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Suu Kyi trial adjourned in Myanmar
Prosecution given extra time to compile final arguments against Nobel prize winner.
Last Modified: 24 Jul 2009 13:50 GMT
Critics of Myanmar's military rulers see Suu Kyi's trial as an attempt to keep her out of elections [AFP]

The trial in Myanmar of detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been postponed.

Suu Kyi, 64, was "abolutely dissatisfied" with the decision of an army-ruled court in Yangon, Myanmar's capital, to allow prosecutors more time to prepare their final arguments in the case, said Nyan Win, one of her lawyers.

Lawyers for the Nobel peace laureate early on Friday gave their closing arguments in the trial that could lead to Suu Kyi being jailed for five years if she is found guilty of violating the terms of her house arrest.

Win told the Reuters news agency that prosecutors had been told to deliver their final arguments on Monday.

'Absolutely dissatisfied'

Win said that to ensure fairness, the usual practice was for courts to allow both parties to give their closing arguments on the same day.

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"Aung San Suu Kyi said she was absolutely dissatisfied with the arrangement, giving more time for the prosecution to prepare the argument," Win said.

Suu Kyi is accused of violating the terms of her detention by allowing an American man, who secretly swam to her lakeside home, to stay for two days.

The American, John Yettaw, is also on trial along with two female aides to Aung San Suu Kyi.

The trial, which began in May, has taken place mainly behind closed doors in Yangon's Insein Prison.

Security was tight with reporters being kept out on Friday, although some European diplomats were allowed in.

The opposition leader's legal team has not contested the basic facts of the case, but they have argued that the charges she faces are illegal because the military government charged her under a law that cites a constitution abolished two decades ago.

International pressure

They have also asserted that the guards who monitor her home and ensure that she remains inside her compound should also be held responsible for any intrusion on her property.

The court has heard from 14 prosecution witnesses, but only allowed two defence witnesses to appear.

It is expected to deliver its verdict sometime next month.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been held in jail or under house arrest for 14 of the past 19 years.

Rights groups and opposition supporters have condemned the charges against her as a sham trumped up by the military to keep her in jail during national elections it has said will be held next year.

Her National League for Democracy (NLD) won the country's last general election by a landslide in 1990, but was denied the chance to rule by the military.

Source:
Agencies
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