U.S. journalists held in a notoriously brutal Myanmar prison
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Myanmar’s ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi went on trial Monday, more than four months after the country’s military seized power in a coup.
The court, in the capital Naypyidaw, heard the first criminal cases against the deposed leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Suu Kyi’s lawyer Khin Maung Zaw said she appeared unwell throughout the hearing.
The trial addressed three charges, including that Suu Kyi, 75, violated a communications law by allegedly importing and using a number of walkie-talkie radios, and violated coronavirus restrictions during election campaigning last year.
The court also heard one case against deposed President U Win Myint over the alleged violation of the country’s disaster management laws.
Suu Kyi “seemed not very well,” her lawyer told CNN, adding that “throughout the hearing she seemed quite interested and paid keen attention.”
The trial will resume Tuesday for Suu Kyi on two other charges, while the most serious charges against her, of corruption and violations of the State Secrets Act have yet to be assigned a trial date.
Under the command of coup leader Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar’s military seized power on February 1, sparking months of civilian protests and deadly clashes. Since then a number of democratically-elected leaders, including Suu Kyi, have been held in detention and charged with a litany of offenses.
Activists and legal experts have criticized the charges against Suu Kyi as politically motivated and part of a larger crackdown by the military to stifle dissent and consolidate power.
“This is exactly a show trial,” said David Mathieson, an independent analyst based in Yangon. “This is a political spectacle in order to discredit Aung San Suu Kyi and the democratic opposition.”
He added that despite the junta’s efforts to discredit Suu Kyi, she remains hugely popular among the public – and after experiencing some democratic reforms in the past decade, “the majority of 54 million people do not want the military to run the country anymore.”
“They don’t trust the military, they don’t trust the legal system,” Mathieson said. “What I think the military should really be worried about is less the residual influence and power and charismatic authority that Aung San Suu Kyi has, and more the fact that the coup has sparked nationwide resistance, all around the country against the military.”
Ahead of Suu Kyi’s trial Monday, nearly 100 supporters marched briefly in Yangon, chanting slogans and making the three-finger salute adopted from “The Hunger Games” that has become a symbol of defiance.
In total, Suu Kyi faces seven charges. She is also accused of violating the Official Secrets Act, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. That case is due to resume later this month.
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Protesters make the three-finger salute of resistance during an anti-coup demonstration in Yangon, Myanmar, on Tuesday, April 27.
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Police officers clear a road after demonstrators spread placards in Yangon on Saturday, April 24.
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Protesters run from security forces during an anti-coup demonstration in Yangon on April 12.
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Buses from the Yangon Bus Service are seen burnt on April 12.
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Police talk as they arrive at the site of a demonstration in Yangon on April 12.
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Anti-coup protesters walk through Yangon's Hlaing township on April 9.
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An anti-coup protester raises a decorated Easter egg along with the three-fingered salute of resistance during a demonstration in Yangon on April 4.
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Protesters hold homemade pipe air guns during a demonstration in Yangon on April 3.
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Protesters hold improvised weapons in Yangon on April 3.
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Residents of the Tamwe area of Yangon participate in a candlelight vigil on April 3.
People take part in a "flower strike" in Yangon on April 2.
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Protesters wearing face paint stand near a burning barricade during an anti-coup demonstration in Yangon on March 30.
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Soldiers walk toward anti-coup protesters during a demonstration in Yangon on March 30.
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Protesters run to avoid the military in Yangon on March 30.
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A man rides his bike as smoke billows from burning barricades in Yangon on March 30.
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Protesters throw stones and use slingshots as security forces approached in Yangon on March 28.
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Smoke rises after anti-coup protesters burned tires in Yangon on March 27.
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Protesters make incendiary devices during an anti-coup rally in Yangon.
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Smoke rises over Yangon's Thaketa Township on March 27.
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Mourners attend the funeral of Tin Hla, a 43-year-old who was reportedly shot dead by security forces during a protest.
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People cry in Yangon after a relative was shot during a crackdown on anti-coup protesters.
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Protesters occupy a street during a rally in Yangon on March 27.
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Protesters gesture during a march in Yangon on March 26.
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Thein Zaw, a journalist with the Associated Press, waves after being released from a prison in Yangon on March 24. He had been detained while covering an anti-coup protest in February.
