Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi has denied the junta's charge of inciting panic

[ASEAN NOW Content Team]

 

In her first court appearance since a February coup drove the country into chaos and ended a decade of democratic change, Myanmar's former leader Aung San Suu Kyi denied a charge of incitement to cause public anxiety, according to media reports on Tuesday (Oct 26).

According to lawyers cited by BBC Burmese and Myanmar Now, Aung San Suu Kyi denied inciting in connection with her party's February publication of a letter urging international organisations not to engage with the regime.

 

The reports could not be independently verified by Reuters.

According to an AFP source familiar with the issue, Aung San Suu Kyi "made her statement at the court by herself."

According to the source, the details of her Tuesday statement "cannot be published" until the court certifies them, which is expected next week.

Four months after her arrest, Aung San Suu Kyi went on trial in June, facing a slew of allegations that may land her in prison for decades.

Her trial has been closed to the media, and Myanmar's state media has remained silent on her various court matters.

 

The military authorities issued a gag order against Aung San Suu Kyi's lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, earlier this month, making him one of the few sources of public information on the trial.

That ruling came after Myanmar's deposed president Win Myint testified in court that the military sought to force him to leave power hours before the February 1 coup, warning him that if he refused, he would be gravely injured.

Win Myint's evidence, which was his first recounting of events before the coup, had been requested by Aung San Suu Kyi, according to the lawyer.

 

Aung San Suu Kyi is being kept in an undisclosed location and attended court sessions in Myanmar's capital, Naypyidaw, on Tuesday.

She is accused of breaking COVID-19 regulations, illegally holding two-way radios, taking payments in cash and gold, inciting public concern, and violating the Official Secrets Act, among other things.