Suu Kyi makes first in-person court appearance since Myanmar coup

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Myanmar’s ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi attended a court hearing on Monday, according to local media reports, in her first public appearance after being detained in the military coup this February.

Prior to the hearing, she had only been allowed to speak with her lawyers through a video link in the presence of security personnel.

Speaking to her lawyers before her hearing at the Naypyidaw Council, Suu Kyi said, referring to her party, which the coup leaders declared dissolved: “The NLD [National League for Democracy] was founded for the people and it will exist as long as those people are there.”

The Myanmar military staged a coup on Feb. 1 by overthrowing Suu Kyi’s elected government.

She and members of her NLD are among more than 4,000 people detained since the coup.

Suu Kyi is facing charges ranging from illegally possessing walkie-talkie radios to violating a state secrets law.

Since then, pro-democracy protests have taken place in cities and towns across the Southeast Asian country.

As of Sunday, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners reported that 818 people have been killed by Myanmar security forces since the February coup.