File photo of Aung San Suu Kyi at an event in Sydney. AFP
The trial of ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who faces a slew of allegations that may land her in prison for decades, was postponed on Tuesday by a Myanmar junta court.
Since the generals deposed her administration in the early hours of February 1, ending the Southeast Asian country's brief democratic period, the Nobel winner has been incarcerated.
According to a local monitoring group, more than 1,200 people have been murdered and over 10,000 have been detained in a crackdown on opposition.
According to a person familiar with the case, the court, which had been expecting to rule on her prosecution for inciting against the military — a crime that carries a three-year jail sentence – deferred the ruling "until December 6."
Suu Kyi's judgement on a second accusation of violating coronavirus prohibitions during elections won by her party last year, which carries a penalty of six months in prison or a fine, has been postponed until the same day.
Journalists have been forbidden from attending sessions in the military-built capital of Naypyidaw's special court, and Suu Kyi's attorneys have lately been barred from communicating to the media.
According to an AFP journalist, there was a large security presence on the streets leading to the court on Tuesday morning, and military were blocking the route to the parliament building.
It was a "bizarre delay," according to David Mathieson, a former Myanmar expert.
"As it's a farcical show trial, there are certainly more politically driving considerations behind this than judicial procedures," he added.
Charges' catalogue
Suu Kyi was charged with having unregistered walkie-talkies and breaking coronavirus prohibitions during elections her National League for Democracy (NLD) won in 2020, only days after the coup.
Since then, the junta has added a host of new charges, including official secrets violations, corruption, and election fraud.
Suu Kyi now appears in the junta courtroom most weekdays, with her legal team claiming last month that the 76-year-health old's was suffering as a result of her demanding schedule.
During her former junta's house arrests, she would appear in front of thousands of people on the other side of her garden gate at her family's colonial-era mansion in Yangon.
Min Aung Hlaing has been confined to a secret location in the capital, with her only contact with the outside world being brief pre-trial talks with her attorneys.
Other high-ranking members of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy have had their trials concluded in recent weeks, with the junta handing down heavy punishments.
Earlier this month, a former chief minister was sentenced to 75 years in prison, while a close Suu Kyi adviser was condemned to 20 years.
The military, which has ruled Myanmar for decades, has justified its power grab, citing charges of electoral fraud in last year's general election, which Suu Kyi's party easily won.
International pressure on the junta to quickly restore democracy has failed to sway the generals, and deadly skirmishes with anti-coup protestors continue across the country.
According to local media, some 20 anti-coup protestors marched in the heart of Yangon's business district on Tuesday, screaming slogans and torching a painting of junta head Min Aung Hlaing.
