Two new charges have been announced against Aung San Suu Kyi, according to her lawyer, as Myanmar’s ousted leader appeared before court via video link.
Aung San Suu Kyi, who has not been seen in public since she was detained by the military one month ago, now faces a total of four legal charges. If convicted, she may be prevented from running in future elections.
On Monday, it was announced she would face a fresh charge under the country’s colonial-era penal code, which prohibits publishing information that may “cause fear or alarm” or disrupt “public tranquillity”, the lawyer, Min Min Soe said.
A further charge was also added under a telecommunications law, he said.
Aung San Suu Kyi appeared healthy during the call, although had perhaps lost weight, her lawyer told Reuters. The next hearing is scheduled for 15 March.
Aung San Suu Kyi was already accused of possession of illegally imported walkie-talkies, and of violating the Natural Disaster Management Law by breaching coronavirus restrictions.
The court hearing on Monday followed a day of violence across Myanmar on Sunday, when security forces used lethal force on peaceful protesters, firing live ammunition at crowds in several towns and cities. Stun grenades, rubber bullets and teargas were also deployed by police, backed up by military troops.
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At least 18 people were killed in the violence, according to UN estimates, and 30 injured. Hundreds of people were arrested over the weekend, including many medics.
Several governments expressed outrage at the killings, including the US and UK, while the UN secretary general, António Guterres, urged the international community to “send a clear signal to the military that it must respect the will of the people of Myanmar as expressed through the election and stop the repression”.
Tom Andrews, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, said it was clear the junta would continue its assault on the people, and that the international community should ratchet up its response. “Without concerted, coordinated international action to support the people of Myanmar in their time of greatest need, the nightmare that is unfolding before our eyes will get worse,” he said.
He proposed a global arms embargo, targeted sanctions from more countries on those behind the coup and on the military’s businesses, and a UN security council referral to the international criminal court.
“Words of condemnation are welcome but insufficient. We must act,” Andrews said in a statement.
On Monday morning, police in the main city of Yangon used stun grenades and teargas to disperse protesters who had turned out despite the risk of further lethal force.
‘Myanmar is like a battlefield’: UN says at least 18 dead as security forces fire on protesters
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Crowds also took to the streets in other towns across the country, including in the central town of Bagan, while a small gathering took place in the north-eastern town of Lashio. In the north-western town of Kale, protesters carried pictures of Suu Kyi and shouted “democracy, our cause, our cause”.
Mass protests have been held for weeks across Myanmar after the military seized control of the country in a coup on 1 February, detaining Aung San Suu Kyi and other politicians from her party, the National League for Democracy.
The NLD won a landslide election victory last year, but the army has refused to accept the results and has alleged widespread voter fraud – a claim that is not substantiated.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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