Saturday, August 01, 2009

Suu Kyi verdict delayed until August 11

A court in Rangoon has delayed the verdict in the case against the Burmese opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.

The verdict against the pro-democracy hero was supposed to be read today, but the court has delayed it until August 11.

Suu Kyi has been tried on charges that she breached the terms of her house arrest when an uninvited American man, John Yettaw, spent two nights in her home in early May.

Yettaw had swum across Lake Inya in Rangoon to get to her. He has also been on trial.

Suu Kyi has spent 14 years in detention since winning elections in 1990.

She faces five years in jail if found guilty.

She is said to be bracing for the worst.

Her lawyers have argued that the Burmese authorities are responsible for security around her home and they should be blamed.

They also say the statute under which she has been charged has expired.

A guilty verdict is widely expected in a country where the courts routinely favour the military junta, which has ruled Myanmar since a 1962 coup.

The international community has expressed outrage over the trial and made repeated demands for the charges to be dropped and Suu Kyi be freed.

The junta has ignored the calls and told its critics not to meddle in its internal affairs.

Opponents of the military government say the trial is an attempt to keep Suu Kyi in detention before and during elections next year, which they say will be a sham intended to legitimise the regime.
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