A Myanmar court on Monday postponed to Dec. 27 the issuing of verdicts in the latest of a series of cases against the country’s ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, a legal official knowledgeable about the case said.
The postponed verdict from the court in the capital, Naypyitaw, is for second among multiple cases brought against the 76-year-old Nobel laureate since the army seized power on Feb. 1, ousting her elected government and arresting top members of her National League for Democracy party.
No reason was given for postponement, according to a legal official who insisted on anonymity for fear of being punished by authorities, who have restricted release of information about Suu Kyi’s trials. She is accused of importing and possessing walkie-talkies without following official procedures. The radios that are focus of the case were seized from the entrance gate of her residence and barracks of her bodyguards during a search on Feb. 1, the day she was arrested.The charge under Export-Import Law of having improperly imported walkies-talkies was first filed against her and served as the initial justification for her continued detention. The charge of illegally possessing the radios was filed following month.
Suu Kyi’s lawyers argued that the radios were not in her personal possession and were legitimately used to help provide for her security, but court declined to dismiss charges against her. Suu Kyi on Dec. 6 was convicted on two other charges, incitement and breaching COVID-19 restrictions, for which she was sentenced to a total of four year’s imprisonment.