Ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi skips court hearing due to sickness – lawyer

The former leader of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, was unable to attend a junta court hearing due to being unwell, a member of her legal team has said. The trial had already been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

On Monday, the deposed leader’s lawyer, Min Min Soe, told AFP and Reuters that Suu Kyi had skipped the resumption of her trial after feeling unwell, commenting that the illness was not “serious” or Covid-related. Instead, she had suffered car sickness.

The bout of motion sickness was brought on by the fact she had not travelled anywhere by car in the last two months, Soe explained, adding that Suu Kyi needs to return home to rest properly.

Suu Kyi is on trial in the Myanmar capital of Naypyitaw over charges including the illegal importation and possession of walkie-talkie systems, as well as for breaching coronavirus protocols. The junta has also accused her of accepting large bribes.

The ousted 76-year-old also faces separate, more severe charges connected with unnamed violations of the Official Secrets Act, which could land her up to 14 years in jail if found guilty.

The Nobel Prize laureate was ousted from power when the junta took control of Myanmar on February 1. The military coup was justified by claims that Suu Kyi’s victory in the polls was the result of fraud in the November 2020 elections.

Since the February coup led by General Min Aung Hlaing, who presides over the new caretaker government as its prime minister, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) has estimated that over 1,080 people have been killed by the junta. Meanwhile 8,048 have been arrested, according to information from the non-profit published on September 11.

Suu Kyi has also been hit with accusations of human rights abuses. Allegations regarding the genocide of the minority Rohingya group have been stacked against the ousted Nobel Prize winner.

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