Myanmar court postpones verdict in Aung San Suu Kyi trial

Judge adjourns trial on charges of alleged possession of unlicenced walkie-talkies and a set of signal jammers, news agencies report.

Aung San Suu Kyi's supporters say the cases against her are baseless and designed to end her political career [File: Ann Wang/Reuters]

A verdict in the trial of deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been postponed, sources familiar with the proceedings have said.

A court in the military-ruled country had been due to rule on Monday on charges of possession of unlicenced walkie-talkies and a set of signal jammers, which carry maximum penalties of three years and a year in jail respectively.

Sources cited by the Reuters and AFP news agencies, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the judge did not give a reason for the deferral.

The case was adjourned until December 27, a source with knowledge of the case told AFP.

Aung San Suu Kyi, 76, was sentenced on December 6 to four years in jail for incitement and breaching coronavirus rules by the court. Her sentence was later reduced to a two-year term of detention in her current, undisclosed location.

Her trial in the capital, Naypyidaw, has been closed to the media and defence lawyers have been barred from communicating with the media and public.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the February 1 military coup against Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government led to widespread protests and raised international concern about the end of tentative political reforms following decades of military rule.

Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is on trial for nearly a dozen cases that carry combined maximum sentences of more than 100 years in prison. She denies all charges.

Police said six walkie-talkies that had been imported illegally and used without permission had been found in her home. Under cross-examination, police officers admitted they had not possessed a search warrant for the raid, a source with knowledge of the matter told AFP.

Aung San Suu Kyi could face three years in prison if found guilty on the walkie-talkie charges.

She is also charged with multiple counts of corruption, each of which is punishable by 15 years in jail, and violating the official secrets act.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s supporters say the cases against her are baseless and designed to end her political career and tie her up in legal proceedings while the military consolidates power.

The military generals say Aung San Suu Kyi is being given due process by an independent court led by a judge appointed by her own administration.

The military has not given details of where the removed leader, who spent years under house arrest under a previous military government, is being detained.

Nationwide protests against the military coup have been met with a violent crackdown, with more than 1,300 people killed and more than 11,000 arrested, according to a local monitoring group.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies