Myanmar coup: Aung San Suu Kyi appears in court to face fresh charges

Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi has been seen for the primary time since she was detained in a navy coup, after she appeared in court through video hyperlink.

The ousted chief appeared to be in “good health” and requested to see her authorized crew, her attorneys say.

Two new charges have been introduced in opposition to Ms Suu Kyi, who was arrested after the 1 February coup.

Meanwhile, protesters took to the streets once more regardless of Sunday seeing the deadliest day but with 18 killed.

The deaths got here because the navy and police ramped up their response to demonstrations throughout the South East Asian nation over the weekend, firing into the crowds.

But protesters defied the crackdown on Monday, demanding the elected authorities be restored and Ms Suu Kyi and different leaders of her get together, the National League for Democracy (NLD), be launched from detention.

The navy says it seized energy due to alleged fraud in November’s common elections, which noticed the NLD win by a landslide.

It has supplied no proof of those allegations – as an alternative, it has changed the Election Commission and promised fresh polls in a 12 months.

Where has Ms Suu Kyi been?

Ms Suu Kyi, 75, was arrested when the coup started and had not been seen in public till Monday’s listening to, when she appeared through video hyperlink on the court in the capital, Nay Pyi Taw.

It is unclear the place she has been held over the previous month, however some studies recommend she was detained at her dwelling in Nay Pyi Taw earlier than being moved to an undisclosed location.

Ms Suu Kyi initially confronted two charges of illegally importing walkie talkies and violating Myanmar’s pure catastrophe legislation, however an extra two charges have been added on Monday. She was accused of utilizing unlawful communication tools and inflicting “fear and alarm”.

The preliminary charges carried sentences of up to three years in jail. It is just not clear what punishment the brand new charges may carry, however she might reportedly be barred from working in future elections if convicted.

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The case has been adjourned till 15 March.

Khin Maung Zaw, who leads Ms Suu Kyi’s authorized crew, instructed the BBC that he had been unable to see his shopper and was compelled to pay attention to the listening to from a small room subsequent door. “The judge said we are not permitted to see her.”

But one other of her attorneys instructed BBC Burmese he had managed to catch a glimpse of her on the display in court. And a 3rd instructed Reuters information company “she looks healthy”.

News company Myanmar Now reported that ousted president Win Myint – a key ally of Ms Suu Kyi – had additionally been charged for incitement below the penal code.

Ms Suu Kyi’s reputation has soared in Myanmar since her arrest, however her worldwide status nonetheless stays tarnished by allegations that she turned a blind eye to ethnic cleaning of the Muslim minority Rohingya neighborhood.

What else occured on Monday?

Protests erupted once more in a number of cities throughout the nation. According to the AFP information company, one conflict noticed unarmed protesters fleeing after a volley of photographs have been fired. It was unclear if stay ammunition was used.

AFP reported that in Yangon, demonstrators have been seen utilizing makeshift objects like bamboo poles, sofas and even tree branches to erect barricades throughout streets.

Tear gasoline and stun grenades have been additionally used to disperse lots of of protesters in Yangon, Reuters information company reported.

At least 21 folks have been killed for the reason that unrest started final month.

On Monday night, military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing gave a televised tackle throughout which he stated protest leaders and “instigators” can be punished.

What’s the context to all this?

Myanmar’s navy seized energy after overthrowing the federal government and declared a state of emergency.

Just days later, the civil disobedience motion started to emerge – professionals who’re refusing to return to work in protest.

The motion rapidly began to acquire momentum and it was not lengthy earlier than lots of of hundreds of individuals started participating in road protests.

But there was an escalation of violence between law enforcement officials and civilians in latest days.

Myanmar in profile

• Myanmar, often known as Burma, grew to become unbiased from Britain in 1948. For a lot of its fashionable historical past it has been below navy rule

• Restrictions started loosening from 2010 onwards, main to free elections in 2015 and the set up of a authorities led by veteran opposition chief Aung San Suu Kyi the next 12 months

• In 2017, Myanmar’s military responded to assaults on police by Rohingya militants with a lethal crackdown, driving greater than half one million Rohingya Muslims throughout the border into Bangladesh in what the UN later referred to as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”