption.

A hearing via video link was held yesterday, but her first real moment in court will come on 24 May.

One of Aung San Suu Kyi's lawyers, Khin Maung Zaw, said that “the Lady”, as she is popularly known, is fine. But her legal team have not yet been able to meet her but they hope the police will allow them to consult with their client before the hearing.

Aung San Suu Kyi has led the National League for Democracy (NDL) for decades. The party won last November's parliamentary elections, threatening the power the military had over parliament and society.

The coup d'état was designed to ward off this danger for the foreseeable future. Her trial is meant to undermine her following among ordinary Myanmar people.

However, since the coup, practically all protest against the junta have always included calls for her release and that of President Win Myint, who was also arrested in the early hours of the military takeover.

Meanwhile, the junta is also trying to break the resistance by cracking down against protesters and pro-democracy activists arresting and killing people on a daily basis.

According to the Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners, the junta has killed 781 people as of last night, including scores of children and teenagers, and made 3,843 arrests.

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