Myanmar’s ousted leader has come in person for the first time since her government was overthrown in a coup on February 1. Held by the military junta that took power, Aung San Suu Kyi testified Monday (24) at a hearing, his lawyer told Reuters news agency.
Suu Kyi, 75, had an in-person meeting with her legal team for about 30 minutes before the hearing and appeared to be in good health, attorney Thae Maung Maung said.
A Nobel Peace Prize laureate for acting to build democracy in the country, she is one of more than 4,000 people detained since the coup and faces charges ranging from illegal possession of walkie-talkie radios to violation of a law on state secrets.
During the hearing, the ousted leader made an apparent reference to her party, the National League for Democracy, which faces disbandment after being accused by the military junta of fraud in the November elections. The electoral commission before the coup denies evidence of irregularities in the process.
“She said the party was established for the people, so the party will be there as long as the people are,” Thae Maung Maung told Reuters. In his first interview with foreign media since the coup, military junta chief Min Aung Hlaing said Suu Kyi was in good health and challenged the number of people killed by security forces during protests after. the seizure of power.
Myanmar has been the scene of constant protests since the military took power, with daily protests, marches and attacks across the country against the junta, which responded by killing more than 800 people, the group said. militant Association for assistance to political prisoners. Min Aung Hlaing said the actual death toll was around 300 civilians and 47 police officers were also killed.