Myanmar coup: Aung San Suu Kyi has been charged with violating official secrets law, lawyer says
- Meanwhile, the UN special envoy on Myanmar warned the 15-member UN Security Council that ‘a bloodbath is imminent’
- Military junta has also ordered internet service providers to shut down wireless broadband services until further notice, several telecoms sources said
Myanmar has been rocked by protests since the army overthrew Suu Kyi’s elected government on February 1 citing unsubstantiated claims of fraud in a November election that her party swept.
In a new measure to stifle communication about the turmoil, the junta ordered internet service providers to shut down wireless broadband services until further notice, several telecoms sources said.
Suu Kyi and other members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) have been detained since the coup and the junta had earlier accused her of several minor offences including illegally importing six handheld radios and breaching coronavirus protocols.
Her chief lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, said Suu Kyi, three of her deposed cabinet ministers and a detained Australian economic adviser, Sean Turnell, were charged a week ago in a Yangon court under the official secrets law, adding he learned of the new charge two days ago.
A conviction under the law can carry a prison sentence of up to 14 years.