Myanmar court postponed verdict in Aung Suu Kyi’s trial

According to a source familiar with the case, Aung San Suu Kyi’s trial for illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies was again postponed on Monday by a Myanmar junta court.

Since the generals staged a coup against her government on February 1, ending the Southeast Asian country’s brief period of democracy, the Nobel laureate has been detained.

According to a local monitoring group, nationwide protests against the putsch have resulted in a bloody crackdown, with over 1,300 people killed and over 11,000 arrested.

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Suu Kyi, 76, was set to hear the verdict on charges of illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies, the latest in a string of junta court rulings that could land her in prison for the rest of her life.

However, the judge postponed the decision until January 10, according to an AFP source familiar with the case.

Suu Kyi was sentenced to four years in prison earlier this month for inciting violence against the military and violating Covid restrictions, in a decision that was widely condemned by the international community.

Min Aung Hlaing, the head of the Junta, later commuted the sentence to two years and said she would serve it under house arrest in the capital, Naypyidaw.

Suu Kyi faced three years in prison if found guilty of the walkie-talkie charges, which stem from a raid on her home by soldiers and police in the early hours of the coup, where she was allegedly found in possession of the contraband equipment.

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Suu Kyi is also accused of multiple counts of corruption, each of which carries a 15-year prison sentence, as well as violating the official secrets act.

Journalists are not allowed to attend the special court hearings in Naypyidaw, and her lawyers have recently been prohibited from speaking to the media.