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Men pray during the funeral of Khin Myo Chit, a 7-year-old girl who was shot in her home by Myanmar's security forces on March 23. The girl was killed during a military raid, according to the Reuters news agency and the advocacy group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
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A Buddhist monk uses binoculars as he squats behind a road barricade with others in Mandalay, Myanmar, on March 22.
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The mother of Aung Kaung Htet wails during the teenage boy's funeral on March 21. Aung, 15, was killed when military junta forces opened fire on anti-coup protesters in Yangon.
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Unidentified people cross the Tiau River at the India-Myanmar border on March 20. Some people from Myanmar have sought refuge in India since the protests began.
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An anti-coup protester jumps over a makeshift barricade in Yangon on March 19.
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Protesters take positions on Yangon's Bayint Naung Bridge on March 17. The bridge was blocked with an improvised barricade to prevent security forces from crossing.
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Medical students hold up the three-finger salute at the Yangon funeral of Khant Nyar Hein on March 16. The first-year medical student was fatally shot during the crackdown.
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Protesters test Molotov cocktails in Yangon on March 16.
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Protesters stand near burning tires in Yangon on March 16.
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Anti-coup protesters pray in Yangon on March 14.
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Emergency workers transport the body of Shel Ye Win, who was shot by security forces in Mandalay.
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Smoke billows from the industrial zone of the Hlaing Tharyar township in Yangon on March 14. The Chinese Embassy in Myanmar said several Chinese-funded factories were set ablaze during protests. Demonstrators have accused Beijing of supporting the coup and junta.
A member of Myanmar's police is seen firing a weapon toward protesters in Yangon on March 13.
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People lay flowers and light candles beside bloodied pavement where protester Chit Min Thu was killed in Yangon.
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Military trucks are seen near a burning barricade in Yangon that was erected by protesters and then set on fire by soldiers on March 10.
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A protester holds a homemade shield during an anti-coup demonstration in Yangon on March 9.
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A protester discharges a fire extinguisher to counter the impact of tear gas that was fired by police in Yangon on March 8.
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Protesters string up longyi, traditional clothing worn in Myanmar, during a demonstration in Yangon on March 7.
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The wife of Phoe Chit, a protester who died during a demonstration, cries over her husband's coffin during his funeral in Yangon on March 5.
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Protesters step on portraits of Myanmar's armed forces chief, Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, during a demonstration in Yangon on March 5.
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People cry in Yangon on March 4, near a spot where a family member was killed while protesting.
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Protesters lie on the ground after police opened fire to disperse an anti-coup demonstration in Mandalay on March 3.
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Schoolteachers wear traditional hats while participating in an anti-coup demonstration in Mandalay on March 3.
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A soldier stands next to a detained man during a demonstration in Mandalay on March 3.
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Anti-coup protesters run in Yangon on March 3. One of them discharged a fire extinguisher to counter the impact of tear gas fired by police.
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An anti-coup protester writes vital emergency information of another protester on his arm in Yangon.
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Police run toward protesters to disperse a demonstration in Yangon on March 3.
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A citizen of Myanmar living in India burns a poster of Myanmar's military chief during a protest in New Delhi on March 3.
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Medics help supply oxygen to a protester who was exposed to tear gas in Yangon on March 3.
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Protesters flee after tear gas was fired during a demonstration in Yangon on March 1.
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Protesters smoke behind shields during a demonstration in Yangon on March 1.
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Protesters in Yangon run away from tear gas on March 1.
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People in Yangon take part in a ceremony on February 28 to remember those who have been killed during demonstrations.
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Soldiers patrol during a protest in Yangon on February 28.
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Protesters take cover as they clash with police in Yangon on February 28.
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Protesters erect barricades during a demonstration in Yangon on February 28.
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Police charge at anti-coup protesters in Yangon on February 27.
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An injured protester receives medical attention in Mandalay after police and military forces cracked down on protests on February 26.
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Factory workers hold placards and shout slogans as they hold an anti-coup protest in Yangon on February 25.
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Anti-coup protesters shout slogans in Yangon on February 25.
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A police officer films protesters near the Indonesian Embassy in Yangon on February 24.
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Thida Hnin cries during the funeral of her husband, Thet Naing Win, in Mandalay on February 23. He and another protester were fatally shot by security forces during an anti-coup protest.
