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Trial of Burma's Democracy Leader Hears Last Defense Witness བོད་སྐད།
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By Daniel Schearf
Bangkok
10-07-2009
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| Aung San Suu Kyi (File
photo) | After some weeks of delay, the trial of Burma's
democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi has heard testimony from the last of only two
allowed defense witnesses. The trial has been widely criticized as rigged to
keep the opposition and democracy leader locked up.
The trial of Aung
San Suu Kyi resumed Friday in Rangoon with the final defense witness taking the
stand.
The defense witness, Khin Moe Moe, argued that the charges against
the democracy leader were invalid because the 1974 constitution she was being
tried under was abolished in 1988.
Aung San Suu Kyi is charged with
violating the terms of her house arrest for allowing an uninvited guest without
official permission.
She could be sentenced to five years in
prison.
One of Aung San Suu Kyi's lawyers, Nyan Win, spoke to VOA after
the hearing ended.
He says the hearing took the whole day while the
second and last witness from the defense side, Khin Moe Moe, testified and
answered questions. He says the prosecutors spent most of the time arguing
against the testimony rather than asking questions.
Aung San Suu Kyi's
defense team had requested four witnesses but was only allowed two, while the
prosecution was allowed 14.
The trial has been internationally criticized
as a show trial designed by Burma's military government to keep her locked up
through next year's elections.
Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for
Democracy party won Burma's last elections in 1990, but the military refused to
honor the results.
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| U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon speaks to reporters
before his departure from Rangoon, Burma, 04 Jul
2009 | The trial resumed a week after the U.N.
Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, visited Burma to ask that she be
released.
However, Mr. Ban was not even allowed to meet with the
democracy leader, which he called "deeply disappointing."
Two of Aung San
Suu Kyi's live-in assistants and the American man who unexpectedly turned up at
her house are also on trial, facing similar jail time.
The trial is set
to resume in two weeks when final arguments will begin.
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