[Suu Kyi has been held incommunicado since the military seized power in a coup on Feb. 1, detaining her, her chief ministers and her advisers. Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy won elections in a landslide in November for the second time, but the military claimed the vote was fraudulent, canceled the result and took over the government.]
The 75-year-old is facing a
predicament worse than her 15 years under house arrest after a failed popular
uprising in 1988, persecuted by a military junta determined to keep her
isolated as anger and protests rage across the country.
Suu Kyi has been held incommunicado
since the military seized power in a coup on Feb. 1, detaining her,
her chief ministers and her advisers. Suu Kyi and her National League for
Democracy won elections in a landslide in November for the second time, but the
military claimed the vote was fraudulent, canceled the result and took over the
government.
[Family
members, U.S. officials press Myanmar for release of detained journalist Danny
Fenster]
In the ensuing months, millions
took to the streets in protest and worked to delegitimize the government
through a campaign of civil disobedience. The military regime in Myanmar, also
known as Burma, has responded with characteristic brutality, detaining almost 5,000 people. More
than 800 have been killed in
crackdowns on protests and in military operations since the coup, according
to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma).
The charges against Suu Kyi,
however, have been especially punitive. Shortly after her detention, she was
charged with possessing and importing walkie-talkies without a license, but the
military steadily slapped on more severe charges, including corruption and
violating the colonial-era
secrets act. She faces a total of seven charges and penalties of up to 15
years — meaning she could spend the rest of her life in detention. Myanmar’s
civilian president, Win Myint, who worked alongside Suu Kyi in running the
government before the coup, has been held on similar charges.
Suu Kyi, who will turn 76 on
Saturday, has been allowed to meet her attorneys only briefly
on two occasions since being detained. Unlike her years under house
arrest, she does not know where she is being held, according to her attorneys,
as she was moved to an undisclosed location after her arrest. The trial is
happening behind closed doors, with information released only through her
attorneys or state media.
Khin Maung Zaw, head of Suu Kyi’s
legal team, said the hearings began Monday about 10:30 a.m. and went on
for roughly six hours. Several prosecution witnesses were brought forward to
testify.
Suu Kyi, he added, “seemed not very
well” but “paid keen attention” to the hearing. Two other cases will be heard
before the court on Tuesday.
[As
Myanmar unravels after military coup, people flee cities for rural backwaters]
Human rights groups and foreign
governments have condemned the treatment of Suu Kyi and that of other
politicians, activists, protesters and journalists in Myanmar. In a statement
ahead of the start of her trial, Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human
Rights Watch, characterized the charges as “bogus and politically motivated.”
“With the restrictions on access to
her lawyers and the case being heard in front of a court that is wholly
beholden to the military junta, there is little likelihood she will receive a
fair trial,” Robertson said.
Thousands of others who are
detained by the military similarly face slim prospects of a just result. The
state media broadcasts nightly lists of wanted and arrested people, many of
them protesters described as rioters or terrorists. In published mug shots of
those detained, some appear bruised or injured, suggesting torture while in
custody.
In a stark example, local media
outlet Myanmar Now reported
last week that more than 30 young people, arrested for opposing the
coup, were tortured and then sentenced to prison. Their trial, in the city of
Myeik, was so hasty that it was held in a makeshift courtroom.
Michelle Bachelet, the United
Nations high commissioner for human rights, warned Friday that further
bloodshed is imminent in Myanmar, and she called for the international
community to hold the junta to account.
“Rather than seeking dialogue, the
military is branding its opponents as ‘terrorists’ and pursuing politically
motivated charges against the democratic leadership,” Bachelet said. “In just
over four months, Myanmar has gone from being a fragile democracy to a human
rights catastrophe.”
Cape Diamond contributed to this
report.
Spiraling
conflict in Myanmar sends thousands fleeing as military targets rebels
As
Myanmar unravels after military coup, people flee cities for rural backwaters
Myanmar
is descending into chaos. A Yangon neighborhood is in the eye of the storm.
