Suu Kyi appears in court after long public absence

NAY PYI TAW: Myanmar's ousted de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi appeared in court on Monday, her first in-person appearance since the February 1 coup, to face a charge of "incitement to sedition".

The sedition charge is the most serious she faces, but she is also accused of violating a state secrets law and breaking coronavirus containment measures, reports dpa news agency.

Defence lawyer Thae Maung Maung said lawyers were able to meet with Suu Kyi separately before the hearing and they discussed the legal matter. The 75-year-old has been under house arrest since the coup.

He told dpa news agency that Suu Kyi was in good health.

Her next court hearing is scheduled for June 7.

While Suu Kyi has answered questions in court via video link in recent weeks, her lawyers have been unable to meet her in person.

A special courtroom had been set up for the hearing in the capital Nay Pyi Taw, not far from Suu Kyi's home, lawyer Min Min Soe told dpa.

Nationwide protests against the coup have been met with fierce army reprisals that left hundreds of people dead.

In an interview published on May 22 by Chinese-language broadcaster Phoenix, Myanmar's military ruler, Min Aung Hlaing claimed the media had vastly overstated the number of dead, putting it at "around 300".

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners monitoring group, at least 818 people have been killed so far, while more than 5,300 have been detained. IANS

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