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Police stand guard near the US Embassy in Yangon as protesters take part in an anti-coup demonstration on February 22.
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Protesters hold signs featuring civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a demonstration in Yangon on February 22.
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Protesters gather for a demonstration on February 22.
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A man is carried after police dispersed protesters in Mandalay on February 20.
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A police truck uses a water cannon to disperse protesters in Mandalay on February 20.
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A police officer aims a gun toward protesters during a demonstration in Mandalay on February 20.
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A protester holds a Suu Kyi poster as he sits in front of police in Yangon on February 19.
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Protesters flash the three-fingered salute during a rally in downtown Yangon on February 19.
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Flower tributes and sympathy messages are left in Yangon for Mya Thweh Thweh Khine. The 20-year-old was shot in the head at a protest in Naypyidaw, and she died on February 19.
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Protesters block a major road during a demonstration in Yangon on February 17.
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Demonstrators block a Yangon bridge with their cars on February 17.
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Buddhist monks march during an anti-coup protest in Yangon on February 16.
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A Suu Kyi banner is displayed during demonstrations in Yangon on February 15.
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Soldiers carry barricades in Yangon on February 15.
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Elected members of Parliament wave to protesters in Yangon as police surround the headquarters of Suu Kyi's political party, the National League for Democracy, on February 15.
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Medics clear the way as an injured protester is carried away for treatment in Mandalay, Myanmar, on February 15.
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People gather around an armored vehicle in Yangon on February 14.
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Young people in Yangon take part in an anti-coup hip-hop performance on February 14.
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Protesters demonstrate in Yangon on February 14.
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A child runs alongside an armored vehicle in Yangon on February 14.
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Protesters march through the city of Shwebo on February 13.
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Members of the Myanmar Photographers Association hold up their cameras as they call for Suu Kyi's release on February 13.
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Police detain a protester during a demonstration in Mawlamyine on February 12.
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Farmers ride a tractor with a Suu Kyi poster during a demonstration in Thongwa on February 12.
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A protester dressed as Lady Justice makes a three-finger salute as she takes part in a demonstration in Yangon on February 11.
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Protesters demonstrate in Bagan, a UNESCO World Heritage site, on February 11.
Hospital workers show three-finger salutes during a demonstration in Yangon on February 7.
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A rally takes place in Yangon on February 7.
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Protesters shout slogans in Yangon on February 7.
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Protesters give roses to riot police in Yangon on February 6.
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Yangon residents bang objects to show support for Suu Kyi and her party on February 5.
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Soldiers block a road near Myanmar's Parliament on February 2, a day after the coup.
Last Thursday, she was slapped with an additional charge of “corruption using her rank,” with a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Suu Kyi’s lawyer Khin Maung Zaw called the charge “absurd,” saying on Thursday that she is “honest and incorruptible.”
The military, known as the Tatmadaw, staged its coup after claiming widespread voter fraud during the November 2020 parliamentary elections. The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) performed dismally, while Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party won a landslide and a second term in government.
It was only the second democratic vote since the previous junta began a series of reforms in 2011, following half a century of brutal military rule that plunged Myanmar into poverty and isolationism.
The military has not provided evidence for its claims of fraud, and the previous election commission denied any voting discrepancies had taken place.
In the four months since, the junta has cracked down on nationwide pro-democracy protests and a prolonged civil disobedience movement that at times saw tens of thousands of people on the streets.
These mass demonstrations have subsided since March and April, but there are still flash protests like the one on Monday, which appear and then dissipate quickly, said Mathieson.
There has also been the recent emergence of “people’s resistance” fighters who are taking up arms against junta forces. Many members of the disobedience movement have fled to areas controlled by ethnic armed groups that have been fighting the military, central government and each other for greater rights and autonomy, on and off for 70 years.
Fighting between these local militia groups and the Tatmadaw has spread across those remote, mountainous regions, especially in the western Chin state, with reports of whole villages forced to abandon their homes.
As of Monday, more than 860 people have been killed by junta-led security forces and 6,027 have been arrested since the coup, according to advocacy group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Among them are protesters, activists, journalists, celebrities, government officials, as well as children and bystanders.
CNN’s Sarita Harilela, Sheena McKenzie and Helen Regan contributed to this report.
