Myanmar court delays verdicts in second case against ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi

A Myanmar court has delayed issuing a verdict against ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is accused of improperly importing and having radio walkie-talkies without obeying official procedures among other charges. 

The court in the military-run country did not provide a reason for the delay. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Prize laureate, will now receive her verdict for the matter on Jan. 10, according to The Associated Press. 

Authorities have limited how much information has been released about the trial of the 76-year-old former leader. But Suu Kyi faces several other charges against her since Myanmar’s military junta overthrew the country’s elected government earlier this year on Feb. 1. Suu Kyi’s supporters as well as independent analysts have alleged that the former leader’s charges are politically motivated, the AP reported. 

If convicted, Suu Kyi could face over 100 years in prison as she faces a total of 11 counts against her, including engaging in corruption and violating the Official Secrets Act, which prohibits the sharing of state information that could benefit enemies. 

Earlier this month, she was also convicted of incitement and breaching COVID-19 restrictions. For that conviction, which was the first against her, Suu Kyi received a four year prison sentence that was later cut in half by Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of the military government, the wire service added. 

Members of Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy, have also been arrested since the military government’s takeover. The party overwhelmingly won in last year’s election, but the junta claimed there was widespread election fraud, an allegation that has been disputed by independent reviews.