Myanmar Junta Court Postpones Suu Kyi Verdict For Second Time
By The Irrawaddy 27 December 2021
A junta court in Naypyitaw has again postponed giving a verdict in the trial of detained State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on two charges of the possession and illegal importation of walkie-talkies.
The verdict has now been postponed until January 10. Sources close to the court told The Irrawaddy that the judges gave no reason on Monday for delaying the verdict for the second time. The verdict was originally delayed from December 20 until Monday.
Earlier this month, the military regime sentenced Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to four years in prison, which was later halved to two years, on charges of incitement and breaches of COVID-19 regulations. It was the first verdict handed down since she was detained in the February 1 coup that overthrew the elected civilian National League for Democracy (NLD) government.
After the sentence, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi appeared in court wearing the prison uniform of a white top and brown longyi.
The two cases for the alleged illegal importation and possession of walkie-talkies under the Export and Import Law are among 10 others that she faces. If convicted for the two offences, she could be sentenced to up to four years in prison.
Junta forces raided Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s residence in Naypyitaw in the early morning of February 1 ahead of the coup, without a search warrant, and alleged that they found prohibited walkie-talkies on the premises.
Five police officers testified for the prosecution in the two cases. But their testimony of where and from whom they seized the walkie-talkies differed, according to sources close to the court.
On Monday, the court in the Myanmar capital Naypyitaw also heard video testimony from the ousted Mandalay chief minister Dr. Zaw Myint Maung, who is also a vice-chairman of the NLD, in another case alleging that the State Counselor broke COVID-19 rules during the 2020 general election campaign, when she visited NLD members in Naypyitaw’s Zabuthiri Township.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi faces a potential combined prison term of over 100 years on multiple charges, which are widely believed to be politically motivated and an attempt by the junta to exclude her from politics permanently.
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